Are you ready to accelerate your cloud migration and data modernization?
Migrating and modernizing to the cloud isn’t a sprint. It’s a journey that takes time. And there isn’t a single cloud adoption path that works for everyone.
However, infrastructure and application modernization does not have be daunting. Working with a trusted partner can also help you on your path to turn your vision into impact.
Use the Azure Cloud Adoption Framework
The Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure is a detailed set of proven guidance designed to help you create and implement the business and technology strategies necessary for your organization to succeed in the cloud. It provides best practices, documentation, and tools that cloud architects, IT professionals, and business decision makers need to successfully achieve their short and long-term objectives.
Understand that not every application can or should follow the same path to the cloud.
The best approach to modernization involves evaluating your portfolio to understand the best way forward based on specific business and IT needs. The reality is that most organizations will need to use a combination of strategies to move into the cloud. These can range from rehosting (also known as lift-and-shift) existing apps straight to the cloud to rebuilding apps so that they work better in the cloud. In some cases, apps might need to be replaced entirely.
Approach cloud modernization in manageable chunks.
There’s no need to migrate or modernize everything at once. In fact, a thoughtful phased approach is often best. Take your time. For instance, you can start small. Start with your own IT or development teams, who are more tolerant of a minimum viable product. After you’ve achieved success, you can roll those changes out to the larger organization.
Top 10 cloud migration considerations
1) Cloud migration is an opportunity to reduce technical debt; sometimes it may seem cheaper to lift-and-shift an application but there may be ramifications long-term.
2) Developing a business case for cloud migration and then revisiting it later on is vital to ongoing success.
3) Organizational change management is a critical element of your cloud migration strategy
4) Approval processes must fit the pace of cloud innovation; traditional project management approval cycles may slow the pace of your migration.
5) Don’t forget about data migration. After all, you can’t move apps without moving data.
6) Highly-complex apps may require an initial lift-and- shift; a portfolio exercise can help determine when this is the case.
7) Cloud-smart has replaced cloud-first. Not everything belongs in the public cloud, at least initially.
8) Workload portability requires a balance of cloud native and cloud agnostic.
9) Incremental wins sustain stakeholder commitment.Don’t be afraid to take it slow.
10) Cloud cost optimization toolsets can help track costs and lead to better rightsizing of solutions.
