Enterprise Cloud Solutions: You May Want to Have a Chat with Your Neighbor

It's a common mistake. When folks think about enterprise cloud solutions, they're likely contemplating a single aspect of the otherwise broad topic. Evidence of this isn't difficult to find either. Ask anyone you like what the enterprise cloud means to them and you're likely to get a unique answer from each encounter. In the scope of enterprise organizations, the cloud looks surprisingly different from the unique perspective of each vertical.

With that in mind, here are some ways in which the enterprise cloud takes on different forms within the same organization. Understanding these differences is most certainly worth your while.

Everyone's an Expert

Not so long ago, evaluating and selecting the innovative technologies that would one day drive enterprisewide success was a job earmarked solely for the CIO. The cloud has had a substantial role in changing that dynamic, thanks largely to its omnipresence in just about every modern enterprise vertical.

As different departments cling to different aspects of cloud computing, overall cloud strategies become quickly strained. That leaves them with a very agile — if not entirely optimized — pool of enterprise cloud solutions. Indeed, each department is intimately familiar with its own challenges, and how to use the cloud to solve them.

On the data services side, you'll likely find the cloud swooping in to provide the computing punch that big data requires. Built neatly on top is a cloud business intelligence (BI) tool to generate useful insights that drive innovation. For sales, a facet of modern business that hinges on high-level communication, cloud-based communications platforms are the name of the game. The folks showing off your business value to potential clients look to the cloud for new ways to stay in touch whenever and wherever they need to.

Some departments may not have an entirely different set of challenges, but rather a different use case. For example, your customer service department can use the cloud to set up call centers to keep existing customers engaged, troubleshoot service issues, and boost retention. Supply chain management might use an integrated cloud solution to similarly improve customer communications, but also for purchase order management and inventory control, allowing for seamless coordination between various warehouses and manufacturers. The cloud takes many unique forms within the same enterprise.

Crowdsourcing Enterprise Cloud Solutions

While the fact that different departments use the cloud for different business communication solutions may not be earth-shattering news, it's worth noting the unique perspectives each brings to the decision-making process. It's just good business. The challenge is creating a cohesive cloud strategy from all of these unique perspectives and opinions.

Fortunately, the cloud is inherently conducive to cooperation. Take communications for example. Sales clearly isn't the only department that needs consistent communication methods despite its distinct requirements. Instead of allowing each department to dole out cash for its own private cloud solution, opinions can be gathered that lead to the deployment of a single, cross-functional enterprise cloud solution.

It makes sense when you really stop and think about it. As easy as it is to operate autonomous clouds, making decisions based on input from multiple verticals can lead to a cloud environment with a smaller footprint that's easier to manage. Settling on a single platform also facilitates easier cross-functional communication. In other words, you won't have to worry about Facebook messaging a Snapchat contact.

Ultimately, each department knows its own environment best. However, by seeking opinions from across the enterprise landscape when it comes to cloud solutions, you can choose platforms that drive innovation on a greater scale. So the next time you cook up an RFP for your department's IoT challenges, you might just take a walk down the hall and see what nuggets of wisdom the other arms of your organization may have.

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