Intelligent Data Centres Issue 11 | Page 69

THE EDGE he appetite for cloud adoption is growing, with Gartner forecasting worldwide public cloud revenue to grow 17% this year, and cloud computing to be among the top three areas where most global CIOs will increase their investment next year. However, businesses face challenges with cloud adoption and a recent report by RightScale found that 35% of cloud spending is wasted. Budgets are being allocated to underused resources and poorly planned migrations, meaning that businesses are not getting the full value of their cloud services. T One way to avoid careless migrations and idle resources is to implement a thought- out cloud adoption strategy that can be used as a roadmap to successfully chart and manage your migration to the cloud. These strategies improve processes and help businesses architect platforms that can grow with the company. Systems that are not properly architected can cause many issues further along the line, so a proper cloud adoption strategy is a vital part of digitally transforming a business in future years. requirements and potential growth when migrating to the cloud, as this will directly impact the cloud platform. By addressing business goals and analysing the impact of moving to the cloud, a clear project plan can be put together. In addition to this, organisations should carry out a gap analysis to identify any existing problems and other services that could potentially increase business profitability. Migrating to the cloud is an opportunity to rectify these existing problems in the IT architecture. Once this has been decided, it is vital that businesses consider the level of IT management required. Is there an in- house IT department that can manage the cloud on their behalf, or would it be more cost-effective to outsource to an external IT team to run it? Plan Once the research phase is complete, it is time to put together a specific cloud Assess www.intelligentdatacentres.com strategy. Businesses can choose from a range of cloud services including public, private and hybrid. If they are unsure as to which solution would fit their requirements best, a Managed Service Provider (MSP), with Technical Solutions Architects, can help to design a cloud solution that is tailored specifically to the requirements of a business. The MSP can ensure that the company has enough resources, servers and a solution that meets their budget. When the cloud platform or solution has been architected, businesses can begin to think about how to migrate data from the existing provider to their new one. Depending on the specific applications they wish to migrate, this process will vary. This is why it’s crucial to map out the required actions and internal resources with a timescale as part of a high-level project plan. Below are my four easy steps to assist businesses with creating and executing a successful cloud adoption strategy. Before migrating to the cloud, businesses need to look at their existing platforms and solutions. Not all applications can run on or move seamlessly to the cloud, so this must be taken into consideration. If some applications require dedicated servers, this will affect a business’s cloud model. It is essential that businesses define their BY ADDRESSING BUSINESS GOALS AND ANALYSING THE IMPACT OF MOVING TO THE CLOUD, A CLEAR PROJECT PLAN CAN BE PUT TOGETHER. Jon Lucas, Co-Director of Hyve Managed Hosting One model of migration is referred to as a ‘lift and shift’ operation, where enterprises move their data and applications to the cloud without making any modifications. Issue 11 69