Making the Cloud Work For You - Don't Do It Alone

Even the most well prepared organizations, including those that have some cloud experience and a sound migration strategy, can still run into challenges and impediments when it comes to moving to the cloud.

Below are some do’s and don’ts when thinking about jumping on the cloud bandwagon that support the importance of, well, not making that cloud transition alone:

Don’t: Assume all cloud hosting providers are equal
While there are many cloud hosting providers out there, each one comes with its unique set of pros and cons. Before choosing one over the other, companies should answer these two fundamental questions:

• Is there an urgent need to reduce the strain on any current IT infrastructure / team?
• Are increased uptime and availability critical because of some expected high-traffic?

Fine-tuning those needs and expectations before migrating to the cloud will guide any organization in their quest for a cloud provider that can truly help them unleash the potential of the cloud. Well-respected industry research firms, like Gartner, are also great resources for evaluating cloud services providers and their capabilities.

Do: Invest in DevOps
It’s not uncommon for organizations that migrate their sites and apps to the cloud to find out that keeping these assets running is more costly and time-consuming than they anticipated. In fact, some organizations can spend as much as two-thirds of their time simply trying to keep the lights on.

Incorporating a DevOps approach (i.e. bridging the roles of both software developers and IT professionals to achieve greater operational efficiency) into a migration strategy (or finding a partner who can help handling DevOps tasks) can speed up migration, resolve issues faster, and, ultimately, allow organizations to spend more time on high-value activities.  

Do: Start small
When moving to the cloud, companies should avoid migrating everything all at once. If possible, they should begin with something that isn’t mission-critical to see how it performs. This trial run can then inform the entire cloud migration strategy, with the appropriate back-ups being made in case anything goes awry.

Don’t: Do it alone
The cloud is complex and, for so many organizations, rarely their core competency. Embarking on a cloud journey alone runs the risk of selecting the wrong cloud package or overpaying for a cloud solution. In their latest State of the Market report, Verizon revealed that more organizations than ever before are partnering with managed services providers to help them design and maintain their ideal cloud hosting environments.  

Without a sound migration strategy, utilizing a managed service provider becomes critical to achieving confidence in a cloud investment.