While some companies are born, standard, with a estrategia «cloud first»other companies, especially those that have some time and are immersed in a process of digital transformation, are trying to become them. It is an increasingly popular approach in all types of sectors for companies, since we increasingly move towards an environment in which We are used to accessing the data anywhereand in which AI and analytics allow companies to get valuable information for decision making no matter where they want to consult it.
But to become a company “Cloud First” it is necessary to develop a careful strategy to move towards the objective, and plan it step by step. You also have to have many other factors into account, and keep in mind that all areas of a company, and its workers, will need support and time to achieve the goal.
Becoming a company “Cloud First” also implies a change in culture and processes, as well as the way of working. No one should make a migration to the cloud and wait for things to continue in the same way.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that The change to the cloud must be iterativesince what works in a first phase may not work for the second. And so, successively. To avoid problems, it is essential to keep a detailed record of the entire process that takes from the first planning steps to the last execution and deployment.
In this way, if there is any problem in any phase of the process, it can be consulted not only at what point the failure has occurred, but also to have more facilities in case it had to be back and even start over the process.
System, mentality and processes change
Pasar a ser «cloud first» It implies assuming that the technology services used in their departments will come through the cloud by default, leaving behind the tools installed at home. For companies that already have a time this implies, generally, to pass services to the cloud as the end of their useful vita is approaching. For more new ones, it can lead to its growth phase and cloud scaling, completely leaving a traditional infrastructure behind.
Having the cloud as a priority objective also means that it will be necessary to design the systems, applications and processes to be native cloud. Therefore, in this phase, it will be necessary to focus on its scalability, resilience and adaptability. IT teams that take care of the cloud, therefore, will have to rethink their traditional IT and engineering schemes, and in many cases adopt a culture that uses the Devops methodology to advance.
The “Cloud First” companies are also adopting, as they grow and evolve, the technologies that can offer them possibilities to streamline and optimize processes. Such as AI, Machine Learning or real -time analytics. In this way, they also have more data and information about the company, and can make decisions with a higher level of information.
In view of all this, a “Cloud First” strategy needs a clear road map, that workloads are prioritized and emphasized the safety and compliance with regulations to protect the assets of the company.
Those who develop it need to understand various key metrics to determine not only the strategy in general, but the iterative milestones to develop the passage to the cloud and what objectives do they want. It is also important that they hug continuous learning and get used to giving and receiving information about the process and everything that surrounds it regularly. Of course, the innovation that implies the adoption of a “Cloud First” scheme must be centered on the client.
The transition period needs a prior exhaustive assessment of existing systems to know what dimension the cloud infrastructure to be used has to have. Also to identify areas in which cloud solutions can offer more agility, scalability and efficiency in terms of costs.
Do not forget the need to Plan a migration to the cloud in phases of the workload, data and applications. Everything while establishing optimization and performance monitoring processes. It is also advisable to change the way of working of the teams to make it more collaborative and flexible.
Problems when adopting a “Cloud First” system
Changing ancient habits can be complicated when passing to the cloud. It is one of the main problems of the step to the “Cloud First” philosophy in the company. Especially in teams that are not familiar enough with Cloud technologies. The problem can be solved with adequate training for the passage to the cloud not to be so complex For them. It is also necessary to manage costs effectively, and avoid repeating patterns of excessive resources consumption that can lead to exorbitant expenses in the cloud.
Before migrating it is also necessary to check the strength of safety, to prevent the data from being unprotected both during migration and once they are in the cloud. Thus not only avoids losing them, but also unwanted service interruptions. Of course, you also have to take care of security after migration, using encryption tools, access controls, multifactor authentication and continuous monitoring of the services and systems used.
Another of the failures is not to involve enough to all the parts that have to use the cloud later, and not inform them of the steps that are going to be taken or what will happen after the change to the cloud. Uncertainty can be an important barrier, and not only cause delays, but also failures in processes or loss of data due to ignorance of how the adopted cloud systems work.
To avoid this, it is necessary to inform the detail of the whole process, and of course its deadlines. Not only before it starts, but also when it is being done and once finished. And of course, as we have mentioned, properly form the entire template. It doesn’t matter if something accessory, expensive, or complicated looks like. In the medium and long term, it is beneficial for both the economy of the company and for the morals and trust of employees.
At the technical level, it is necessary to take into account that the systems present in companies, which sometimes have some age, may present incompatibilities with cloud platforms. Therefore, they may have to replace them with more current ones. Either completely or partly, which can lead to an increase in the budget that makes expectations exceed.
Hence the need to make a good previous assessment of the State and capabilities of the available equipment. That will allow budgeting the necessary amount for replacement if needed from the outset, and redistribute whether the migration stages were necessary to adjust to the available budget.
Flexibility, in these cases, is key to achieving success. So much or more than selecting an adequate cloud provider before taking the step and implying the entire company in change to a “cloud first” philosophy. Because the step will not be successful if only a few people or departments are involved.
