By Milind Govekar
Many organizations miss out on the full benefits of cloud computing due to a lack of a clear, effective cloud strategy. Whether it’s because they have no strategy in place or mistakenly believe they do, the absence of a well-defined plan can hinder their cloud adoption efforts. A robust cloud strategy is essential; it should articulate a concise point of view on how cloud computing fits within the organization. Below are the top mistakes to avoid, ensuring that an organization’s cloud strategy establishes a strong foundation for success.
Combining or Confusing a Cloud Strategy with a Cloud Implementation Plan
One of the most common mistakes organizations make is confusing a cloud strategy with a cloud implementation plan. It is crucial to keep these documents separate. The cloud strategy sets the foundation and direction for the adoption plan, outlining the role of cloud computing within an organization. In contrast, the implementation plan details the steps and actions needed to achieve the strategy. It’s important to remember that a well-defined cloud strategy must come first to guide an effective implementation.
Not Having an Exit Strategy
An exit strategy is essential, even if enterprises hope never to use it. It is like a disaster recovery plan—crucial for IT resiliency and business continuity. An exit strategy outlines how to migrate away from a specific cloud service provider, addressing risks associated with vendor lock-in and minimizing them.
Devising an exit strategy is challenging and requires analyzing critical components such as data ownership, data structure, portability of code and skills, so organizations need to make these considerations a crucial part of their exit strategy. An enterprise must ensure everyone is aligned on the exit strategy and its timeframes, as it will impact how cloud adoption is approached. Many believe they don’t need an exit strategy because they don’t expect to revert from the cloud. However, having one is vital to the overall success of an enterprise’s cloud strategy.
Assuming You Get All Potential Benefits When You Move to the Cloud
None of the potential benefits of cloud computing, such as cost savings or agility, are guaranteed. It’s a common mistake to assume these advantages will automatically materialize. Prioritization is critical to aligning a cloud strategy with desired business outcomes. Enterprises can use bimodal IT bucketing to prioritize benefits effectively. This approach is valuable both at a high level and when analyzing individual workloads, ensuring that a cloud strategy is focused and impactful.
Expecting Multicloud to Save Money or Improve Disaster Recovery
The hype around multicloud computing has led to unrealistic expectations among CTOs and IT leaders. Multicloud can be confusing, as its definition is not always clear. To develop a realistic cloud strategy, IT leaders must consider the following steps:
- Determine Multicloud Usage: Examine whether your organization is using more than one cloud provider for the same general purpose.
- Shift Focus Beyond Core Benefits: Move from tactics like sourcing and procurement to acceptance, management, and governance, and potentially to using a multicloud architecture.
- Reframe Expectations: Evaluate portability claims realistically, acknowledging that full-functioned abstracted portability platforms may not be available by 2027.
- Clarify Definitions: Agree on the definitions of “multicloud computing” and “cloud-native computing” to ensure consistent understanding and usage.
The buzz around multicloud often drives adoption, as providers use this term to justify their offerings even when another cloud service is already in place. By setting realistic expectations and clearly defining terms, organizations can better navigate the complexities of multicloud computing.
Equating a Cloud Strategy with “We’re Moving Everything to the Cloud”
Organizations must never equate having a cloud strategy with “We’re moving everything to the cloud.” This misconception deters many business and IT leaders from devising a strategy, fearing they’ll be forced to migrate all applications. In reality, a cloud strategy is an application-by-application effort. Some applications will benefit from moving to the cloud, while others may be negatively impacted due to cost, latency, or other factors. It’s almost never an all-or-nothing approach. Additionally, organizations should keep an open mind and partner with a non-cloud technology expert, such as an enterprise architect, who can bring a broad viewpoint in the definition of their cloud strategy.
Being Too Broad in Scope — Doing Too Much in Cloud Strategy
Cloud computing doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and neither should an organization’s cloud strategy. Business leaders must ensure that a cloud strategy aligns with their existing strategies, such as those for security, data center, edge computing, and development and architecture. Avoid reinventing or contradicting these strategies. Effective communication and negotiation with other groups are essential to creating a cohesive and successful cloud strategy.
Gartner analysts are discussing more topics related to cloud strategy and IT at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo conference, taking place now through November 13 in Kochi, India.
(The author is Milind Govekar, Distinguished VP Analyst, Chief of Research at Gartner, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
