Cloud Integration for Business: All You Need to Know

Businesses of today serve many different purposes with their unique sets of goals and values that set them in the sector verticals they are part of. For them, cloud integration, i.e. connection between several cloud systems and apps, seems to be all the rage right now. For many growing organizations, this “change” to grow and become bigger. This is further supported by and in many cases driven by several newer & disruptive technologies that increase business scalability while improving operational effectiveness. Even today’s digital transformation tools and platforms facilitate the execution of cloud integration strategies that act as one of these modern-day change drivers.

This is because it helps businesses with multi-cloud platforms eliminate data silos, achieve better agility, improve their scalability, etc. However, the concept of cloud integration may be difficult for some to grasp, let alone understand how it can bring real value to a business. Below we’ll discuss everything you need to know about cloud integration and how it can support your business’s digital transformation strategy.

Of course, these are not the only advantages companies stand to gain from cloud integration and the platforms that enable it. Here are some other important benefits of cloud integration.

1. Better quality of data: With integrated systems, companies can eliminate irrelevant and duplicate data from their systems, thus instantly improving the quality of their data.

2. Automation: Cloud integration also helps automate processes such as data entry, data restructuring, etc., which also helps reduce the scope for error.

3. Bring together all your data: The process of cloud integration helps companies break down data silos and bring together all their data from across systems and other appropriate sources and formats.

Now, time to see the different challenges you are likely to face with cloud integration.

1. Lack of standards and protocols: The lack of any standards or protocols between different cloud systems can be a major roadblock. One way to avoid such issues is via continuous updates for connectors and/or adaptors to ensure at least a degree of seamlessness.

2. Time-intensive efforts: We understand that companies do not want to spend too much time just setting up systems and processes. Unfortunately, cloud integration is just one of those processes that are inherently time-consuming, particularly while dealing with data migration. Nonetheless, one must not rush through it and take additional precautions to prevent any errors while the data is being moved.

3. Data cleaning: While a majority of cloud computing systems offer the ability to clean up data, companies may still face some issues when it comes to sanitizing their data. Hence, companies must clean up and streamline relevant metrics into a set format, especially when they are dealing with conventional cloud integrations.

Finally, let us also walk you through the most important aspects of a cloud integration platform:

1. Security: As with any other entity in the digital realm, your cloud integration platform too must ensure top-notch security. The failure to do so obviously poses a grave risk to your data as well as stands to jeopardize the chances of your business’ success.

2. Automation: The cloud integration platform you choose must enable automation for as many different tasks as possible. Starting from automation of processes to integration of the different online services availed by the business — automation is the key because it helps employees save precious time and instead, focus on the more important tasks at hand.

3. Speed: Speed is a prerequisite for most businesses today, this much is a given. A cloud integration platform too must offer the requisite speed, enabling company-wide systems to be connected quickly, changes to be sent out instantly, etc. to ensure efficacy across the ecosystem.

It is no secret that cloud integration holds the key to many issues that plague the current ecosystem of cloud computing across the globe. From breaking down silos to enabling improved visibility, cloud integration serves countless purposes in a modern-day organization. Hence, any company that intends to remain successful, no matter the industry, would do well to look for an expert cloud integration services provider and get started on such integration ASAP.