Driving Business Impact Through Cloud Migration

Companies want to outpace their competitors, stay profitable, and grow. There are usually two ways of doing this, increase revenues and reduce cost. A properly deployed cloud strategy can help companies succeed with both. In our experience, the initial approach to the cloud usually focuses on cost efficiency, either in terms of infrastructure or people required to keep the lights on. Lift-and-shift is often the preferred path, combined with data storage and disaster recovery implementations. We call this the "first wave" of cloud migration.
 
Although lift-and-shift, data storage, and disaster recovery implementations are valuable workloads, the real competitive advantage comes from making use of the cloud to drive innovation. Cost reduction is limited by nature, and it doesn't have the disruptive power to be a game changer from a business standpoint. However, deploying a digital-first approach in your company in a nimble way is. Public clouds are critical to launch new products and to explore new business opportunities with the speed that customers expect, at scale. This is the "next wave" approach to cloud migration.
 
Companies that understand the "next wave" are building digital experiences on constantly evolving platforms. They are leveraging capabilities like data analytics and machine learning to address pain-points and business opportunities. They are focusing their talents on their core business, and they are relying on companies like Google for workstreams related to infrastructure, middleware and software platforms. Companies are ultimately pursuing business impact, fueled by technology.
 
But there’s a catch. According to Nextgov¹, one out of two cloud migrations fail because planning and executing a wide-ranging, strategic move to cloud is a massive challenge for many organizations. And those challenges often aren’t a function of new technologies, but rather a result of old thinking. It's not just about technology. It's also about process and, most importantly, people. Entrenched mindsets, lack of the proper skill sets, and staff resistance delay cloud adoption, drive up costs and postpone innovation by months or years.
 
The more comprehensive and strategic the migration—the more challenging it is. That’s why CI&T and Google Cloud Platform have written a whitepaper to help leaders explore the scope, limits, and implications of the “next wave” cloud migration.
 
In this paper, you’ll learn more about the cloud and cloud migration, including:
• The benefits of public cloud – including innovation and agility
• Migration challenges and risks, including legacy mindsets, change management, and security
• Building on cloud migration to catalyze new ways of thinking and deliver better business outcomes

You’ll also uncover the foundational shifts organizations need to succeed, and the keys to identifying the right cloud migration partner.

Download the full whitepaper here.

¹ https://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2016/03/report-almost-half-it-migrations-doomed-fail/126574/ 

CI&T