Cloud technology can be scaled almost indefinitely, saves companies a great deal of effort for implementation and updates, and has the advantage that a new software solution can basically be put into operation immediately: These are reasons why the cloud is taking on an important role in the digital transformation of companies.

With more and more new cloud providers appearing on the market, users are spoiled for choice. Mark Borgmann, Cloud Sales Leader Germany at Oracle, explains the basic criteria that companies and decision-makers should pay attention to:

Tip 1: Comprehensive solution portfolio

The solution portfolio should have all three cloud layers (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS). The reason: if users obtain cloud services from different providers, these have to be laboriously integrated in order to be controlled centrally. This creates additional interfaces and increases the integration effort. This ties up capacities and increases costs. If a broad portfolio of cloud solutions can be obtained from a single source, both "entry into the cloud" and scaling up become easier: companies can order coordinated cloud applications that work without debugging, redesigning or lengthy test runs. If the provider is also able to map the entire cloud stack, from the infrastructure to the platforms to the application, it is guaranteed that all cloud services can be seamlessly connected to the existing IT infrastructure.

Tip 2: Integration into existing IT infrastructure

Very few companies will want to migrate completely to the cloud immediately, but will want to continue running certain applications "on-premise" in their own data center - possibly even permanently. It may also initially only be a matter of "cushioning" performance peaks via the cloud. Ongoing license agreements and existing hardware are further reasons why the switch to the cloud tends to be gradual.

However, for maximum flexibility when operating in the cloud and on-premise, the functionalities and the "look and feel" must be identical - otherwise complex, multi-layered IT environments are created, the management of which means increased effort. According to a recent study by IDG Connect and Oracle, this is precisely what many decision-makers fear. Providers who offer identical services, platforms and applications both in the cloud and on-premise can actively counter these fears. In this way, the user alone determines the pace of digital transformation.

Tip 3: Check the provider's market position

Important indicators for assessing the market position are industry experience and innovative strength. The prerequisites for this are, in turn, a long-standing market presence and a healthy financial base. Choosing a financially strong provider eliminates future risks - and paves the way for long-term close cooperation. Furthermore, established technology providers invest in new partnerships, technologies and markets and are therefore able to realize fast innovation cycles and continuously develop their cloud offering. This is essential in a fast-moving market segment such as cloud computing.

Tip 4: Flexibility of integration

The cloud provider should offer solutions based on open standards, as this gives companies the freedom to choose which proprietary systems and applications they want to continue using. They can also expand platforms independently on this basis, develop their own building blocks for the cloud environment or use third-party services. In this way, they avoid being exclusively tied to their provider - and can deliver on the promise of flexibility and agility. This allows them to complete the digital transformation at their own pace - without having to worry about integrating new systems.

Tip 5: Integration services and expertise

Companies and their cloud providers are faced with the challenge of integrating cloud solutions into the company's existing IT infrastructure and then managing the services centrally. A study by Dynamic Markets shows just how important the seamless integration of Software-as-a-Service is: according to the study, around 50% of companies abandon SaaS projects because cloud applications cannot be integrated into the existing IT environment. And 54% of the companies surveyed have already had problems meeting project deadlines for the same reason.

If cloud solutions from different providers are used, the complexity increases. In this case, the provider's integration service should include connectors for applications, transformation mappers and tools for monitoring the integration of private and public cloud services.