Cloud migration is a key stepping stone for businesses on the road to digital transformation. Moving IT infrastructure into the cloud increases agility, makes it easier to scale, and unlocks new capabilities for organisations. According to data from Accenture, a successful public cloud migration can reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of an organisation’s IT stack by as much as 40%.
Migration from legacy to cloud-based services has accelerated even more in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 80% of organisations using multiple public or private clouds at once. However, much like digital transformations, cloud migrations are also fraught with complications. As many as half of all cloud migration projects fail or stall. Not only this, but around 44% of CIOs approach migration without a sufficient plan, and 55% of business leaders are unable to optimise their process to match a clearly defined business case.
The benefits of a successful cloud migration far outweigh the risk of failure, but that risk is nevertheless very real. Here are the X reasons why your cloud migration is in danger of failing.
1. Skills gap
Transitioning to a cloud computing environment involves implementing new technologies, procedures, and third-party integrations. In short, it’s complex and new. Often, existing teams won’t have the necessary skills and qualifications to perform IT roles within the new infrastructure.
Training and upskilling is a necessary part laying the foundations for a cloud migration. In order to bridge the gap between your current capabilities and where you need to be, partnering with a cloud migration specialist can be helpful. However, relying too much on outside help can cause costs to skyrocket. Also, relying on third party talent can prevent your own teams from developing the necessary skills, leaving you in the lurch when the consultants leave.
2. Complexity and lack of visibility
Cloud migrations are complex, especially when moving from legacy on-premises IT environments. As a result, progress is best made in stages to ensure each step is successful before advancing. Underestimating a project’s complexity can create potentially disastrous pain points for a cloud migration. Simply porting legacy software over to the cloud can result in downtime, loss of key functionalities, and dissatisfied customers.
A complex IT architecture can make developing and implementing a cloud migration strategy challenging. Identifying and documenting interdependencies and creating a phased plan for moving specific components to the cloud can be particularly difficult.
Osterman Research claims that 97% of enterprise cloud apps are unsanctioned purchases. Departments, teams, or employees purchase new tools to support their productivity efforts independently from the broader IT or cloud migration strategy. The result can be spiralling complexity and an inability for IT to gain the necessary visibility to govern a cloud environment.
3. Cultural inertia and change management
Cloud migration is not just a sizable logistical undertaking. Moving from an on-premises IT environment to the cloud (especially the public cloud) requires a meaningful shift in attitude and approach. As a result, cloud migrations often encounter internal resistance and complexities when it comes to managing people, just as much as processes.
Transitioning from a strong on-premises IT culture to the cloud may meet staff resistance, potentially delaying the process and sparking conflicts. Top down buy-in and advocacy for the migration is crucial. Migrations where the leadership team champion the initiative are much more likely to be successful. Specifically, C-suite engagement has been proven to heavily influence employee engagement and adoption.
4. Data security
Data security and regulatory compliance are significant challenges faced by every organisation transitioning to the cloud. There are meaningful differences between being compliant in an on-premises environment and in the cloud. Migrating to the cloud has the potential to expose your data to new risks. As such, a robust approach to security is absolutely essential.
Setting up a new cloud environment means ensuring that data and applications hosted in the cloud are as secure as those in an on-premises data centre.
In public cloud deployments, companies share servers and infrastructure with other customers. Vulnerabilities in these servers or inadequate isolation of virtual machines can result in data leaks or other security incidents. It can also be difficult to gain visibility into the exact location of valuable data and applications, posing challenges for compliance with regulations like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
5. Cost containment
Only about 3 in 10 organisations know exactly where their cloud costs are going, according to CloudZero’s State Of Cloud Cost Intelligence 2022 Report. One of the most common pitfalls that derails cloud migrations is excessive project spend.
Overspending in of itself is typically an indicator of larger underlying issues. inadequate understanding of the amount of work required to complete a migration can see costs rapidly spiral. A lack of focus and direction can see dramatic overspending on products and services that don’t create value for the organisation. Not having enough internal expertise can result in massive overspending on third party consultants that could be better spent on training internal staff.
- Infrastructure & Cloud
- People & Culture
