Kiwi businesses that fail to prioritise integration within cloud-based IT risk facing an ever-growing collection of isolated, siloed information.
Silos in the cloud are difficult to maintain and manage, and are harder to integrate with other applications.
Integrating when the cloud is first implemented ensures information doesn’t become lost but is interconnected.
“When it comes to the cloud, the challenge of bridging IT and business is still apparent," says Stuart Rees, regional vice president, ANZ, TIBCO.
"Many line of business (LOB) managers are unaware of the importance of integration.
"They are focused on deploying technology that helps complete daily tasks rather than thinking about the security of the business."
According to Rees, it’s "particularly worrying" that public cloud applications are finding their way into enterprises.
"Easy access to public cloud applications provides LOB managers with a quick and simple solution to a number of problems, with no need to involve IT," he adds.
"But they can be risky, opening up security holes and creating a ‘shadow IT’ world where there is no oversight, and information and applications are available only to those in the know."
By educating employees about the dangers of using unapproved public clouds and the importance of putting integration at the top of the agenda whenever a new development is planned, Rees believes enterprises can "leave the silo generation behind."
"It needs to be made clear to everyone involved what their responsibilities are, and what’s at stake in the long term when they ignore this part of the application equation," he adds.
“For example, those commissioning new applications need to understand that they can’t just conjure up a new application in isolation.
"Any new application needs to work with and share information with those run by other business units, and they should understand that there are positive benefits to be gained from doing so."
So much so that Rees thinks IT departments "must understand" the need for expert guidance and the importance of ensuring integration tools are both accessible and easy to use.
"The tools need an adaptive and fluid approach to integration that can facilitate the integration of new developments, whether they’re running on-premise or in the cloud," he adds.
