Why Large Enterprises (Should) Migrate to the Cloud
Why the cloud?
Cloud-based encryption solutions are popular among small enterprises. Rather than purchasing and installing on-premises hardware, cloud solutions only require a license to get started. Sign up for the service, spin up encryption functions. This makes the cloud ideal for organizations who want to get their products to market fast with minimal downtime. But small enterprises aren’t the only ones who need to move fast to stay ahead of competition. Larger enterprises have the same need. Why isn’t cloud migration more common among them?
What’s the holdup?
It all comes down to one thing: inertia. As any IT administrator or business manager knows, the bigger and more complex a system is, the harder it is to change. Large enterprises like retailers, banks, and airlines have by necessity built up cryptographic infrastructures that are both big and complex. They represent a massive investment of time, money, and resources. To make changes to even perfectly managed infrastructures can seem like an enterprise-level challenge. Related challenges might compound the problem. Multi-vendor setups can make it difficult to integrate new solutions. Distributing infrastructure between different locations and among different business units can make it difficult to manage efficiently and share cryptographic resources.
Cloud migration: how to get started
So, what’s the best way for enterprise organizations to deal with these obstacles? Given how simple it is, the answer might surprise you. The secret to achieving cryptographic agility isn’t just about the cloud: it’s about the vendor. When an organization considers migrating its applications to the cloud, it must look for a vendor that meets a few important criteria.
Any enterprise will be best served by a solution provider who does everything in house, with zero-third party reliance. It’s also best to consolidate multi-vendor setups into a single-vendor solution. But this usually means integration. And integration needs flexibility. The vendor’s technology must support a flexible range of vendor-neutral APIs (including web APIs for certain developers). This is essential for enterprises who want to integrate with public cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
Cryptographic management is equally important. Who has time for in-person visits to different server rooms or even data centers? It all needs to be done from a centralized single-pane-of-glass. Finally, the vendor needs to have a global reach. Enterprises who operate globally can’t afford to worry about processing speeds, international compliance regulations, or data residency requirements. Their cloud solution provider needs to have all of that covered already.
The right vendor
Does such an ideal cloud cryptography vendor exist? Well, this blog is published by one of them! Futurex is proud to deliver enterprise-grade encryption solutions to over 15,000 clients around the world. We specialize in single-pane-of-glass cryptographic management solutions, easy integration with support for all common APIs, robust compliance with major standards (such as PCI PTS HSM and FIPS 140-2 Level 3), and a solution suite that covers all major cryptographic use cases. Whether you need to secure the point of sale physically and via SoftPOS, tokenize stored data, authenticate users and devices, or manage infrastructure with 99.999% uptime, Futurex has the right cloud solution.
Turning a big ship
Big organizations are like big ships: they carry a lot of people, a lot of goods, and a lot of technology. Despite their size, they must respond to dynamic changes in their environment. Like a top-of-the-line engine, cloud cryptography helps large enterprises stay agile to swiftly correct their course and arrive at their destination ahead of schedule.
Futurex has been leading the hardware-based encryption market for over 40 years. From our place in the industry, we’re starting to see large enterprises, including Tier 1 enterprises, migrate their applications to the cloud. If you have questions about migrating infrastructure to the cloud, we have the answers. Futurex’s team of subject matter experts are always on standby to discuss the cryptographic solutions you need to stay on course.
