How the Cloud Can Work for Your Business and Bottom Line in 2016

Featured article by Margaret Craig, CEO, Signiant 

Companies big and small are embracing the cloud to streamline business processes. However, as cloud use becomes more and more ubiquitous, enterprises will have to keep a close eye on strategies for transferring data into and out of the cloud as well as optimal approaches to cloud storage. If not, enterprises can fall victim to network bottlenecks, inflexibility, and ultimately dollars going down the drain because of systems that are not fit for purpose.

As we look to the New Year, here are some predications about how companies can make cloud strategic to their business and improve their bottom line:

– As cloud storage becomes more mainstream and more broadly utilized within data-intensive organizations, employees are increasingly challenged with moving large amounts of content into and out of cloud object storage, especially if it needs to travel any distance to reach a cloud vendor data center. In 2016, enterprises will need to turn to a SaaS accelerated file transfer solution that eliminates latency and speeds large file transfers into and out of cloud object storage. 

– Enterprises are concerned about continued cloud storage vendor lock-in and want to maintain optionality. Storage independence will be a big topic in 2016, as enterprises want the ability to store content where they choose (whether on-premises or in the cloud) and to easily move between cloud vendors, taking advantage of storage price cuts and feature enhancements. Solutions that integrate with multiple cloud vendors and allow easy movement between them will be favored in 2016.

– Network bottlenecks will be another problem for organizations in 2016 that need to move big data sets between employees or into and out of the cloud, for everything from geospatial satellite imagery and biotech research to film and television production. At the same time, awareness of how available solutions can address different use cases is also on the rise. For projects involving hundreds of gigabytes to petabytes of data, shipping data stored on hardware was once the only viable option. SaaS large file transfer solutions that can quickly move large files while efficiently utilizing available bandwidth will gain traction in 2016.

– Enterprise use of high resolution video will continue for marketing, training and sales purposes. Transferring such large video files throughout the production, post production and distribution process will push the need for professional file transfer technology in businesses across diverse industries. Highly accessible SaaS accelerated file transfer software, once almost exclusively used in television and film production, will see expanded adoption in 2016.

Companies that effectively leverage cloud technology will see success in the New Year.

Author: Margaret Craig, CEO, Signiant 

As CEO, Margaret Craig brings a wealth of industry experience to Signiant’s business and growth strategy, with a successful career spanning executive management roles at leading global media technology, software and managed services companies. Prior to assuming leadership of Signiant in October 2011, Margaret served as COO of Ascent Media Network Services, a provider of content creation, management and distribution services. There she led the technology transition to file-based infrastructure and oversaw contract negotiations with some of the world’s largest broadcast organizations. Prior to Ascent Media, Margaret was the CEO of publicly-traded Leitch Technology, a global provider of technical infrastructure for television production and transmission; and served as President of Snell & Wilcox, a provider of video image processing software and hardware.