Are you considering migrating to the cloud? If so, you aren’t alone. Cloud services grew rapidly during the pandemic, and the market is expected to reach $482 billion during 2022, up from $313 billion in 2020. The opportunities to lower costs, improve security and create more flexibility are just a few factors driving this growth.
Additionally, the increased number of people working remotely adds momentum to this trend — nearly one-third of North American professional workers are expected to work remotely by 2023. As more companies focus on supporting transformation through cloud migration, an essential step that is often missed is cloud readiness. Dedicating time and effort to this assessment up front pays off in the long run.
Traveling without a GPS
If you’re taking a trip, you likely have a checklist to complete before hitting the road. For example, you might change your oil, fuel the car up with gas or set the GPS with the final destination. But what happens if you miss a step and, let’s say, forget to fill up with gas? The result is less than desirable: the need to stop unexpectedly or, even worse, the prospect of running out of gas at an inconvenient location.
With cloud readiness, you’re planning your “migration road trip” as you carefully inventory the tasks and potential challenges ahead. Investing time in this process allows you to avoid challenges that could result in schedule delays, increased expenses and other difficulties along the migration path.
Best practices to improve your cloud readiness
Are you ready to invest in cloud readiness but not exactly sure where to start? For example: Who needs to get on board internally? What are the best practices to keep the migration running smoothly? How can you spot challenges more effectively?
With cloud readiness, you take inventory of your system, look at security needs and ensure that you’ve set up the necessary resources, plus more, to create a smooth path to success. A few best practices to consider include:
Taking inventory of your system. Inventorying your system is one of the most essential steps in the readiness process. Identify any required custom code or scripts and necessary integration with external systems and review current standards to assist with lining up the required resources prior to the migration.
Identifying and engaging the right people. Identify the right people early so you can get them on board and gather feedback. For example, you need people who can speak to infrastructure details, security development, business processes and input from the user experience perspective. These stakeholders will bring perspectives to the table that could otherwise go missed and result in potential problems during the migration.
Evaluating your security. Security threats are constantly evolving, and in response, companies often change requirements and standards for code. As a result, you may have long-established code that require rewriting, and if so, the rewriting should happen before the migration. Additionally, cloud migration is the perfect time to identify any legacy systems that are ready for retirement. Retiring these systems before the migration allows you to save time and money during the transition.
Getting your bearings. Above all, if you find yourself lost on the path of cloud readiness, work with an experienced and trusted partner to guide you through that process.
Lessons learned
Companies will only face more challenges in the future as they navigate increased security threats and fast-changing market conditions. Migrating to the cloud is a step that will enable you to compete more effectively, support an increasingly remote workforce and capture greater efficiency. And if you’re unsure about migration, or you’ve been told stories about unsuccessful projects, know that many of these outcomes result from skipping the cloud readiness step.
Investing in cloud readiness empowers you with a solid roadmap due to your upfront preparation, ensuring a smooth and successful path ahead.
