This means innovating faster, creating new revenue streams, and extracting more insights from data. For years, businesses have looked to “cloud first” for new application development and deployment. This approach made sense for companies planning complete transformations for the future in anticipation of growing competitive pressures.
However as more companies experience IT pressures (cost reduction, innovation) today with the added onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses are no longer waiting for the future and are pivoting from “cloud first” to “cloud now.”
What does “cloud now” mean exactly? It means that companies are now looking to cloud for more than just new applications- including existing applications and off the shelf applications that customers have deployed with little or no application development. In other words, customers are considering cloud for all applications.
This is a result of the growing customer demand for more application resources, better performance, and increasing frequency of administrative tasks such as patching various components and planning for end of life or performance upgrades.
It is also a result of today’s remote workforce. Customers need access to their applications from anywhere and at any time. As businesses have reached this inflection point of diminishing returns, they have turned their strategy to the cloud as the next frontier of IT efficiency —committing to leaving the on-premises datacenter behind.
One solution for this, Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), is a desktop and application virtualization service that runs on Microsoft Azure. AVD is an excellent solution for companies with a remote workforce and running specialized legacy application workloads. The additional benefits of simplified management, enhanced security in compliance with regulations, and infrastructure and licensing savings position AVD as an excellent offering for moving to the cloud.
Companies focused on reducing costs and eliminating the dependency on the physical datacenter are a logical next step in the continuation of a long-term trend.
CloudA2K chose Intwo as their partner for their own “Cloud Now” approach. A2K, like many other businesses, was reliant on aging on-premises infrastructure. Not only was the infrastructure past end-of-life, but A2K’s Windows servers were left exposed to security risks since Microsoft Extended Support had ended.
Intwo was selected to assist, manage, and support A2K’s migration to the cloud due to our Azure knowledge and reputation as an Azure Expert MSP. By choosing Intwo, Cloud A2K ensure their most important and business-critical applications remain secure, high performant, and supported 24/7. Click here to read the full case study.
“Cloud now” is a shift in mindset where businesses stop treating cloud migration as a future goal and start treating it as an immediate priority. Unlike the older “cloud first” approach, which focused mainly on building new applications in the cloud, “cloud now” means moving all applications to the cloud, including existing ones and off the shelf tools. It is driven by the urgent need for speed, flexibility, and cost efficiency, especially as remote work and competitive pressures continue to grow.
“Cloud first” was a strategy where companies prioritized cloud for new application development, planning for a gradual transformation over time. “Cloud now” takes that a step further. It means businesses are no longer waiting. They are migrating everything to the cloud, including legacy applications, existing workloads, and pre-built software. The shift happened because companies realized that sticking with on premises infrastructure was creating bottlenecks, higher costs, and security risks that could not be ignored any longer.
On premises data centers come with significant ongoing costs for maintenance, upgrades, hardware replacements, and security. Many businesses have reached a point of diminishing returns where the effort and money spent keeping physical infrastructure running outweigh the benefits. Add to that the rise of remote work and the need for always on accessibility, and it becomes clear why companies are committing to the cloud. Cloud platforms handle these burdens more efficiently, letting businesses redirect resources toward growth and innovation instead of upkeep.
The pandemic forced businesses to rethink how they operate almost overnight. With employees suddenly working from home, companies needed their applications and data to be accessible from anywhere and on any device. Traditional on premises setups were not built for that kind of flexibility. This urgency pushed many organizations to fast track their cloud migration plans. What might have been a three to five year roadmap became a matter of months, and the results proved that cloud infrastructure could handle the shift reliably.
Azure Virtual Desktop, or AVD, is a desktop and application virtualization service that runs on Microsoft Azure. It lets employees access their full work desktop and applications from any device, anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection. This makes it an ideal solution for companies with remote or hybrid teams. AVD also supports legacy application workloads, so businesses do not have to abandon older software to go cloud. On top of that, it offers simplified management, strong security, and savings on infrastructure and licensing.
When you move to the cloud, you eliminate many of the costs tied to physical infrastructure, including server hardware, cooling systems, power, maintenance, and dedicated IT staff to manage it all. Cloud platforms operate on a pay as you go model, meaning you only pay for what you actually use. You also avoid large capital expenditures on upgrades and replacements. Over time, these savings add up significantly, freeing up budgets that can be reinvested into innovation, customer experience, or scaling your operations.
Running on aging infrastructure is a serious security risk. When servers reach end of life and vendors like Microsoft stop providing extended support, your systems no longer receive critical security patches. This leaves your business exposed to vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Outdated infrastructure also makes it harder to comply with industry regulations and data protection standards. Migrating to a managed cloud environment ensures that your systems stay current, patched, and monitored around the clock by security professionals.
A managed services provider, or MSP, acts as your partner throughout the cloud migration journey. They assess your current infrastructure, plan the migration, execute the move, and then continue to manage and support your cloud environment after the transition. Working with an experienced MSP like an Azure Expert MSP means your most business critical applications stay secure, performant, and supported 24/7. This takes the burden off your internal IT team and ensures the migration is handled by specialists who understand the technology deeply.
Cloud platforms are designed to deliver consistent, high performance computing by distributing workloads across powerful, globally connected data centers. Unlike on premises servers that can become bottlenecks as demand grows, cloud infrastructure scales automatically to meet increased usage. This means your applications run faster and more reliably, even during peak periods. Cloud providers also handle routine tasks like patching, updates, and performance tuning in the background, so your systems stay optimized without your team needing to intervene manually.
The first step is to evaluate your current IT environment and identify which applications and workloads are best suited for an immediate move to the cloud. Look at factors like age of hardware, security risks, performance gaps, and remote access needs. From there, partnering with a qualified cloud services provider can help you build a clear migration roadmap. You do not have to move everything at once. A phased approach, starting with the most critical or at risk systems, is a practical way to build momentum.
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