Cloud computing offers new avenues to gain flexibility and agility, but the need to safeguard customer information and assure compliance and performance standards is preventing financial services firms from taking full advantage of cloud-based technology.

That’s why Sparta Technologies offers banks and other financial services companies a four-stage approach to migrating to cloud computing. This staged approach enables firms to speed entry to new markets, smooth mergers and acquisitions, and respond to changes in the competitive landscape. The decision to implement cloud is strategic to the top line and, as a service delivery alternative, frees capital and lowers the cost of operations to impact the bottom line.

Beginning with Sparta technologies' Cloud Adoption Assessment, Sparta Technologies can help you prioritize workloads and then support a staged, customized migration plan that helps your organization build competence and confidence in cloud computing. Progressive stages focus on:

• Horizontal shared services. Initially, moving office productivity tools such as Cloud Mail and Collaboration software to the cloud allows organizations to achieve immediate cost savings as part of a quickly implemented, low-risk project.
• Back-office support applications. Next, support applications such as claims and legal management, printing, image and archive, business intelligence, and credit scoring are becoming available on a software-as-a-service basis. Sparta Technologies plans to provide multiple options, from cloud deployment to traditional in-house installation, to give companies greater flexibility.
• Modernized core applications. Then, Sparta Technologies can help you exploit the on-demand capacity and variable costs of cloud computing by transforming core applications for banking and payment processing. In addition to developing a full range of core financial services software, Sparta Technologies also works with banks to modernize their homegrown and third-party systems. These applications can be deployed in a private cloud located in a remote data center or on your premises.
• New services and applications. At any point in the process, Sparta Technologies can help your organization tap into the opportunities available only in a cloud environment. Sparta Technologies develops and deploys high-impact cloud-only solutions that include mobile apps, new business, claims and customer service. This approach can help you improve service, reach new markets and quickly gain a competitive advantage.

To meet strict demands for security, compliance and performance, financial services companies will create hybrid cloud environments for many applications. Sparta Technologies can help assess, analyze and prioritize the workloads to cloud-enable them — and provide the software, infrastructure and support you need to take full advantage of cloud computing.