When businesses adopt the cloud, they benefit from improved security, agility, and innovation. But perceptions around the risk of migrating cause a delay in cloud adoption. Sarb Rai from OpenText proves how the cloud can unlock the agility and innovation that lies within your business.
More than ever before, cloud solutions are being proven to be faster, more reliable, scalable, and cost-effective compared to existing on-premises solutions. Businesses are rapidly proving out the advantages of cloud and making the business case for deploying in the cloud. However, the case to migrate existing on-premises solutions to the cloud can use some additional clarity.
With limited resources and time, many businesses are hesitant to migrate from their data center to the cloud. This hesitation is usually rooted in concerns over perceived cost and risk. Knowing the facts about what opportunities are available is essential to make an acquainted decision.
The COVID-19 pandemic and shift to hybrid work models did accelerate cloud migration. They caused many organizations to recognize that a pivot to the cloud allowed for more skill, responsiveness, innovation, efficiency, and more. But false narratives about the move from on-premises to the cloud linger.
There are five common perceptions and realities surrounding cloud migration:
Perception: Data Is Safer On-Premises Than in the CloudÂ
Reality:Â Data security is essential for businesses, and anyone who handles data security knows it is a resource-intensive activity requiring specific expertise and tools.
When deploying applications on-premises and in the cloud, businesses must prioritize security, compliance, and privacy.
When you choose a cloud provider, it is necessary to choose a provider that you can incorporate as an extension of your security team. Your cloud provider manages security and privacy 24/7, guaranteeing industry standards and data privacy obligations are satisfied and keeping your data as secure as it would be on-premises.Â
Perception: Cloud Means Loss of ControlÂ
Reality: Cloud providers do not want businesses to lose control of their applications and data. By migrating to the cloud, businesses have even more control of their applications and data. It is important to view the cloud partner as hosting and storing applications and data.Â
Additionally, businesses must also understand different cloud deployment models: private vs. public vs. hybrid. To have a successful partnership with a cloud provider, businesses must recognize organizational needs. A few questions to consider include:
- What, to whom, and where does information need to be available?Â
- How secure should access and information be?Â
- Which workloads should be prioritized for the cloud?
- Does information need to be in real-time?Â
- How will IT be impacted?Â
- Do we have the resources and skills to support this?
Perception: On-Premises Is Cheaper Than Cloud Â
Reality:Â Many hidden costs make on-premises solutions more expensive. For example:Â allocating shared infrastructure components, maintenance, upgrades, update cycles, security, privacy, overhead, and performance optimization. Businesses should consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) of on-premises solutions compared to cloud migration. Many cloud providers include these responsibilities in a monthly operating budget so businesses can adjust resourcing and have predictable expenses.Â
Perception: The IT Team Is Not Cloud-Ready
Reality:Â Rather than burdening your IT organization with a new skill set, migrating to the cloud allows IT teams to focus on the core competencies for their businesses. The cloud partner’s job is to support the migration, filling in businesses’ cloud skills gap. The cloud partner exists to provide the latest training and specialized skills that your business may lack. This usually includes assessing, planning, executing the cloud migration, onboarding, and ensuring the implementation and go-live are seamless. Some key strategies to bridge the gap in skills needed to migrate to the cloud include training existing IT staff, hiring talent, and partnering with a managed services provider.
Perception: Cloud Migration Is One Size Fits AllÂ
Reality:Â Cloud providers can work with organizations to identify and create the best plan to fit unique needs, creating flexible paths to successful cloud migration.Â
Examples of flexible options to migrate information management (IM) solutions to the cloud include:
- Upgrade:Â Organizations that are not ready or unable to completely migrate to the cloud can remain on-premises but upgrade to a cloud-native release. This prepares them to standardize and potentially remove complex customizations in preparations for future cloud migration. This option allows for faster updates and is an easier and more cost-effective solution.
- Improve:Â There is flexibility for businesses to move to the cloud at their own pace without upgrading. This includes leveraging cloud benefits such as a single service level agreement (SLA), streamlined processes, and enhanced accountability while staying on their current software version.
- Modernize: Cloud partners will fully upgrade your applications and data to move to the cloud. Businesses will be able to maximize the benefits of the cloud by using the latest version.
Businesses who move to the cloud will realize their improved security and privacy and will still control their data while lowering TCO. They will be in a stronger market position, enabling them to deliver innovation, be market leaders and quickly adapt to changes.
Did you find this article helpful? Tell us what you think on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d be thrilled to hear from you.