‘If you don't modernise, you lose!’ - this is especially true in times of crisis. And: the message is finally being heard. Many companies have realised that outdated IT systems are a business risk and an obstacle to national and international competition. Most are also coming to the conclusion that switching to the cloud is an important prerequisite for digital transformation. In this blog post, you will learn how companies approach cloud migration and what challenges they face. You will learn about migration strategies, examples and practical tips.
Cloud migration in Germany: the status quo
A recent study by Computerwoche on the topic of cloud migration shows that many companies in Germany are rather hesitant to move to the cloud despite the high pressure to innovate. Only 38 per cent of those surveyed have completed at least one cloud migration project to date, with large corporations well ahead of small and medium-sized enterprises. A quarter are planning corresponding projects for the coming year, while a good fifth are only planning to do so in one to three years' time.
The reasons are primarily of a technical and organisational nature. The most frequently cited technical challenges include IT infrastructure, data protection and compliance as well as data security. At an organisational level, many of those surveyed struggle with the complexity of the topic, long project durations, tight budgets and insufficient management support.
Please fasten your seatbelts, the journey to the cloud starts in 3, 2, 1 ...
Why should companies push ahead with IT modernisation and cloud migration?
There are countless good reasons in favour of modern IT and switching to the cloud. These 5 are among the most common:
- Cost pressure: Operating and maintaining legacy IT costs more and more. Modern IT solutions give companies the freedom to innovate and often also cost advantages.
- Innovation backlog: Static IT concepts slow down innovative business processes, whereas agile IT ensures sufficient flexibility and accelerates digitalisation.
- Complexity: Outdated system landscapes require a lot of effort to maintain. Cloud and DevOps concepts reduce the effort and increase reliability at the same time.
- Security risks: Established IT environments are often opaque. Only advanced cyber security approaches ensure adequate protection for the company.
- Skills shortage: IT specialists for urgently needed modernisation projects are rare. Specialised service providers offer professional support.
Cloud Roadmap: Basics for preparing the journey
Which cloud migration strategy is right for you depends not only on the technical aspects in the focus of this post, but also on your company's overall cloud strategy. To shed some light on the cloud jungle, we have prepared six questions that managers should answer in order to keep an eye on the big picture:
- What business options, opportunities and challenges does cloud technology present for my company?
- What does my current IT infrastructure look like, for example, are there any special requirements regarding IT security and data protection?
- Which of the existing workloads (application, data, processes and resources) are already cloud-ready, and where do adjustments need to be made?
- Which cloud platform and services suit my requirements?
- Which migration concept is the right one, taking into account my initial situation and goals?
- What do my target architecture and the desired operating concept look like?
Now it's time for operations: concepts for cloud migration
Many roads lead to the cloud - that much is certain. Metaphorically speaking, there are easy paths, steep mountain climbs, winding corners and clear highlands. You decide which route you want to take based on your fitness level, your equipment, your luggage and the time you have available. The good news is: they all lead to your destination!
- Lift & Shift: This is probably the fastest way to the cloud. Existing workloads are migrated with minimal adjustments. Although quite simple to set up, Lift & Shift can rarely utilise all the functions of a cloud during operation and therefore cannot exploit its full potential.
- Modernisation: A popular middle ground is the transformation and optimisation of existing solutions for operation in the cloud. We differentiate between ‘replatforming’ and ‘refactoring’. With ‘replatforming’, the core of an application initially remains unchanged. Selected cloud services are used to achieve an immediate gain in operation. In refactoring, applications are comprehensively modernised using agile methods in order to achieve a so-called ‘cloud-native’ end state.
- New development: The ideal scenario for cloud-based working - applications and workloads are redesigned from scratch using agile, cloud-native methods and architecture concepts (container technology, cloud orchestration, microservices, DevOps, CI/CD, serverless computing) in order to utilise the full potential of a cloud. Time-consuming, but worthwhile.
Arrived in the cloud - does everything run by itself now?
Once you have decided on an approach and the migration has been successful, a lot has already been automated: However, the cloud cannot do everything on its own. This is because many cloud providers, especially the large hyperscalers, provide the infrastructure and associated basic services in a simple way. However, you are responsible for the smooth running and security of your own infrastructure environment and the systems, applications, services and data operated on it. Workloads and environments need to be maintained, operated error-free and continuously optimised. The effort pays off, but should definitely be taken into account when planning resources! Many companies relieve their employees of this burden by using managed services from providers such as Claranet.
We recommend the free Cloud Exploration Workshop to all readers who would like to find out in a personal discussion what the best cloud strategy for your company looks like and how you can get started.