As the world begins to realise the advantages of the cloud, so we are starting to see some 60 years worth of on-premise workloads being shifted to the cloud.
This is picking up speed as an increasing number of ambitious businesses grasp that such a shift opens up the opportunity to rethink the way we use technology and the manner in which it can enable new business models; cloud allows these businesses to leverage technology in new and different ways.
Matt Surkont, Chief Executive Officer of BlueSky, notes that his company focuses on blue chip clients who tend to be ambitious and early adopters of technology, and think deeply about how this will impact on their business models. He adds that key sectors the company works with include the financial services industry, the telco and media space, and the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail and industrial sectors.
“When it comes to moving to the cloud, the typical drivers that we see begin with the focus on cost-optimisation and economies of scale. However, in more mature clouds, we are starting to see drivers and benefits around the innovation aspect of the cloud, such as how it changes operating models and provides access to richer and deeper data sets,” he says.
“At BlueSky, our business approach begins with understanding where on the journey the client is, and what they want to achieve. We then move onto our Cloud Delivery Engine, which is where our implementation teams, delivery managers, developers and architects operate, using agile methodologies to implement technologies for the client.” We have strategic partnerships with Salesforce, AWS, Vlocity and Tableau to offer the best cloud-based solutions to businesses on the ground; adds Matt Surkont.
The third leg of the business is BlueSky’s Cloud Managed Services, which is a business unit providing support and continuous improvement to clients’ cloud implementations.
“Finally, we have the BlueSky Academy, which is a big part of our DNA and focuses on skills development, which is vital, as cloud skills remain in short supply.
“Ultimately, our focus is on driving value for our customers, which is all about customer cost savings at the initial stage, but once we can begin delivering innovation, we really hit our stride. It should be obvious that having on-demand models, quick release upgrade cycles, not to mention artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics built into the back-end will enable customers to take their cloud offering to a whole new level.”
The beauty of cloud
It’s worth noting, continues Mncedisi Mayekiso, BlueSky’s Chief Revenue Officer, that customers should rather view cloud not merely as providing technology benefits, but, in fact, as a genuine shift in the technology landscape.
“We understand that customers have anxiety about the move, but BlueSky is here to help, with new tools to help them assess their existing environment, and outline their current state of readiness. Only after this will we recommend a safe path for shifting workloads to the cloud. We understand that a lot of companies are not sure how to make a start, and want to find a partner they can trust and who has deep experience with the cloud. BlueSky is the perfect solution.
“The beauty of the cloud is that it creates new opportunities for businesses and essentially offers companies a chance to take a technological leapfrog forward. This is particularly good news for Africa, as it opens up opportunities for a range of new businesses. This is because cloud infrastructure allows smaller businesses that might otherwise have been prohibited from competing to access the same infrastructure as their enterprise competitors. This is what makes the cloud especially exciting for Africa, going forward,” concludes Mayekiso.
Mncedisi Mayekiso | M: +27 81 040 3804
E: info@bsky.co.za | W: bsky.co.za
