Business barriers and pain points

In this edition of the blog we look at the business barriers and pain points when considering migrating to the cloud.

Overcoming internal misconceptions is the first step towards a successful migration. Those outside the immediate IT circle can have entrenched views against migration to the cloud, even though the majority of these concerns have been alleviated or even removed completely by modern cloud services. It is still important to understand these viewpoints in order to address concerns and convert internal influencers to a more positive and supportive mindset. Three commonly cited concerns regarding cloud migration are: security, loss of control, and lack of confidence in emerging technology.

Security

Plans to store data and important files with external service providers will immediately prompt concerns about information security. As custodians of vast amounts of customer and employee data, every business is duty bound - and regulated - to ensure the information is stored and managed appropriately.

For decades, businesses have felt comfortable with the traditional approach i.e. keeping IT infrastructure in a dedicated server room contained within the building. That proximity provides a perceived sense of security which can be difficult to overcome.

But the fact is that cloud service providers implement the highest security standards and industry certifications – not least because their business depends on it. Data centres have invested millions to secure the infrastructure, applications and data, not only in 24x7x365 physical security, but also in employing dedicated cybersecurity teams whose only role is to keep data safe and free from compromise. The infrastructure is designed for resilience, with multi-layer security, n+n redundancy, increased environmental management and far greater networking availability due to carrier neutrality.

This level of protection would be impossible for individual businesses to match at a reasonable cost. And the policies, procedures and security in place to protect and secure the information in the cloud means that data is now likely to be far more secure in a cloud data centre environment than in any dedicated on-site server room.

But don’t forget that although most cloud service providers go to great lengths to manage and safeguard the underlying hardware infrastructure; your business remains responsible for ensuring user access management is secure.

Loss of control

Individuals who tend to distrust what they cannot directly control can be an issue. This mentality is based on the idea that “If I can see the box I can do what I like with it” – therefore handing any form of control to a third party can feel counter-productive.

The desire to retain in-house control of some functions can also be prompted by concerns about getting locked into a service provision where the costs spiral and simply keeping the business functioning as it needs to becomes prohibitively expensive. Cloud migration can seem simple in the initial stages, however once businesses evolve more detailed specifications and requirements, costs can prove difficult to predict, especially if the provider has complex billing protocols linked to usage. The importance of working with an experienced cloud provider with transparent pricing structures cannot be underestimated if ‘bill shock’ is to be avoided.

It is also common for businesses to retain some functions on-premise - the phone system is a common example. Experienced and reputable cloud providers should have no problem with moving some but not all functions with the migration. In fact, a phased migration as back office services are offloaded in stages is a normal approach.

Lack of confidence in emerging technology

One of the biggest barriers to taking the leap to the cloud is limited in-house experience. Without deep and detailed knowledge of the latest cloud capabilities and opportunities, or the freedom to focus completely on it, it is understandable for businesses and technology leaders to have some concerns about committing to a cloud strategy.

The cloud marketplace is also crowded with providers and the array of options to consider can appear overly complex. Deciding on the correct components to exactly meet the needs of an individual business is not a simple process. If the business is organised in silos or has a disjointed IT infrastructure, another layer of complexity is added. What began as a ‘simple’ solution for the business can quickly begin to look anything but simple as individuals begin to question whether a cloud migration really is the right route forward.

The key to success is to work with a cloud partner with significant migration experience and a consultative approach to solution design. The majority of companies will need more than a simple ‘lift and shift’, and specific cloud expertise will be needed to navigate through the options to a robust solution. As with any other area of business, where there are significant risks and complexity to manage, working with experts is the sensible approach. It also means your IT team can focus on their wider business responsibilities rather than becoming too embedded in a cloud migration project.

If you're looking for help migrating your business to the cloud, message me here on LinkedIn, call 07884 264 813 or email [email protected]