You’re exhausted. You’ve spent the last year(s) juggling the demands of running your business while researching IT solutions to help you achieve growth for everyone—your people, clients and partners.

And yet, you’re still unsure which technologies to invest in. Everyone says the cloud is the answer, but choosing the right cloud solution can feel like mission impossible. Every provider offers different features, services, and pricing models, making evaluation a time-consuming process. Looking ahead, you anticipate further challenges, such as switching providers if necessary, and you worry about hidden costs.

 

You are not alone.

According to an independent survey, 36% of startups have concerns about implementing cloud technology. This is especially true for smaller teams with limited technical capabilities, but even large companies can struggle to set up the right cloud architecture and scale effectively as they grow.

 

Starting Out with the Cloud

Founders (understandably) want to maximize the value they get from the cloud, ensuring their services remain competitively priced and deliver a solid return on investment. However, cost isn’t the only factor to consider when planning your cloud journey:

• Setting Up Efficient Architecture: A poorly designed cloud infrastructure can lead to performance and scalability issues down the line. Ensuring a solid foundation helps prevent technical debt.
• Enabling Fast Feature Development: Your cloud setup should allow for rapid deployment of new features to keep you competitive.
• Implementing Automation Early: Automating infrastructure management enhances transparency and cost control, helping startups avoid unnecessary expenses.

 

 

This is where a cloud partner can add immense value. With experience navigating cloud transformation, a partner can accelerate decision-making and implementation. If you need to bring new digital products or features to market quickly, relying on a specialized cloud provider ensures your platform meets your application’s needs while proactively addressing potential issues before they impact users.

 

The Next Level: Cloud Management

After implementation, startups face the challenge of managing cloud infrastructure. If your application takes off, you’ll need to scale dynamically to meet business demands while keeping costs under control.

Speaking of costs, studies show that more than 70% of businesses using cloud services experience unexpected cost overruns. To mitigate this, consider:

• Identifying Unused and Idle Resources: Locate and eliminate underutilized computing resources.
• Optimizing Instance Types and Sizes: Use right-sizing tools to adjust instance configurations to match workload performance.
• Monitoring Usage Continuously: Before making changes, track your usage trends—this is where a partner offering continuous monitoring services can be invaluable.

Streamline your cloud management with proven strategies

 

What Looks Like a Challenge Is an Opportunity for Growth

To put it bluntly, growing on the cloud isn’t easy. While cloud technology offers undeniable benefits—including lower upfront costs—cloud management requires significant time and effort.

Like most things in technology, today’s challenges can create tomorrow’s innovation opportunities. We believe startups can and should leverage the power of the cloud.

Here’s something to consider: when choosing and managing your cloud solutions, take a holistic view of the benefits and risks, ensuring you have a strategic plan in place. A cloud provider with experience and dedicated capabilities makes this process easier. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimize existing cloud operations, having a specialized partner can save you headaches, reduce risks, and minimise unnecessary costs along the way.

 

Partner with Mainstream to grow your startup on the cloud.