Cloud Adoption Strategies For Enterprises

Enterprises have often adopted cloud technologies piecemeal, addressing specific needs as they arise. At times, cloud services have been selected independently of the IT organisation. Without a centralised strategy for cloud adoption, organisations are susceptible to "cloud sprawl," leading to increased costs and potential compliance and security issues.

Ways to Implement a Clear Cloud Strategy

Developing a cloud strategy that aligns with the enterprise's priorities is crucial without causing operational disruptions. We have outlined five steps to help clarify and unify your cloud strategy.

Enable Continuous Delivery of Custom Code

Digital business transformation poses an existential threat to many businesses. While brick-and-mortar stores are the most visible example, nearly every business aims to compete through digital services to enhance customer interaction or reduce costs.

These digital services necessitate constantly evolving software to stay competitive, driving the need for agile development and DevOps practices. DevOps mandates continuous delivery of code changes, requiring immediate availability of infrastructure for deployment, making Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and containers ideal choices.

This underscores the significance of continuous delivery in the cloud strategy. When evaluating key pillars for enabling continuous delivery, consider topics like:

• Choosing between a single or multi-source IaaS vendor for deployments
• Implementing Infrastructure as Code
• Defining a Container Strategy
• Establishing Cloud Disaster Recovery

Prioritise Cloud Migrations

Regarding off-the-shelf applications, it is crucial to migrate them to the cloud or retain them on-premise. While cost reduction is an everyday driver, only some applications will incur lower costs by running in the cloud. Elasticity is the real key to cost savings.

This means that applications with highly variable usage, often called "bursty applications," should be prioritised for migration to the cloud. Otherwise, you may be paying for on-premise resources that need to be utiliSed. Alternatively, you might need help to expand VM capacity or provide other means of infrastructure expansion.

Points to consider for application migrations beyond cost savings include:

• Are there workloads that should be off-limits for cloud migration?
• Is there sufficient capacity and network bandwidth at branch offices that require access?
• Is the application suitable for serverless computing?
• Does the application require the agility that the cloud offers?
• What is the impact of running a workload remotely on interdependent applications?

These considerations can be tested through pilot programs before full-scale migration. Additionally, cloud service brokerages (CSBs) and automated migration tools are available to facilitate the process.

Consider SaaS for Non-Revenue Generating Applications

While infrastructure in the cloud may take precedence, many enterprises have already adopted Software as a Service (SaaS), driven by business selection. The business will likely still seek IT support for SaaS, necessitating its inclusion under a unified governance umbrella.

Beyond the business inclination for shadow file-sharing, SaaS should be considered an alternative delivery method for revenue generation for non-core applications. Typical applications like email, service desk, CRM, and payroll have SaaS options.

Over five years, licensing for SaaS applications might be more expensive. The total cost of ownership depends on other factors, such as server costs, hosting fees, and operational salaries.

Deal with Legacy Applications

While most new applications are deployed in the cloud and purpose-built to operate there, many businesses still rely on legacy software or applications. There is software available that allows you to deploy existing COBOL applications to new platforms, including IaaS. Migrating applications from physical or virtual servers to the cloud can also be automated. Automating these migrations is crucial for testing the approach and minimising downtime and data loss during cutover while keeping the cost of migration at an acceptable level relative to the benefits gained.

Govern the Overall Strategy

Without proper governance, a strategy risks becoming nothing more than ink on dead trees in plastic binders. The cloud is not just a technology; it's an operating model.

Consider the following for effective governance of the overall strategy:

• Have you adjusted your provisioning and management processes for a hybrid approach?
• Do operations have a way to understand the configurations of workloads, including ownership, location, and update procedures?
• From a policy perspective, security teams should be involved in understanding what the cloud vendor is responsible for and what policy controls should be managed internally, both for risk and compliance purposes. At a minimum, identity and access controls will need to be enforced by the organisation. Centralising all cloud access can simplify the overall strategy.
• Consider the challenge of cloud vendor lock-in when selecting a vendor. Can you access your data if the relationship sours or a better offering emerges?