While many businesses are adopting cloud computing services, they often lack a proper implementation plan. Even the ones that develop cloud strategies frequently limit their advantages by making several mistakes. Simply put, without a robust cloud strategy, your business cannot enjoy maximum benefits from cloud services.
This article highlights some of the common mistakes we encounter in cloud service strategy implementation and how to avoid them. Let’s start with the basics.
What is a Cloud Strategy?
A sound cloud service strategy is not a roadmap to migrate all your operations to the cloud. It examines and outlines the core function that cloud computing ought to serve within your organization. A good cloud service strategy is generally a ten to twenty-page brief; this document should align with your business strategy and provide ample guidance to the professionals responsible for its execution. It must complement other strategic initiatives rather than overshadow or replace them.
Your cloud computing strategy should be a living document that is frequently updated and accessible to every key stakeholder. It should be precise and easy to understand and cover all the key factors discussed in this article and "The Cloud Strategy Cookbook, 2019” by Gartner.
Cloud Computing Strategy: Top 3 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The following entails the top 3 common cloud computing strategy mistakes and how businesses can avoid them to maximize their business benefits:
Mistake No 1: Not involving core business functions
The Information Technology department is just one stakeholder in implementing cloud technologies. Other business functions, including HR, Finance, Legal, etc., all have crucial expertise and skills that complement cloud service strategy beyond the functions of the IT department. Companies should deliberately look for ways to leverage insightful information from people outside the IT department.
Additionally, cloud adoption has an enterprise-wide impact. Thus, ensuring a successful cloud adoption follows up with the preparation and contribution from all functional areas and enables them to explore ways to maximize their functional value using the cloud. Ensuring that this practice is concentrated at the true strategic level is one way to guarantee that.
Instead of IT teams devising a strategy and attempting to “pitch” it to the business functions, business and IT should collaborate on equal footing when developing the enterprise cloud infrastructure strategy.
Mistake No 2: Not having an exit strategy
It is not surprising that many organizations seem to believe that they don't need an exit strategy, as it is rare to revert back to original systems from the cloud. However, even if you think you might not backpedal, it is still a good idea to plan for it as a possibility. What makes it so crucial?
An exit strategy highlights factors to take into account in case you need to withdraw from cloud decisions, change service providers, or have contingency plans in case of unexpected events impacting your cloud usage. To emphasize its significance, many regulators in the EU have made this practice mandatory.
Although developing an exit strategy is challenging, it is critical to driving agility and providing a laser-focused view of your cloud service implementation. An exit cloud strategy allows businesses to overcome the complexities involved in the following factors:
- Contractual issues
- Data ownership
- Data migration
- Data protection
- Egress costs
- Security
- Architecture
- Source code portability
- Portability of data and skills
- Supporting infrastructure
- Portability of data and skills
- Supporting infrastructure
Mistake No 3: Confusing cloud strategy with the cloud implementation plan
Cloud computing strategy plans are often confused with cloud implementation plans. Yet, these two are different stages of cloud adoption, with a strategic plan being the first step. Here, companies contemplate whether they should employ cloud computing and what role it will play in their business. Next comes its execution using a cloud implementation plan.
The organization's three-layer strategic planning architecture includes a cloud computing infrastructure strategy as the next layer down, along with other strategic plans like the data center strategy, security solutions, and architectural strategy. These plans, your company's vision, and the cloud service strategy must align with each other, which may require negotiation with the relevant parties in case of discrepancies.
Another way to differentiate both is by the content of the plan. Although a cloud implementation plan may include certain strategy elements, it is much more detail-oriented, taking up more than twenty pages. If your cloud computing strategy plan looks similar to this, we suggest you rethink it. Furthermore, if the document entails how to choose your service providers, transfer your data to the cloud, or simply explain how to manage your cloud usage, then that is a cloud implementation plan.
To Sum Up
A well-executed cloud strategy project can act as a gateway for establishing the interconnections and rationalization essential for a much more comprehensive IT or innovation strategy.
Successful cloud computing adoption strategy is rooted in a robust strategy backed by modern enterprise architecture and modernized cloud technology service providers such as Visionet. Our well-planned, innovation-driven cloud services allow businesses to avoid common mistakes when devising their cloud strategies, helping them maximize the benefits of their cloud services and enhance business effectiveness. To learn more, get in touch with our experts.