Table of contents
Just ten years ago, Polish IT managers did not believe in the cloud[i]. One in three cloud migrations ended in failure, and only one-quarter of companies managed to meet their migration deadlines. Moreover, 90% of CIOs experienced failed or disrupted cloud data migration projects. A decade later, according to the report “Cloud Computing Market in Poland 2021. Market analysis and development forecasts for 2021-2026,” published by PMR in December 2021[ii], the value of the cloud computing market in Poland was growing at an annual rate of approximately 30%. Forecasts assumed that in 2022 the value of this market would exceed 1.1 billion USD, and by 2027 it would grow by over 76% to 2.4 billion USD[iii]. Such a change should come as no surprise. The benefits are undeniable – companies gain flexibility and scalability for their IT solutions, their operating costs decrease, and new technologies become more accessible. The number of cloud service providers is also growing, and the services themselves are becoming more diverse and better tailored to user needs year by year. After IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service), containerization, managed services, and Edge Computing emerged. Many companies chose hybrid cloud as their migration strategy, which allowed them to leverage the advantages of the public cloud with its high flexibility and scalability, as well as the private cloud. This eliminated concerns and reservations regarding the loss of control over data and applications. At the same time, the development of cloud infrastructure, along with increased performance and security, has led companies to move even their most demanding systems to the cloud without hesitation. Providers have invested in cybersecurity and ensuring compliance with regulations and legal requirements, and user awareness regarding data security and privacy has also changed. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have also left their mark, becoming management tools that enable companies to utilize their massive potential without the need to build their own infrastructure. The pandemic also played a role – companies forced into remote work needed a flexible and highly available IT environment. This was a strong stimulus for utilizing the benefits of the cloud. Migrating to the cloud is a business-attractive solution, but as is usually the case, the road to success can be very bumpy. Before starting a Cloud Computing implementation in a company, it is worth dedicating a lot of time and attention to preparation. In short, this should include:
- analysis of business needs and implementation goals,
- audit of existing IT infrastructure, identification of resources for modernization, updates, and those ready for migration,
- selection of the type of public, private, or hybrid cloud services, and consequently, the choice of technology provider,
- development of a detailed migration plan divided into stages and tasks, taking into account potential problems and risks.
- selection of tools and technologies that will ensure the security of data and applications in the cloud,
- training employees so they become conscious and effective users of Cloud Computing technology, for their own benefit and that of the company,
- development of a system for monitoring and optimizing cloud services to maximize the benefits of their use.
Identifying company needs and assessing IT infrastructure
This is a key stage for the success of a cloud migration. Conversations with various departments and organizational units of the company prove very helpful in understanding their needs. The vision of one team does not necessarily have to match the entire organization. It is worth considering to what extent increasing performance, mobility, data protection, or flexibility and scaling of workloads is necessary. Having at least tentatively outlined goals, it is worth summarizing the existing IT infrastructure, not just hardware and software – but also human resources, their experience, knowledge, and qualifications useful from the perspective of implementation. In further planning, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the infrastructure and all its existing limitations will be helpful, especially those that can be removed during the migration to the cloud. The implementation plan must be built on hard facts – numbers from cost and potential benefit analyses have the greatest persuasive power. It is therefore worth analyzing various scenarios and implementation variants in detail and estimating the savings that can be achieved in relation to traditional IT infrastructure. The next step is important because mistakes made at this stage can have very far-reaching and sometimes painful consequences. This involves identifying the applications and data to be moved to the cloud. The most important thing is to examine all technical limitations, version compatibility, and systems that could disrupt the process of moving data and programs. Data formats, database versions, tools – some of them can probably be moved without any problem, but there may be applications that will require, for example, version updates before migration or the installation of additional software that requires licenses and fees. Inventorying resources in this regard must be very meticulous and comprehensive.
Planning the cloud migration strategy and change management
Planning a cloud migration strategy and skillfully managing change is a complex and comprehensive task in itself. First, based on the assessment of existing resources and IT infrastructure, an appropriate cloud model must be selected. Since many Cloud Computing variants are available, making a decision is not simple due to the large number of factors influencing the final shape of the proposed solution. You can, of course, use available public clouds such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, or Google Cloud Platform. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps a multicloud environment, where we use several public clouds, would be more optimal? But what about the situation where some key business applications require a more controlled environment? Perhaps it would be better to opt for a hybrid solution and a decentralized cloud? And if we have enough resources, would it be better to build our own private cloud? That might be a good solution, but do we have enough people to maintain the entire environment in proper working order? Dilemmas and doubts can be multiplied. The migration plan itself must be detailed enough so that there is no doubt about who, what, and when to do it. It is necessary to define a schedule of work, required human and technical resources, and indicate all risks at each stage. It is also worth analyzing what disruptions and effects the Cloud Computing implementation process itself will bring to the company’s operational activities. Minimizing the negative impact of migration on daily work requires intensive training for all personnel – not just the implementation team, but every person whose work will change after the cloud services are launched. Familiarizing employees with new tools and available features and pointing out the benefits that will directly affect them is very motivating. Consequently, this facilitates the migration process and limits the resistance typical in such situations. You have to be aware that migrating to the cloud and implementing a Cloud Computing strategy means modifying not only technology but also changing organizational culture. Consequently, issues related to change management, internal communication, and motivating all stakeholders must be at the center of the implementation plan. Constant monitoring of implementation progress and identification of threats gives time to take actions to neutralize resistance and obstruction by some individuals, and if necessary, to modify the entire implementation plan. A well-planned and functioning monitoring system is also useful after the implementation is completed, when it is time to optimize cloud operations and assess its performance and business efficiency. Only then can it be said that everything possible has been done to ensure the organization receives maximum benefits from Cloud Computing.
Choosing the right cloud service provider
Choosing a cloud service provider is not simple – it requires time and a lot of effort. The content of the list of requirements for potential providers depends primarily on the goals of the migration and the resources available. Analyses conducted at this stage include examining the offered functionality, scalability, and performance, compliance with GDPR, or ISO 27001. Cybersecurity policy, certificates, and credentials in this area, as well as procedures in case of a security incident, are also verified. It is worth checking what SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) software the provider has, how they react to failures, how the backup system works, and what the estimated time for restoring service availability after a failure or – knock on wood – after a cyberattack is. Other criteria are quite typical: the provider’s experience and credibility, time on the market, number and type of clients, references, etc., all count. It is not irrelevant to check the location of data centers if this criterion is important. Finally, there is the assessment of expected costs – the attractiveness of proposed pricing models and additional software licensing is verified, detailed terms and costs of SLA (Service Level Agreement) contracts are compared, not just base costs, but all additional costs, billing rules, and expected service levels. The contract should be clear, transparent, and above all, understandable.
Cost analysis
When dedicating time to a detailed analysis of the costs of implementing cloud computing technology, one must not forget several key parameters that significantly influence the decisions made:
- Comparison of the costs of owning and maintaining your own IT infrastructure with the costs of using cloud services. You must include the costs of hardware, software licensing and updates, SLA contracts, maintenance, power, cooling, physical space, and necessary IT staff training.
- Estimation and comparison of direct cloud usage costs depending on the model. Providers use monthly fees, resource consumption fees, or scaling fees, which generally makes it difficult to make reliable comparisons of the actual TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). It is necessary to build several scenarios for cloud service demand and analyze how this translates into costs.
- Calculation of costs associated with migrating to the cloud, including the costs of data transfer, application conversion, infrastructure adjustment, and staff training.
On the other side, there are, of course, the expected benefits related to reducing infrastructure maintenance costs, cost flexibility in response to current needs, or eliminating the need for constant investment in hardware and software. Also significant are lower costs for management, technical support, integration, monitoring, and maintaining the cybersecurity system. Finally, it remains to check after how long of using Cloud Computing one can expect a return on investment in cloud technologies and what long-term financial benefits can be achieved. [i] https://www.computerworld.pl/news/Polscy-szefowie-IT-nie-wierza-w-chmure,378754.html [ii] https://polandweekly.com/2022/05/05/cloud-computing-market-in-poland%EF%BF%BC/ [iii] https://www.statista.com/forecasts/963835/cloud-services-revenue-in-poland
