We now live in a world where cloud usage is the norm. No wonder: Globally, companies report it reduces downtime by 55 – 60% , and makes IT operations and management easier, while improving productivity as much as 38%.

Given that cloud is no longer novel, but table stakes, you might imagine cloud migration to be an old topic. Although the vast majority of companies (89%) have adopted cloud to some extent, less than half of all organisations are cloud-native or fully cloud-enabled. Only 60% of corporate data is stored in the cloud today, and less than 30% of corporate processes reside aloft.

From our partners, we know that nearly 60% of companies are seeking to optimize their cloud use, while migrating more workloads to the cloud. We have also seen an increase in companies moving from on-premises software to SaaS.

For companies moving into Phase II of their cloud migration, and for the stragglers seeking to catch up, Vicky Bagwalla and David Frankland, Cloud Managed Networks’ two founding partners, address a couple of questions often asked by corporate leaders at this stage of the journey.

Ensuring that Your – Ongoing –  Digital Transformation Goes Smoothly and is Effective

According to our co-founder and Managing Partner, Vicky Bagwalla, planning is paramount.

“Data and processes can all be moved to the cloud, yet it is critical to take a measured, disciplined approach. Without that, you put the business at risk.

As part of your planning, you need to consider i) How you do business, ii) Who has access to what, from where, and iii) What about your business will/should change moving forward.

You need to be as detailed and clear as you can regarding your business requirements today, and your growth plans for the next 3 to 5 years. Only then will you be in a position to assess what to migrate, when and how.”

Part of that planning will include determining your cloud configuration and whether a public, private or hybrid cloud solution makes the most sense. In the early days, companies would often use two, three or more different clouds, but there has been a movement to consolidate usage over the past 12 months. This makes it even more important to make the right choice.

Over 80% of the cloud market is controlled by eight major cloud infrastructure providers, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud providing two-thirds of corporate cloud services. These three giants also control 71% of the public cloud market.

That being said, there are many private cloud providers out there, making it difficult for some organisations to determine their best configuration options.

What to Look for When Choosing a Cloud Provider

“Take the time to select the right partner” says Bagwalla, “and make sure you consider the following:

• Number of years in business. You do not want the cheapest cloud provider, but the most-established one(s).

• Does the company have a product roadmap for its solution – and is it likely to grow with you?

• Does your company, or your insurance provider, have requirements related to geographic locations for safe passage and harbouring of data? If so, does the provider meet your needs in this area?Does the company have multiple backups, in different geographic locations?

• Will the company share its disaster prevention planning, recovery and remediation, and restoration protocols with you? If not, steer clear.

• What are its SLAs – and do they work for the way you run your business?

• The company’s financial health. Just because the market leaders are mega-corporations, does not mean they aren’t vulnerable. Recently, after weeks of intense due diligence, we engaged a major player in the headless commerce space on behalf of an international retailer. Less than one year later, the company announced it was closing shop – and that we only had seven months to find a new provider and migrate everything to the new platform.”

What to Look for When Choosing a Cloud Consultant

Feel like you need expert help in determining your cloud needs and selecting the right provider? You’re not alone. According to Flexera’s 2022 State of Cloud Report, “41% of IT decision-makers need support from cloud vendors for security expertise, and 40% need help managing their cloud better.”

“One of the things that sets Cloud Managed Networks apart,” says Bagwalla, “is that we fully support our clients. We do everything from beginning to end, and that is what you need from your cloud consultant/partner.”

In terms of the specifics, Bagwalla says you should engage a firm that…

• Starts its process by getting input from all key stakeholders and mapping out a digital transformation plan that will support the business today, and effectively meet its long-term business goals, too.

• Understands the importance of considering how your business works with internal and external stakeholders, and the needs of the various people/departments involved.

• Has someone technical on staff who can assess what systems you are plugging into and determine what interfaces will be needed (ERP, warehouse management, etc.), what applications you use (proprietary, off-the-shelf and SaaS subscriptions), and map out a plan that takes into account both technical and business perspectives.

• Has IT network specialists on staff who can verify that the network and infrastructure will support the growth and migration – and determine if anything needs to be upgraded. That being said, you should ascertain that the specialists have no vested interest in simply selling you equipment, licenses or other services you do not need.

• Has an application or software architect/developer on staff who can ensure the migration happens as planned, and that all systems continue to work throughout the process.

• Has an experienced implementation team on staff, or works with one in a formal capacity.

• Includes helping you to determine network and security-related policies and protocols as part of the process. In some instances, companies are grappling with the additional challenge of individual departments downloading applications without informing their IT departments, and creating problems on the backend. It can be helpful to have a firm with experience in resolving the types of conflicts that ensue.

• Has a plan for, and experience with, mapping out adoption issues – something that can be a big challenge. It is important your consultant understands that having stakeholders help author the solution, will make them more likely to help get everyone on board for the implementation.

• States that an important part of the process is to verify that what is scoped out in terms of software, hardware and infrastructure at the beginning, actually happens. A good provider will talk about doing this performance analysis as a final step at each stage.

“In short,” says Bagwalla, “having the consultants/planners, implementation and integration experts on the same team makes things go smoother, because there is no finger-pointing, or going back and forth. Not only will that save you time, but it can save significant amounts of money.”

Are Your Consultants Up to Speed, Themselves?

Senior executives are usually experienced in assessing candidate companies’ capabilities, but according to a TQG survey conducted in early 2023, 77% of firms of senior level employees are uncertain about how to gauge how current are their IT consultants’ capabilities and understanding of IT trends and product developments. In other words, how do you separate the sales-speak from substance?

“Staying on top of everything can be a full-time job, and most senior executives have other responsibilities, so this becomes an important consideration,” says David Frankland, company co-founder and Managing Partner.

Here are some things to look for when you do your due diligence:

• Ask about their certifications, who has them, and what investment is made in their employees’ ongoing training.

• How often do they go to top-tier IT-related conferences and tradeshows, and who attends? It is not enough that they go as exhibitors, but you want to work with people who attend important conferences to stay current with industry knowledge and product launches.

• How closely do they work with their manufacturer partners? “We have strong, deep relationships with companies such as Cisco, and work with them to understand how new technologies are being developed and to provide feedback about client needs. It’s important you find a provider with such types of relationships.”

• What is their approach to adopting new technology? According to Frankland, “We stay on top of trends, evolving product features and benefits, as well as consumer needs. When everything aligns, we then work to develop partnerships with the right players – never adopting software or hardware that will not benefit our clients. In that instance, our next step is to involve our business strategy, marketing and sales teams to determine the best way to incorporate the new solution.” You want to work with the company that has a solid solution adoption plan in place, and, to quote an oft-used phrase, “will adopt leading-edge technology, but avoids the bleeding edge.”

As stated at the outset, cloud usage is now the norm because improves productivity and uptime while, ultimately, reducing costs. Indeed, we live in a multi-cloud world, but… you need to have the right processes and migration plan in place to fully leverage all the benefits offered by cloud and SaaS solutions.

For an assessment on your cloud situation, or for more information, please reach out to us.