For organizations considering a migration to the cloud, there are 5 important factors to take into account.
• Security
• Cloud Spend
• Governance
• Chaos of Transition
• Lack of Expertise
Security
Security is a shared responsibility between the organization and the cloud provider Storage upkeep, infrastructure and networking are some of the cloud provider’s responsibility, whereas applications, access management, and network traffic protection is more on the organization’s end. On day one post move, the cloud provides best in class security features and tools that continue to get better over time.
In our latest webinar, Jason Harris, ROK Technologies CTO, spoke on the topic, Security & Your GIS Cloud. He took a dive into one of the top 5 concerns organizations face when considering a move to the cloud.
In case you missed the webinar, watch on demand here.
Cloud Spend
Money will always be a concern. Does a move to the cloud fall into the budget this year? It is well documented that cloud computing saves organizations money, but what is the upfront cost? Less than investing in servers, data centers, new or additional hardware that you may or may not use. Cloud technology is a utility pricing model, providing the flexibility to scale up or down and pay for what you need, when you need it. You can purchase cloud services in multiple ways – on-demand, on-reserve, enterprise level, and more. You can build a cloud that works for your organization within your budget. This lowers your upfront costs and minimizes any risks your taking in building software.
Governance & Control
On-site, in-house IT teams have a clear understanding of their organization’s policies & procedures, operational & capital costs, as well as approved, known software, applications and programs. In the cloud it is no different. Governance is simply a set of rules. The cloud may require updating and enhancing your existing in-houe set of rules, but they are still your rules, in the cloud.
The Chaos Of Transition
Migrating can be chaotic. To keep it under control, having a plan and people in place to make the cultural shift, not just the technology changes is key. The plan should include what to move, when to move, dependencies and a deployment strategy. Having a cloud advocate who can educate (and sell) why this move is important will help. Why do we need the cloud? How will it make people’s jobs easier? Help us run smarter? Do we have a legacy architecture that is slowing us down, when instead we need to move faster and cheaper and stay above our competition? To innovate and to lead there will always be a little chaos.
Lack Of Resources
And finally, one last concern would be a lack of resources and/or expertise. Do we have the expertise to handle the cloud migration? What about the ongoing management of the infrastructure? According to LinkedIn, Cloud Computing is the #1 skill companies need most and therefore is in highest demand. Often bringing cloud specialists in-house is too costly but managed services and automation can augment your team. Having a clear communication plan for the team transformation is crucial, along with assembling the right capabilities and competencies.
In Summary
Cloud migration is a complex and critical process and will vary from one organization to another. If you struggle with these cloud challenges, let us help address your concerns. ROK Technologies can help identify your business objectives, review what is in place today, and define a cloud set-up that better achieves your goals. We are available to answer any questi
