Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
What Cloud Solutions Can Expect
By Susan deCathelineau, chief customer success officer
at Hyland
In 2020, legacy brands that had been slow to adopt Cloud
solutions had to quickly migrate as workers became almost completely remote. In 2021, cloud providers will place increased importance on
high-level security, such as end-to-end encryption, to show legacy brands that
Cloud solutions have staying power.
A recap of cloud's impact on 2020
2020 has seen a significant increase in companies implementing a
cloud strategy, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been a key driver as
organizations move to a remote workforce. In shifting to a virtual environment,
gaps have been identified that may be addressed by implementing a cloud
strategy. Cloud solutions provide remote employees access to information they
would traditionally leverage in the office environment. Access to information
and the ability for team members to collaborate are essential in driving businesses
forward in a year like no other.
What to expect from cloud
solutions in 2021
In preparing for 2021, organizations are
learning from the lessons of 2020 in expanding a move to the cloud. The focus
is on the end-user experience and less about maintaining the infrastructure
that information services departments have historically balanced. Limited
budgets require prioritization on finding new ways to create business
efficiencies. By leveraging cloud solutions and environments, information
services professionals can focus on application adoption and optimization. The
expectations of cloud providers to ensure system reliability and fast response
time will continue to increase.
Cloud security in 2021
Protecting information and providing
access to authorized individuals has become more critical due to the increase
in cyber threats around the world. Customers of cloud providers will require
contracted service-level agreements with associated penalties to ensure they
are protected from a targeted, harmful event. In moving to the cloud,
organizations expect an increased level of security beyond what they may be
able to provide by leveraging their own infrastructure.
Why we can expect these changes
As more of our customers are adapting to the new way of doing
business, and from lessons learned in 2020, the overarching theme is the need
to move to a cloud environment to support a remote workforce. For example, in
the healthcare industry information is essential for clinicians in providing
care virtually to patients who are seeking care from their homes. Across all
industries, administrative departments such as accounts payable have seen
efficiencies gained by a remote workforce utilizing a cloud environment to
further automate and secure sensitive financial information.
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About the Author
Susan deCathelineau, MS, is the Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Success Officer at Hyland. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, technology and operations, Susan brings expertise and leadership in areas including customer experience, strategic product development, campaign management and solution design and implementation. In her role, Susan leads the next evolution of Hyland’s Customer Success Department, focusing on helping customers gain long-term competitive advantages by leveraging the breadth and depth of their technology investment. Channeling the voice of the customer, Susan leads Customer Success strategies, aligning customer experience, delivery and innovation, building a customer listening path to seek input and implementing actions that support customers’ growth.