In my organization and with my clients, we often talk about the Mission Critical Cloud. But what is it, really? By definition, it is a Cloud that is mission-critical. You might wonder if a Cloud can have a mission, but looking at the examples I encounter daily, it is clear that the Cloud is used for mission-critical operations. Think, for instance, of delivering the right medication to a patient. Whether it involves transport where the temperature must be monitored in real-time and without data loss, or determining which medication belongs to which patient, the Cloud plays a vital role in both cases. Beyond this clear example of life-critical importance, I see the Cloud increasingly becoming a lifeline for businesses. The availability of services from that Cloud is crucial. Just imagine if your organization's IT stopped working: what would the consequences be?
With your critical interests as a client always in mind, we developed our own Cloud platform. We make no concessions on quality: whether it concerns the products we deploy in our Cloud platform, the suppliers we partner with, or the colleagues we bring into our organization, we ensure quality remains our top priority in our daily work. This means we think carefully about the processes we implement. This can sometimes seem daunting to clients: is this still customer-friendly? It is sometimes even interpreted as inflexible. The opposite is true: by being predictable through well-structured processes, we create the foundation for quality. As I often say internally: no 'specials', please! While you could help a specific client with a highly specific configuration, it immediately creates a challenge for management and, consequently, for maintaining high quality. But isn't refusing to support that 'special' inflexible? That is where the crux lies: by asking about the importance of the request, we can always offer a supported alternative. Daring to ask the question behind the question is exactly how we, as an organization, can make a difference and still achieve the goal.
But back to that Mission Critical Cloud: there is a good chance you label your Cloud infrastructure as mission-critical. But have you ever considered how it is ensured that the Cloud actually meets your definition? Is the fact that a large American player provides that Cloud good enough? Or do you have a partner who ensures all requirements are met? It might be worth reflecting on this. Things go well most of the time, but the moment something goes wrong—whether in the Cloud or on the user side—is when you truly discover how robust a Cloud solution is. Be aware of this!
