CCM/UX applications have been some of the slowest to move to the cloud, mainly due to a complex mix of requirements that have historically overwhelmed cloud capabilities.  High-volume batch processing demands alone have been one of the biggest barriers to entry, and vendor options have really only matured to a point of real viability within the past couple of years.  All of which begs the question – is it finally time to consider moving your CCM/UX infrastructure to the cloud?

Moving CCM/UX to the Cloud

Cloud technology and cloud-ready CCM/UX applications have matured significantly over the past couple of years, so it may be the right time to seriously consider a move.  CCM/UX vendor offerings from the likes of Quadient, GhostDraft, OpenText, Oracle Documaker and others have advanced to a point to take full advantage of features inherit to cloud such as scalability and high availability capable of tackling a wide variety of communications volumes, effectively removing historical barriers to entry.

Now is a great time to consider a move to cloud for a multitude of reasons.  For starters, many CCM vendors are actively focusing development efforts on cloud-native offerings that are proven and mature.  Present day CCM solutions running in the cloud can finally take full advantage of the infrastructural features and benefits of PaaS/IaaS/SaaS (microservices, scalability, high availability), offering infrastructural advantages reserved for only the largest of private enterprise data centers.

Secondarily, a competitive CCM landscape means that major vendors are actively incentivizing customers to move to cloud by offering favorable subscription models.  This has the potential to move enterprise CCM expenses from the capital side to the operating side of the budget, making for an attractive accounting benefit.

Third, many CCM-complementary solutions have already been moved to cloud, effectively paving the way for streamlined integration with cloud-based CCM.  For example, an organization that might be using GuideWire or Duck Creek for policy and claims administration can easily justify moving adjacent CCM applications to the cloud for simplified integration and support.

Finally, moving strategic CCM applications to the cloud allows organizations to shed the burden of purchasing, managing and maintaining physical hardware.  This allows IT staff to focus their energies on maintaining application health while offloading infrastructural oversight to a third-party that specializes in such disciplines.

Things to be Thinking About

Moving your CCM/UX infrastructure can offer some enticing benefits while reducing the burden and costs associated with system support.  However, there are a number things that you should be thinking about before taking the plunge.  For starters:

• Not all CCM/UX vendors approach cloud deployment the same way.  Does your vendor support PaaS/IaaS deployment models and the inherit benefits they bring, and/or do they have a pure SaaS offering?
• If you’re considering pure SaaS, what are the migration costs?  Can you simply move your on-premise resources to SaaS, or is some sort of conversion required?
• Do you have advanced composition or assembly requirements that your CCM/UX vendor cannot adequately support in the cloud (typically associated with Saas)?
• Do you have any specific integration requirements with other on-premise applications that need to be accommodated?
• Can cloud deployment support any high-volume batching requirements that might need to fit within tight windows for delivery to a print center?
• Do you have any specific security or regulatory requirements that cannot be fully satisfied by your vendor cloud solution?
• Do you require tight control over vendor solution upgrades and regression-testing windows?

Now is a great time to examine your enterprise cloud strategy and determine how well your CCM/UX infrastructure is addressing your business objectives.  You may find that there are enough business and technical motivators in place to finally start moving enterprise communications to the cloud.