More and more businesses are looking to develop a successful cloud transformation roadmap.
In fact, cloud transformation is at the top of the agenda for the majority of business owners and executives who are looking to accelerate their digital transformation. A 2022 Amazon AWS report revealed that 98% of executive level business people view cloud transformation as a fundamental part of a successful digital strategy.
The main reasons for the increased interest in cloud transformation are as follows:
More growth opportunities – Cloud transformation helps to increase speed and agility, leading to accelerated growth. Also, cloud services are highly scalable so expansion is not a problem.
Increased revenue – Switching to the cloud has been shown to deliver more than 3 times the ROI of on-premises systems.
Decreased operational costs – Cloud services reduce the need for on-site IT staff, network upgrades, maintenance, etc.
Improved user experience – Cloud storage is accessible from anywhere, on any device, which is convenient for users or customers.
Future proofing – the whole digital world is moving rapidly to the cloud and businesses need to stay ahead of the game..
The benefits of cloud infrastructure are the main reason why spending on global digital and cloud transformation is expected to hit $1.8 trillion in 2022 and exceed $2.8 trillion by 2025.
While digital and cloud transformation are undeniably attractive for business, providing many operational and financial advantages, there are potential challenges that may crop up on the way.
The good news is that most pitfalls can be avoided by following some relatively simple advice.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 common cloud transformation pitfalls and how to avoid them, ensuring that your cloud transformation journey is as smooth as it can possibly be.
Pitfall #1: Lack of focus on security
We’ve decided to put security considerations at the top of our list of pitfalls, as it is key to successful cloud transformation.
Moving your operations from a closed on-premises network to a cloud infrastructure provider may seem like a risk. Some businesses worry that it will increase their vulnerability to data leaks and cyberattacks. However, this is only true if you don’t take the time to put in place robust security policies, protocols, and mitigation measures.
As a minimum, you should make sure that the cloud infrastructure or platform service you use thoroughly encrypts your data. In fact, these days, most cloud services such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, provide a highly secure environment that is more effective than on-premises servers.
You should also ensure that user access is tightly controlled and end user activity monitoring is in place to help detect any intruders, as well as multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unwanted access to your data.
Pitfall #2: Incoherent cloud transformation strategy
When preparing a cloud transformation strategy, one of the first things you should do is identify your work and data-flows in preparation for migration. In other words, don’t be tempted to rush in and begin migrating apps without a well thought out plan.
The key to successful cloud transformation planning is to explore each business case and workflow individually. Make sure that each workflow is suitable for cloud transformation and that it will result in a net positive outcome, both operationally and financially.
For example, it may work out well to migrate some apps to the cloud, but leave others as on-premises only for cost or performance reasons.
Pitfall #3: Making too many assumptions
Don’t assume that all applications and dataflows will transition smoothly to the cloud.
The truth of the matter is that not all applications are ready for cloud migration. This is especially true of highly specialist, industry-specific apps that may need refactoring in preparation for cloud migration.
Many businesses make the mistake of migrating apps as they are without any refactoring. In this case, the apps will often continue to work, but the performance may suffer, especially if the app is resource-heavy. Migrating apps like this can prove to be very costly, especially if the cloud service is billed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Pitfall #4: Choosing the wrong cloud package for your business
The type of cloud service you choose depends on your business requirements as there isn’t a one size fits all solution.
There are four main cloud transformation solutions to choose from:
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – a fully hosted back-end cloud infrastructure solution which includes server provisioning, upgrades, and maintenance. Any applications that you want to migrate to the cloud will be hosted in the provider’s secure data center. Allocated server resources scale up or down, depending on your requirements. IaaS is usually provided on a pay-as-you-go contract, which means that you only pay for the resources you actually use. IaaS solutions help to free up your time and remove the need to hire extra employees to work on server maintenance and upgrades.
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – a front end solution that manages the server software and operating system. PaaS can be provided as an on-premises offering to mesh with your local servers or can be offered in unison with an IaaS back-end solution for cloud server provision (see SaaS solution below). PaaS solutions allow you to take more control over hardware, security, patching, uptime, and performance. PaaS also enables you to keep a tighter control on costs and accelerate the deployment of apps.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – SaaS is the title given to a cloud service that combines IaaS and SaaS offerings, sometimes known as a hybrid cloud infrastructure solution. SaaS provides applications that are hosted on fully supported cloud servers. Examples include CRMs, ERPs, marketing automation software, or business analytics tools. SaaS products tend to be billed on a recurring subscription model, either monthly or annually.
Functions-as-a-Service (FaaS) – FaaS solutions work on a cloud computing model known in tech circles as ‘serverless computing’. In this case, the cloud service provider manages the allocation of resources and makes cloud infrastructure decisions, rather than the app developer. In other words, an app that delivers a single business function can be developed without the need for any server maintenance. Examples of FaaS solutions are Google Cloud Function and Microsoft Azure Functions.
Pitfall #5: Lack of cultural change
Last but not least is the issue of overcoming fixed mindsets when it comes to cloud transformation. This can be a serious challenge, particularly in more traditional industries that have not undergone too much digital transformation.
Even in more modern businesses, people may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of shifting their workflows to a new cloud-based system. In this instance, cultural change is needed, but it needs to be managed.
Ideally, a good project manager will be appointed to direct the cloud transformation. The project manager should have a sound
understanding of the business’s operations and processes. They should actively engage with employees to make sure that any concerns are addressed and suggestions taken on board. In this way, staff ‘buy-in’ can be achieved across the company.
Summary – How to avoid cloud transformation pitfalls
Cloud transformation provides a wide range of benefits for businesses, including accelerated growth, greater scalability, increased revenue, and reduced costs.
However, cloud transformation should not be rushed and there are some common pitfalls that business owners and managers need to avoid. The main pitfalls are security concerns, application readiness, the choice of cloud transformation package, and getting employees to embrace cloud transition.
Here at SYMBIOTIQ, our team of cloud experts can help to ensure that your cloud transformation runs as smoothly as possible. Contact us today to find out more.
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