TECHNOLOGY Building a Cloud roadmap: How to get started

By Gary Lo

BUILDING A CLOUD BUILDING A CLOUD ROADMAP: ROADMAP:

HOW TO GET STARTED HOW TO GET STARTED

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are adopting cloud technology to transform the way they do business. According to predictions from Gartner, global spending on public cloud services is expected to reach $397 billion US in 2022. That’s up 47 per cent from just two years prior. But what is the cloud exactly? And how can moving your IT systems and applications to the cloud benefit your business? At its most basic level, the cloud is simply a model of using the internet to set up servers, networks, storage and apps. It’s the technology that allows you to access files or software both at the office and when you’re out on the road. If you’ve ever used storage services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Apple iCloud, or SaaS-based apps like Salesforce, Slack or QuickBooks Online, you’ve used the cloud. Rather than store information on your computer, the cloud stores it online − making it accessible from any device. For many, moving to the cloud became a necessity to enable remote work during the pandemic. The cloud also supports technological innovation and helps companies stay competitive within their industry. As the business landscape continues to be shaped by the rise of remote work, increased security risks and the pressure to innovate, more and more businesses will be making this choice. Although moving to the cloud is becoming the norm, developing a cloud roadmap can be complex – especially for organizations that have on-premise infrastructure or legacy technology. The following is key information you need to know to successfully leverage the cloud.

WHY SHOULD YOUR BUSINESS MIGRATE TO THE CLOUD?

Businesses of all sizes are always looking for better ways to serve customers and improve efficiency. While moving your IT services to the cloud may sound like a headache, there are many benefits that make it worth your while. These include:

• More flexibility: Cloud services are flexible. You typically only pay for what you need, and it’s easy to scale up and down services. • Accessible: With cloud services, you can access data, applications and files across different devices.

This is ideal for businesses where a large portion of your workforce is not office-based. • Lower cost: Because of their flexible nature, cloud services often cost your business less. You may also save money by avoiding managing and replacing physical infrastructure, which can be a costly capital expense. • Enhanced security: Cloud services come with enhanced security measures. It’s easy for cloud services to be updated, meaning they can be quickly protected from new security threats. • Less risk: Cloud services often have disaster recovery and backups built into the system, meaning you run less risk of having all your data wiped or lost.

Set your goals 1 3 Plan your migration

Migrating to the cloud isn’t just an IT project − this is a change that will impact how all areas of your business work. It’s important to start by understanding your goals, and how they align with broader business and strategic plans. This stage may involve a period of research, forecasting and establishing key benchmarks. It becomes easier for everyone − from execs to technicians − to get on board with making the change if you can show what benefits this project will have for the business. Understanding and clearly communicating your goals should be the foundation of your cloud roadmap.

2

Inventory your IT environment

Before you can decide which workflows will be migrated to the cloud, thoroughly review the systems and workflows you’re currently using. Cataloguing all the systems you’re currently using will help you to decide what cloud solution may work best for you. As you’re creating your inventory, remember to pay special attention to any software or application that is performing poorly or using a lot of resources. It may be that as you migrate to the cloud, there are some older applications that you decide to retire in favour of a new solution.

THE LINGO

Once you have clarity about your current IT landscape, it’s time to plan your migration. This stage may include: • Evaluating different cloud service providers. • Determining your ideal cloud service model (public, private, hybrid). • Plotting out your timelines, milestones, KPIs, etc. • Choosing the right migration strategy. When it comes to migration, there are six common strategies: rehosting, replatforming, repurchasing, refactoring, retiring and retaining. Often, these are used in combination. If you’re unsure about which methods to choose, it’s a good idea to get help from a cloud consulting and engineering company. All roadmaps are different and you want your migration to match your needs.

4

Execute the plan

This is the stage where you’ll put your plan into action. This will probably occur in phases over a longer period of time. It’s unlikely you’ll move your whole IT infrastructure to the cloud in one swoop. As you’re migrating to the cloud, it’s important to carefully consider and manage any disruption during the transition. Again, this is where a cloud technology partner can add value or expand your IT capacity.

There are lots of terms you’ll see used when investigating cloud technologies. Here are some of the key ones that you’ll want to be familiar with:

• Public cloud: The public cloud is cloud computing services that are offered by third-party companies. Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services are common examples.

• Private cloud: Private clouds mean setting up computing services and infrastructure that are used only by your business. This is in comparison to the public cloud, where many other organizations are also able to access the same resources.

5

Optimize and maintain

Once you’ve migrated to the cloud, it’s time to manage it. This will generally involve you or your cloud partner configuring, monitoring and maintaining your new cloud environment. You can also begin to optimize your services, making sure that you’re maximizing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the cloud. You’ll want to put a plan in place to keep up with rapidly changing cloud technology and opportunities.

• Hybrid cloud: As the name implies, hybrid cloud is a solution that is made up of the components you need. This may include both public and private cloud, as well as existing noncloud IT systems.

Gary Lo is vice president, product management and marketing with Watserv, a Toronto, ON-based IT solutions provider. Lo can be reached at Gary.Lo@watserv.com.