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If a primary objection of your cloud strategy is cost savings, moving a few workloads to the cloud in a piecemeal fashion likely won’t give you the returns you’re hoping for. And if you don’t do your due diligence to understand how user seats and data transfers will impact your monthly bill, you can end up with sticker shock. Looking at cloud as a ‘journey’ toward achieving specific business goals can help you better measure the return on your investment — both quantifiable and qualitative. Understanding the ROI equation While the CapEx versus OpEx debate is part of the ROI equation, there are other factors to consider, such as revenue opportunities related to increased agility and time-to-market. It’s why cloud should be part of a well-planned digital transformation strategy, not just a way to shave a few dollars off your OpEx budget. Determining cloud ROI has become more complex, in…

For leadership, when it comes to rolling out new technologies on the digital transformation journey, one of the top considerations is capital expenditures (CapEx) versus operational expenditures (OpEx). Of course, that’s an important consideration, but it’s not the only factor to consider. The CapEx vs. OpEx debate If you design, build and deploy your own IT infrastructure, it is considered a longer-term investment and therefore the costs fall under your capital expenses (CapEx). In contrast, opting for cloud model shifts your spending to a pay-as-you-go model, like a utility bill that you pay on a monthly basis, which comes out of your day-to-day operational expenses (OpEx). For start-ups and growing businesses, the OpEx model can be a big driver of cloud adoption. But even larger and established organizations have now been increasingly leveraging the flexibility and scalability of cloud, which aside from the perceived financial benefits, offers better security, backup…

When it comes to IT infrastructure, ‘business as usual’ doesn’t cut it anymore. While C-suite execs may have their hands full delivering against top-line revenue objectives, they can no longer ignore the changes sweeping across the digital landscape. According to market intelligence firm IDC, the disruptive impact of digital transformation is being felt across every industry. More enterprises than ever are ready to ‘flip the switch’ and massively scale up their initiatives to secure a leadership role in the digital economy. In fact, IDC predicts that by 2020, 50% of enterprises will see the majority of their business depend on their ability to create digitally enhanced products, services and experiences. And, 70% will already be rolling out their organization-wide digital strategy. At this rate, it’s pretty clear that if businesses don’t adapt, they risk falling behind. While cutting costs or boosting efficiencies are among the much-touted benefits of digital transformation,…

Over the years, cloud computing has become somewhat of a ‘buzz word’ when talking about digital transformation. Cloud Technology often seems to be over simplified as something that a business acquires or does once, rather than a journey or strategy requiring continuous investment. The misconception that cloud is a simple, one and done process is problematic for many of the IT decision makers I talk to. And, across regions and industries, a common issue they express is that the board level decision makers to whom they report, don’t understand the complexity or true potential of cloud computing. Too many cloud choices? There’s a huge amount of choice available within the cloud market, from public, private, and hybrid cloud to multi-cloud and hyperscale cloud – the many options can seem overwhelming. Most business leaders understand that cloud can provide enterprise-grade IT without a large investment in infrastructure, but with a proliferation…

The last year has proven to be an eventful year for us at Cogeco Peer 1, with the launch of a number of new and noteworthy partnerships and launches. By offering the latest and greatest in IT services, solutions and partnerships, such as SD—WAN, Microsoft Azure and Dell EMC, we have been able to offer our customers the most advanced technology solutions. This year we also announced significant investments in our network and our data centers – ensuring we continue to offer our customers infrastructure that is fit for the future. So, what do we have in store for 2019? As part of this series of blogs, I would like to take the time to share with you some of the areas of focus for the next year. Throughout 2018, while continuing to deliver best-in-class solutions and services, we also listened to our customers in an effort to better understand…

A couple of years back, conversations about cloud computing services were all around complexity, security and risk. What a difference a couple of years makes; this incredibly powerful way of delivering a secure, scalable IT resource has now become an accepted mainstream approach for organisations, whether it’s public, private, or hybrid. While the industry has come a long way, the problem now is the rise of an equally shaky set of assumptions. Many industry consultants talk about cloud as though it is a destination. The cloud isn’t a place where you go to. It is a part of your mission-critical business, and there is no single endpoint. Another misconception is that cloud computing services can be purchased right off the shelf – as though cloud computing services are a commodity. But most companies, big and small, have more complex IT requirements than an off-the-shelf solution could ever handle. You’re not…