Cloud Computing 101: The DOs and DON’Ts of Cloud Strategy

In a previous post, we have shared our view on how to create a good cloud strategy that delivers, taking you through the 8 steps that we, at AEC Cloud, consider mandatory. Still, while discussing previous projects and approaches, as well as analyzing how companies take on such initiatives and the mistakes that Gartner research emphasizes, we realized that there are several DOs and DON’Ts that could make or break your organization’s transition to the cloud.

The DOs of Cloud Strategy

DO involve the whole team

An aspect we often stress in our blog posts is that IT Managers and CIOs aren’t the only ones responsible for developing an organization’s cloud strategy. In order to set a premise for success, a cloud strategy needs to cover all areas of the business, offering solutions for everything, from client requirements, to employees’ needs and making the overall working flow smooth and efficient.

This is why all business and operational structures should be involved ever since the beginning, so that, together, the team members may identify the organization’s needs, from all perspectives, from HR, to financial, legal etc.

DO be sure to translate cloud adoption to day-to-day benefits

Especially taking into account that cloud implementation will affect the company, as a whole, it is important to inform and engage employees, to ensure they are open to adoption. An excellent way of getting them on board is answering the “What’s in it for me?” questions in an early stage and translating cloud adoption into key benefits, showcasing how it will make everyone’s jobs easier.

Of course, there are many benefits for employees, with some of the most popular being:

• Possibility of remote working;

• Ability to access large documents from different touchpoints, thus offering the flexibility;

• Increased safety for all their accounts and devices.

Being proactive and transparent in relationship with team members makes them more involved in the cloud strategy and, thus, more likely to support it.

DO have an exit strategy

A cloud exit strategy is a complex document that most companies choose not to make. The reason is simple: many business leaders consider that, once they switch to the cloud, they will never return to on-premise solutions and that is, most of the time, true.

From our perspective, it is important to have an exit strategy, because it keeps you protected in the case of events you cannot foresee, but, also, because, as Gartner points out, you might want to change providers or scale down.

This is why you have to know exactly what your contracts allow, check data ownership and portability, as well as have a plan.

DO focus on more than just reducing costs

The main benefit of switching to the cloud is that you reduce medium- and long-term costs, associated with IT maintenance, large IT teams, data centers etc. Still, saving money shouldn’t be the main goal.

Cloud computing opens a company to so many opportunities, enabling it to benefit from shorter time-to-market, more agility and less paperwork, that it would be a waste not to take into account everything a cloud strategy may do for a business.

DO consult with professionals consultant

Opting for a professional like AEC Cloud may help your organization reduce risks, costs, as well as identify the best solutions and providers. A team like ours, which has implemented hundreds of projects of different sizes, offering support to Fortune 500 companies, as well as to small, entrepreneurial ventures, has the resources and know-how to turn your cloud migration into a success.

The DON’Ts of Cloud Strategy

DON’T confuse the cloud strategy with the cloud implementation plan

Cloud strategy is not synonymous with the cloud implementation plan. The first is part of the company’s culture and identifies the reasons for moving to the cloud, the people involved, the objectives, KPIs etc. The actual cloud implementation plan focuses on the steps to cloud adoption, being a very practical and pragmatic document.

In a successful project, the cloud strategy comes first and only after things have been carefully thought and decisions have been made, the professionals responsible with the planning may start working on their deliverables and on setting stages.

DON’T think it’s too late to do it right

Many companies have started using the cloud intuitively, by adopting certain apps or solutions that were popular in their industries and which offered clear benefits. Many IT Managers and business leaders that find themselves working in organizations that are already using the cloud, consider it is too late to create cloud strategies and try to do things as they go.

Still, as an organization matures, so do its needs. This is why it is vital to assess the current status, learn lessons from different cloud projects and identify improvement areas. Consistently adjusting the cloud strategy is an important proof of agility that makes the difference between companies which are making the most of cloud implementation and those which don’t.

DON’T make the strategy about moving everything to cloud

A cloud strategy isn’t about moving everything to the cloud, but about identifying the most important areas and the reasons to make a shift. Because they read statistics about cloud adoption and see best practices examples, many business leaders and even some IT Managers feel a pressure for 100% cloud migration.

However, in our line of work, we know very few examples of companies that have migrated completely. Most of them choose specific areas, according to their contracts and needs and even approach projects in stages, to ensure a smooth transition.

DON’T rely on a single vendor

Many company representatives want to collaborate with one single vendor or reduce their number to the minimum, to ensure they have as few as possible contact points and that things are simplified.

Still, opting for one provider means limiting your choices and not taking advantage of all the benefits the cloud has to offer.

In general, you should not be choosing between company names, but between: cloud solutions like PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, multi cloud, hybrid, distributed cloud etc.

DON’T limit the cloud strategy to data centers

For many business leaders, cloud strategy is mainly connected to what happens to data centers. Removing the data centers completely or just keeping some on-premise help is extremely important and it should be stipulated in your strategy, but it is not the only thing to take into account.

What we always emphasize in the discussions we have with our clients is that data centers are not objectives, on their own, but tools and that they should be treated as such.

Conclusions

At AECCloud, we have been working with small, medium and large companies, to help them create effective cloud strategies. Contact us and we will help your organization take full advantage of the cloud.