It’s very typical in this phase for decision makers to find that many of their existing environments aren’t being fully utilized, which is due to the rapidly evolving technological space and adoption of new platforms. Having a deep understanding of the environment helps create the foundation for a move to the cloud and enables IT to present information back to executives in their company, since not all may be sold on which cloud to move to.
- Choose the Right Partner
IT decision makers are actively looking for partners to help them with the migration process.
When selecting a vendor to help with cloud migration, first ensure the partner has ample experience around migrating applications that are critical to the company’s bottom line. Start by asking the right questions of potential vendors such as, “What is the average length of time for migrating a production Oracle workload to the cloud and how many iterations do you go through?” and, “How many similar workloads have you moved to the cloud?” This will help identify and measure the experience-based knowledge and technical understanding a vendor has.
Next, be sure to check customer references, a vital aspect to fully understanding vendors’ migration successes and client relationships. With the cloud hype, many partners are just now jumping on the bandwagon to offer migration services they are not yet experts in. (For example, migrating Oracle applications is often an area not all partners will have in-depth expertise in.) Avoid the hype cycle by checking customer satisfaction ratings and ensure the company has some level of third-party validation. Finally, make sure the vendor can be available to act as an extension of the IT team, opening a space to collaborate while troubleshooting issues along the way and managing your environment beyond the initial migration. Creating a strong relationship at the start will result in lasting benefits.
- Press the Permission Reset Button
Often when IT decision makers take a holistic view of the existing environment, they find the opportunity to evaluate certain privileges. As companies grow, evolve, and see faces come and go, privileges for who has access to certain business information and processes are often overlooked. The cloud migration journey is a convenient time to discuss who should have access to what and offers a chance to reset the permissions company-wide. When an environment is built within the cloud, there is the ability to use the “least privilege” rule upon setup, and allow and document access to only the individuals and teams that need that access.
One Size Does Not Fit All: The Benefits of Multi-Cloud
By carefully considering these issues with a trusted advisor, IT leaders can identify which workloads need to be more agile and which need tighter governance and control. This process will help identify the right cloud choice. For business environments that require agility, scalability, and the ability to be deployed to regions outside the U.S. within minutes, the right choice is the public cloud. For business environments where IT leaders feel the need for a physical location or have a strong desire to keep a close eye on a custom application, the right next step is often a private cloud.
A one-size-fits-all approach to the cloud is no longer the norm. Multi-cloud strategies are highly attractive to IT decision makers looking to avoid vendor lock-in. This option is a good fit for those who are searching for the freedom to mix-and-match where applications live and want to benefit from cost savings. Secure connections between clouds allow the multi-cloud model to take even more shape with the ability to move workloads seamlessly between the two.
According to Gartner, by 2020, 75% of organizations will have deployed a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud model. Multi-cloud scenarios offer a good middle-ground option, allowing companies to evolve existing IT assets and effectively grow along with innovation and technological developments.