The 8-Step Recipe to Creating a Successful Cloud Strategy
Cloud strategy definition
According to Gartner, a cloud strategy is a living document which comprehensively describes the role of cloud within an organization. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between business needs and the actual cloud implementation plan, from which it differs, due to the fact that it includes more than just steps and measures. The cloud strategy expresses the company’s objectives for cloud adoption, as well as its KPIs and it gets updated each time the company enters a new stage, with new needs.
Who is in charge of the cloud strategy?
While it is common for business leaders to create business and operational strategies which enable them to guide their companies and departments, when it comes to cloud strategies, things are quite different. This is because many professionals consider that these are the responsibilities of IT departments and partners, but this is, from our perspective, far from the truth.
Cloud strategies need to be the result of a good interaction between business and IT structures, where the first party focuses on what they need to attain and the second identifies the structures and means.
Usually, the company leaders and their teams need to take into account the organization’s direction and several variables, such as market share, margins, productivity, efficiency levels and goals, all aspects with which IT professionals are not familiar. In return, the IT Manager will translate what needs to be done into technical methodologies and specifications, bandwidth, number of users etc. A good cloud strategy is, thus, the result of a well organized, collaborative approach.
Top things you need to know before developing a cloud strategy
Top things you need to know before developing a cloud strategy
According to Flexera figures, quoted by Tech Jury, in 2020, over 50% of organizations moved their data to the cloud. Cloud adoption has increased to such an extent that a company which is not using the technology may be left behind and lose its competitiveness, compared to industry peers.
As shown in our previous blog posts, cloud adoption decreases IT costs associated with maintenance and human resources, as well as improves the company’s agility, by offering opportunities to scale up and down, depending on business needs. All these enable organizations to adjust faster to consumers’ expectations, as well as to offer more competitive prices and better overall conditions for end-users, as well as employees.
If you look at it from a professional perspective, the cloud is not a place to store information, but a pillar of your business strategy, an enabler for business development. Used properly, the cloud provides a framework for organizational success.
The steps for creating a cloud strategy
Many clients are interested in developing cloud strategies for their organizations, but don’t know where to start. While there are several ideas online, we, at AEC Cloud, have put together a series of steps that need to be followed in each cloud strategy.
Identify the business objectives
Describe the current organizational landscape
Describe the current state of the IT ecosystem
Define the desired state
Identify the gaps between the existing state and the desired state
Develop measures
Perform a risk assessment analysis
Set an implementation plan
1. Identify the business objectives
Working on a cloud strategy starts with identifying the company’s business objectives across different levels and departments, from legal, to financial, from operational, to marketing and IT. These need to be expressed in a way which is SMART - an acronym which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely.
Objectives may refer to acquiring new customers, reaching a certain market share, developing products faster, reducing time to market, automating business processes, simplifying IT flows, adopting AI, offering employees shared resources and access from anywhere etc.
2. Describe the current organizational landscape
Understanding where the organization is situated is extremely important before starting a cloud implementation process. This is why we, at AEC Cloud, often encourage clients to start with a PESTELE analysis, which focuses on the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal and ethical environments.
This assessment of the overall external context enables business professionals to go one step further and perform a SWOT analysis that also covers the threats and opportunities the current environment provides.
3. Describe the current state of the IT ecosystem
After the steps above have been performed, it is time to describe the current state of the IT ecosystem and check how ready the organization is to introduce new technologies and tools. By performing readiness assessments, IT Managers ensure that their current context allows them to implement a cloud strategy.
4. Define the desired state
Defining the desired state involves use-case modeling and analysis, stating criteria and requirements for cloud providers and setting the premise for the scope of work.
This is the stage in which the organization chooses its cloud solutions and their providers.
5. Identify the gaps between the existing state and the desired state
A good cloud strategy involves comparing the technologies and capabilities the organization has with the ones needed to reach the desired state and understand what needs to be added, to achieve the business objectives.
6. Develop measures
Starting from the gaps mentioned above, IT Managers and cloud providers develop measures that need to be taken, focusing on the priorities and scope.
In general, several questions need to be asked:
What should be done to address the gap?
Where do these measures need to be taken?
When do these measures need to be taken?
Who will be the decision-maker?
How will the measures be implemented?
7. Perform a risk assessment analysis
A successful cloud strategy needs to take into account the potential risks of cloud implementation, focusing on the risks that are most likely to occur, comparing both the possibility of a certain thing happening, as well as its impact on business. Once this analysis is performed, companies may prepare for different scenarios and take prevention measures.
8. Set an implementation plan
Once all the above have received careful consideration, IT managers and cloud providers may develop the actual implementation plan. This roadmap to cloud migration includes recommendations, project classifications, resource distribution etc.
Conclusions
At AEC Cloud, we work with our clients to help them create the best cloud strategies for their businesses, as well as implement them, to ensure a smooth, reliable digitization process. Contact us and let’s discuss your project today.