Plan your cloud setup before you move or spend
Cloud decisions can affect the whole working day.
Why use Chrome Cloud Strategy?
Your team may rely on Microsoft 365, shared files, cloud apps, backup, remote access, virtual desktops and business systems that need to work from more than one location.
It can be tempting to move quickly, especially when an old server is due for replacement or a supplier says the cloud is the obvious answer. The better step is to pause and check what your business actually needs.
Chrome helps UK businesses build a practical cloud strategy before systems are moved, licences are bought or projects begin, whether that means light-touch cloud strategy consulting or a fuller review.
We’ll help you understand what is already in place, what should change, what can stay and which cloud services fit the way your team works.
Make better cloud decisions
Get clear advice before moving files, systems, apps or data into a cloud service.
Understand what you already have
Chrome can help review Microsoft 365, servers, cloud apps, licences, backups, devices and supplier responsibilities.
Plan change with fewer surprises
A strategy helps you understand dependencies, user impact, security needs, costs and support before work starts.
Connect cloud with wider IT
Cloud services work best when they fit with managed IT, cyber security, connectivity, devices and user support.
What is a cloud strategy?
A cloud strategy is a practical plan for how your business should use cloud services.
It helps answer important questions before changes are made: which systems should move, which data needs protection, which users need access, which licences are actually needed, which services the business depends on most, which suppliers are involved, and what happens if something goes wrong.
For some businesses, the strategy may focus on Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive and 365 Backup. For others, it may include cloud migration, virtual desktop, endpoint backup, hosted applications, Azure services or a mix of cloud and on-site systems.
A cloud strategy does not need to be a long document full of diagrams nobody reads.
It should give your business a clearer view of what needs attention, what should happen next and how each change will be supported. Some businesses call this a cloud roadmap or IT roadmap.
Chrome can help you build that plan in plain English.
Which systems move
Decide what belongs in the cloud and what does not.
Which data needs protection
Identify what matters most before anything changes.
Which licences you need
Match what you pay for to what people actually use.
What happens if it fails
Agree the fallback before you depend on the service.
Start with how your team works now
Cloud services should support the working day, not make people work around the technology.
Before recommending a change, Chrome will look at how your people use files, email, apps, devices and business systems. We’ll discuss where people work, which systems they need, which files are shared, which data needs protecting and what happens when someone joins, changes role or leaves.
These questions matter because cloud services can spread quickly.
One team may work from SharePoint, another may save files locally, and another may use a cloud app that only a few people understand. Over time, this can leave the business with several tools doing similar jobs, unclear ownership and support that depends on whoever remembers how it was set up.
Chrome can help you step back and see the full picture before making the next move, sometimes through a short cloud readiness assessment.
We’ll help you understand what is already in place, where the main gaps are and what can wait until later.
Review systems, data and suppliers
A useful cloud strategy starts with what is already in place.
Chrome can review agreed areas such as Microsoft 365, servers, local files, cloud apps, backup, user accounts, devices, connectivity and suppliers.
We’ll also look at how each part is used.
A server may only hold old archive files. A cloud app may be essential for customer service. A shared folder may contain information that should have tighter access. A supplier may manage a system that depends on your network or Microsoft 365 setup.
This helps separate what is important from what is simply familiar.
Some systems may be ready to move, while others may need tidying first. Some may be better left where they are until the business case is clearer.
Cloud planning should not become a rush to move everything at once. It should help you decide what makes sense and why.
Decide what should move, stay or change later
Cloud strategy is as much about choosing what not to move yet as choosing what should move first.
A system may be old, but still important. A file store may be messy, but moving it without sorting permissions first could make that mess easier to spread. A business application may need a supplier check before it can run from a different environment.
Chrome can help you group systems into sensible next steps.
Some may be ready for migration. Some may need a security or backup review. Some may need user training, data clean-up or supplier input. Others may need a replacement plan before anything changes.
This gives your business a clearer route forward and helps avoid spending time and money on cloud services that do not solve the real problem.
The best cloud plan is the one your team can actually follow.
Review costs, licences and ownership
Cloud services can change how technology costs are managed.
Instead of buying equipment once and running it for years, your business may pay for licences, storage, hosting, backup, support and security on a monthly basis.
That can be useful, but it needs visibility, which is where cloud cost optimisation comes in.
Chrome can help review licences, renewal dates, user needs, unused services and supplier responsibilities. This is especially helpful with Microsoft 365, backup tools, hosted applications, virtual desktops and cloud security services.
We’ll help you understand what is included, what may need a separate service and which costs should be expected before a project starts.
Support ownership also needs to be clear.
When a user cannot access a cloud app, the issue could sit with the app, the licence, the laptop, the internet connection, Microsoft 365 or another supplier. Chrome can help document who manages each part, so your team knows where to start when help is needed.
Build in security and backup from the start
Cloud services need sensible security and recovery planning.
That means checking users, permissions, multi-factor authentication, admin accounts, data sharing, backup and device access before changes are made.
For example, moving files to SharePoint is a good time to review who can access them. Introducing a virtual desktop may raise questions about devices, remote access and user profiles. Moving from an old server may need a clear backup and restore plan.
Chrome can connect cloud strategy with wider cyber security and managed IT support.
That may include Microsoft 365 security settings, 365 Backup, endpoint backup, password management, device management and user access reviews.
A cloud service is easier to support when security and backup are part of the plan from the beginning.
Turn the strategy into practical work
A cloud strategy should make future projects easier to plan.
It can help you decide whether your next step should be Microsoft 365 improvements, 365 Backup, cloud migration, virtual desktop, endpoint backup or a wider review of how users access systems.
It can also help when your business is growing, opening another site, changing suppliers, supporting remote workers or replacing older technology, questions that a wider digital transformation strategy would also cover.
Chrome can help turn the strategy into practical work.
That might mean tidying Microsoft 365 permissions, planning a file migration, reviewing backup coverage, checking endpoint data, setting up virtual desktop access or agreeing a longer-term cloud roadmap.
We’ll explain what can be handled through support, what needs a project and what depends on another supplier.
That keeps the plan useful after the first conversation.
How Chrome builds your cloud plan
Here’s how we approach cloud strategy, step by step.
Understand your business
Review the current setup
Identify the main gaps
Recommend the next steps
Support the work afterwards
A clearer plan before cloud changes begin
Cloud strategy works best when it helps a business make better decisions before systems are moved or money is spent.
Read what customers say about Chrome’s communication, support and the people behind the service in our reviews.
What to ask before you spend on cloud
Common questions we hear from businesses planning a cloud strategy.
What is a cloud strategy?
A cloud strategy is a practical plan for how your business should use cloud services. It can cover Microsoft 365, backup, migration, virtual desktop, applications, data, security, costs and support.
Does every business need a cloud strategy?
Most businesses benefit from some form of cloud planning, even if it is simple. The goal is to understand what should move, what should stay and what needs checking before changes are made.
Is cloud always the best option?
No. Some systems may be better left where they are, moved later or replaced before they are moved. Chrome can help you understand the options before you commit.
Do you offer cloud consulting services beyond Microsoft 365?
Where the work fits our services, yes. This can include multi cloud strategy questions, hybrid cloud strategy and wider technology strategy consulting or cloud adoption planning alongside your Microsoft 365 setup.
Can Chrome help us move systems after the strategy?
Yes, where the work fits our services. Chrome can help with agreed cloud migration, Microsoft 365 setup, backup, virtual desktop and ongoing support.
Unsure where your cloud spend is going?
Your business may already use Microsoft 365, cloud apps, hosted systems or remote access tools.
The question is whether the setup still fits how your team works and how it will be supported in future.
Chrome can help you review the current position, agree the next practical step and plan cloud services with fewer loose ends.