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Transforming On-Premise Offerings to a Cloud Model: Five Keys for Solution Provider and ISV Success

by Greg Pierce
Chief Cloud Officer, Concerto,

More and more customers are attracted to the cloud for its intuitive, easy-to-adopt design. CIOs are more eager than ever to adopt such solutions, with 70 percent mapping out a cloud-centric IT strategy for 2016 according to IDC's Cloud Services: Global Overview. And in turn, solution providers, VARs, and ISVs are evolving their solutions that have traditionally been deployed on-premise. It's no surprise that prioritizing the cloud adds to a brand's value proposition - IDC found that those that have taken the leap have cited a 10 percent growth in revenue over competitors sticking with legacy methods.

However, the transformation process isn't an easy one, and Microsoft Dynamics and add-on solution providers must do their homework before migrating their offerings into a cloud delivery model. And end customers should expect transparency about "what's under the hood" of their cloud solution . Now is the time to embrace the cloud, and here are five principles that can help ensure big results:

1. Stay financially conscious: If you've looked into offering more cloud solutions to your customers, you've likely discovered that the working capital required for a cloud business model is much higher up-front. The traditional on premise model, selling software licenses for example, helps pay for the day-to-day business operations at the beginning of a new project.  But in a cloud model, selling subscriptions, creates a longer ramp up time for working capital. A major cloud migration demands high-level coordination of financial resources. From short-term capital investment strategies to long-term maintenance and operational expenses, a company must analyze and manage itself through the unique and evolving financial demands of the off-premise arena. During this shift, it is critical to establish short and medium term cash flow requirements and understand the business' key performance indicators.

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About Greg Pierce

A 20-year technology consultant, Greg Pierce is considered one of the foremost experts on cloud computing trends, systems integration and deployment strategies. Greg develops the strategic direction, vision and product offerings for Concerto and manages sales, service and delivery for all customers.

Greg specializes in helping businesses understand, select and deploy innovative cloud solutions that leverage on-premise, hosted, third party and hybrid models. He was influential in the formation of Concerto Cloud Services and its virtual private cloud infrastructure, and under his leadership, Concerto has become one of the leading cloud services providers in the country, including recognition from Microsoft as the U.S. Independent Software Vendor (ISV) of the Year for Cloud Solutions.

Prior to founding Concerto, Greg held management positions in Tribridge's Cloud, Security and Infrastructure, and Managed Services practices. Before joining Tribridge in 2008, Greg owned and operated two companies that provided a variety of IT managed services and cloud computing solutions for customers throughout the U.S., including platforms for the delivery of ERP and other core business applications via private cloud since 2004. He has also served as a CIO.

Greg is an avid speaker for Fortune 500 enterprises, industry conferences and user groups. He serves on the Advisory Board for the University of South Florida (USF) College of Business, the Advisory Board for USF's Executive MBA Program and on the Executive Advisory Council at the Donald R. Tapia School of Business at Saint Leo University. He is a member of Microsoft's Infrastructure Partners Advisory Council and that organization's Cloud Economics Subcommittee. He holds an MBA from USF and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eckerd College.

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