Phil Vokins
Cloud Team Lead, Intel Canada
Not all businesses need to be in the cloud, but, in 2021, all businesses need to understand the cloud. So where do you start?
The last 12 months have radically changed the way businesses talk and think about digital transformation and cloud computing. As businesses reinvented themselves through remote working during the pandemic, the cloud became a requirement for businesses of all sizes in Canada. As Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft observed, companies were forced to do two years of digital transformation in two months time.
“The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation that was already happening,” says Phil Vokins, Cloud Team Lead at Intel Canada. “As companies continued to face uncertainty and the likely realities of a “next normal,” corporations of all sizes needed to figure out very quickly how to keep doing business. In many cases, management looked beyond cloud as the infrastructure for quicker innovation and speed-to-market to now being central to cost optimization and remote work management. Noticed or not, there were a lot of IT people wearing capes.”
“Cloudnostic”: a practical guide to cloud computing
With cloud services becoming essential for many businesses, the need for a solid understanding of what the cloud can and can’t do is at an all time high. There’s a lot of good content available from various sources, but cloud and the terminology that comes with it can be admittedly complex and sometimes opaque. It can be hard and even overwhelming to figure out where to start. What’s more, many of those who have already taken the leap are still getting their bearings.
“From our experience talking to the market, management and even IT personnel have a lot of questions about cloud computing. We wanted to take Intel’s experience as both a technology leader and as a company using cloud to help answer those questions and help educate. Intel is in a unique position as an organization that manufactures technology for everyone to share vendor-agnostic insights and learnings to fill this cloud knowledge gap,” adds Vokins. “Disregard products for a second, forget about IT spending, and let us share our experience with moving Intel itself to the cloud.”
As a trusted manufacturer of technology that enables all cloud providers, and all business everywhere, Intel can share their experience and expertise impartially. Their track record of innovation and reliability is second to none. And as a global enterprise with over 100,000 employees, that also works hand in hand with countless organizations of all sizes, their experience with cloud infrastructure is both robust and granular enough to be applicable to every Canadian business.
To share these learnings, Intel has tagged in the best and brightest from their in-house IT division to create a series of videos making intimidating concepts in cloud computing understandable to everyone. “I’ve been around a while but still appreciate in this industry you’re learning every day,” says Vokins. “The world of technology is moving rapidly and is full of complex concepts. One of the best formats for breaking through the confusion and simplify concepts is video and content platforms like YouTube.”
Meeting learners where they are
Through the video format, Intel wants to break down the multifaceted world of the cloud into practical answers to tangible problems. “A few weeks ago, the toilet lever in my house snapped off,” Vokins relates. “I had no idea how to change it, but I went on YouTube and 10 minutes and one trip to the hardware store later, the toilet is fixed and my wife thinks I’m a hero. We want to provide that same resource for business owners, management and those who are responsible for IT and operations who aren’t sure how to plan their cloud strategy and deployment or even if they are on the right path.”
Every business has different needs and different questions. How secure is the cloud? Do I even need it? What type of applications or workloads should be in the cloud? They’re all valid questions, and they deserve honest answers that will help business owners conceive a plan that actually makes sense for their needs and their goals. “Your cloud strategy must be an enabler for your business strategy,” says Vokins. “The only way to get this right is to start with what your business is trying to achieve.”
What is your business is trying to achieve? The cloud is the technology of the moment, and it’s a potent and versatile tool. Pick it up. Learn about it. At your own speed, from a source you can trust, with your own goals always in mind.
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