Aging applications and infrastructure put your business at a disadvantage in an era of constant disruption. That’s why savvy companies are investing resources into cloud development and migration. But is this growing technology the right choice for your enterprise? And if so, how should your team plan to adopt it?
At SafeNet Consulting, we craft custom technology solutions to meet your emerging business needs. We view your challenges as an opportunity to form a partnership—and work alongside you to find the best solutions for your goals. Today, we’re exploring the topic of cloud maturity to help your business prepare for a successful migration.
Strategic Planning for Cloud Adoption
Migrating to the cloud is an overwhelming challenge for most small- to mid-sized businesses. That’s because it takes precise planning around very specific project goals. So before you dive into moving or scaling applications, it’s important to take a step back and define your business transformation objectives.
Whenever we start a cloud migration project, we ask this question: “What’s your motivation for moving in the first place?” Maybe it’s speed to market, cost reductions, scalability, or even to take advantage of a new technical solution like cognitive services. Understanding that driving need is one of the most important pieces of the project. Here are a few common reasons to consider for your business:
1. Scalability
Cloud technology gives your enterprise the flexibility to scale according to its storage or operational needs. As demand or bandwidth increases, your organization can pivot accordingly.
2. Security
Storing your business data in the cloud helps secure it in a safe location—and recover it quickly in the event of a crisis or unplanned disaster.
3. Efficiency
Cloud computing gives your business access to new tools and technical solutions to automate tasks, increase employee efficiency and support productivity.
4.Innovation
Cloud solutions can help your organization drive product development, create new services and capitalize on business opportunities before the competition.
Once you’ve identified the core motivation behind your move, it’s time to take stock of which applications need to be migrated to the cloud—or transformed to suit your business as it evolves.
Application Rationalization
One of the most important concepts we stress in cloud migration projects is Application Rationalization. Think about your own business for a moment; there are dozens of applications you use day to day across different operations. But what are your short- and long-term plans for these tools? Do you intend to phase any out over the next six months—or perhaps merge several apps into a single solution?
Application Rationalization gives you a better understanding of your portfolio of apps, and makes sure you know exactly how long they’re going to be used for. That way, you can be more strategic about which apps you move to the cloud—and lay the groundwork for transforming or merging these solutions to meet upcoming needs.
Organization Alignment
Organization Alignment (or lack thereof) is one of the fastest ways to derail a cloud project. For example, an overzealous team may start experimenting with the cloud independently, taking the initiative to build new applications—and leaving huge security gaps in the process. In other cases, IT employees more familiar with legacy-type servers will feel threatened by the migration and resist it.
In our experience, deploying a top-down approach is essential for successful Organization Alignment. The goal here is to make sure that everyone in the organization has the same understanding, utilization and goals for the cloud project. The problems we’ve outlined above can be avoided entirely through clear communication—and familiarization with the cloud technology itself.
SafeNet Consulting has helped companies of almost every size and specialty successfully navigate their journey to the cloud. We view Organization Alignment as a way to empower your team with the knowledge, skills and competencies to operate on the cloud effectively. As your cloud consulting partner, we can provide any guidance or support your organization needs to prepare for the cloud, from strategy and planning to training.
Governance for Cloud Projects
Now that you’ve thought through the initial motivation and strategy for cloud migration, and laid the foundation for Organization Alignment, let’s tackle governance. Our objective here is to put some guardrails in place for teams that will be working in the cloud—making sure they aren’t spending too much money, accidentally deploying assets in the wrong places, or creating security vulnerabilities.
There’s a wide range of governance features and services your company can use to maintain control and compliance when working in the cloud. For example, you might consider leveraging dashboards to assess cloud spend and usage across your teams—or creating a resource graph for inventory management. By working with a cloud consulting partner like SafeNet Consulting, your company can build and optimize its governance strategy to minimize risk and maximize productivity.
Navigate the Cloud With Confidence
This introduction to cloud maturity should give your team a better understanding of the planning required for a successful move—and whether adopting this technology is the right approach for your business today.
At SafeNet Consulting, we’ve been helping our clients solve complex problems using technology for over 25 years. We can deliver a cloud adoption strategy tailored to your company’s unique transformation needs, driving growth and future innovation in the process. So if you’re ready to drive your business forward with cloud technology, then contact us today!
Related Resources
ARTICLEAzure: Where Do I Start? (Part 1)
Once your business has decided to go to the cloud, there are quite a few things that need to be…
ARTICLEWhat Happens When COVID Disrupts Your Digital Disruption?
Digital disruption has always been disruptive — the keyword is disruption. The disruption transforms how companies move forward and how…
ARTICLE
Twin Cities: 5929 Baker Rd. Suite 440 Minnetonka, MN 55345 (877) 930-3636