Summary
In 2023, moving to cloud is no longer a decision simply tied to business continuity but rather a means of making innovation happen. However, organizations need to do these 4 key things before jumping headfirst into cloud:
1. Align cloud strategy with company culture to ensure a smooth organizational transition
2. Build up a tolerance for business disruption by modernizing legacy systems
3. Align cloud strategy with cybersecurity and compliance frameworks that are applicable to your organization
4. Choose a cloud transformation partner with will take greater accountability across the cloud journey from initial strategy to optimizing ongoing operations
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When the pandemic hit, 86% of organizations all over the world went from prosperity mode into survival mode. This fueled a massive exodus to cloud for 3 key reasons: to better respond to the needs of a remote workforce, to align organizational priorities with changes in business patterns and to allay any and all fears of customers.
The primary focus was initially on business continuity but now times have changed. Businesses have realized that it’s not enough to simply develop the capability to respond to customer needs. It’s time to innovate and moving to cloud is one of the best ways to make innovation happen. However, this is easier said than done. And organizations need to do 4 key things before jumping headfirst into the cloud, should they hope to see success in their endeavors:
Align Cloud Strategy with Company Culture:
Over the past few years, we have seen many companies haphazardly make an attempt to incorporate cloud technology into their organization and fail spectacularly simply because they either failed to get their employees on board or because they failed to adequately train them. The key reason is, many businesses forget the importance of culture and put strategy first. Perhaps they make the mistake of assuming that culture can take care of itself, but that’s never been the case. In our experience, organizations that proactively create awareness and build a culture around people, processes and technology are typically more effective at implementing their cloud strategy.
Establishing a cloud center of excellence (CCOE) is the best way for organizations to consolidate thought leadership, strategy and multi-year plans that will yield monumental success in their cloud transformation journey. CCOE is key to bringing ad hoc adoption under a more formal governance framework and driving the maturation of the organization’s cloud computing journey
Build up a Tolerance for Business Disruption:
Organizations must consider if their tolerance for business disruption is adequate enough to withstand their cloud journey. For example, mission-critical workloads that were built around can be hard to move since these systems are interconnected to various departments. If organizations ever seek to do away with these systems, they need to engage in application mapping to determine the interdependencies of all their existing applications and then begin incorporating those interdependencies into their plans.
IT teams will have a pivotal role to play as they are responsible for defining the extent to which a system overhaul is needed and how much of the existing business processes will see major changes. Once this assessment is complete, IT teams will begin to re-architect, re-platform or even existing systems to make them cloud friendly while simultaneously ensuring that they align with both current & future business needs.
Align Cloud Strategy with Cybersecurity & Compliance:
There are a great number of compliance frameworks that apply to different organizations in different ways. Some are industry-based i.e., requirements for healthcare organizations created by HIPAA or those in FISMA designed to improve the cybersecurity practices of U.S. government contractors. Others such as GDPR might apply if you have customers in the European Union.
Keep in mind that all regulatory requirements that apply to your organization will also have to apply to your cloud service provider. Larger companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure will be aware of these requirements, but due diligence is necessary in all cases to avoid repercussions i.e., incurring steep fines of $20 Million or 4% of the company’s annual revenue, whichever is greater, if compliance laws are not adhered to.
Choose the Right Cloud Transformation Partner
In selecting a partner to help you navigate your cloud journey, choose one that employs a product mindset to their craft as they tend to be the ones that can help you get the best bang for your buck. Furthermore, a technology partner with a product mindset will take greater accountability across the cloud journey from initial strategy and implementation to optimizing ongoing operations. Getting your cloud strategy right with the right tech partner is key to delivering meaningful experiences and driving business outcomes for stakeholders all across the value chain.
If you’re having trouble choosing a cloud transformation partner, then look no further than Adtech. At Adtech, you will find a team of seasoned technologists, expert developers, and thought leaders in healthcare as well as the supply chain space. Our teams have more than half a century’s worth of experience in the fields of cloud engineering, product consultation, and enterprise software implementation. If you would like to find out more about how we can help positively transform your organization using the power of cloud, then reach out to us at info@adtechcorp.in