Get Your Head In The Clouds

TL;DR:

According to Gartner research by 2025, “over 75% of governments will operate more than half of their workloads using hyper- scale cloud service providers”. The transition of  governments and non profit organizations to  cloud based platforms and tools is in full scale. Smart executives recognize the urgent need to modernize IT infrastructure and applications to ensure greater privacy, security, and scalability and to reduce technical debt and service risks. Those who do not will be left behind at best, and collapse under ineffective, inefficient infrastructure at worst. Which side would you want to be on?

Background

This same article by Gartner included “Cloud-Based Legacy Modernization” as one of the top 10 government technology trends for 2023. What does this mean and why is it important for your company’s entire leadership team to know about this? 

On-premises, or “Legacy”, refers to the traditional approach of hosting IT infrastructure and applications within an organization's physical location, such as a data center or server room. This approach requires organizations to purchase and manage their own hardware, software, and networking infrastructure, as well as maintain and upgrade the systems as needed. 

On the other hand, the “Cloud” refers to the delivery of IT services over the internet, allowing organizations to access a range of computing resources, such as storage, processing power, and software applications, on a pay-as-you-go basis. The three most popular cloud service providers are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

This is the general trend and that it is extremely advantageous for organizations to make this transition. This is especially true for small-to-mid size organizations, where it is not even feasible to make the large capital investment for an entire on-premises IT ecosystem. Here are the top reasons that we see organizations moving to the cloud with cloud providers: 

• Offering modern tools and technologies that are continuously updated and maintained, allowing organizations to stay current with the latest trends and innovations. 

• Promoting scalability, allowing organizations to quickly scale up or down based on their changing needs. 

• Hosting a shared responsibility model for security, reducing the burden on organizations to manage and maintain their own security measures. 

• Being more cost-effective than on-premises systems, as they typically require less upfront investment and ongoing maintenance costs. 

• Boosting speed to production, enabling organizations to quickly develop, test, and deploy applications and services. 

Overall, using cloud providers can provide significant advantages in terms of agility, flexibility, and cost savings. 

Solution

How can organizations ensure a smooth transition?

Here are three key steps:

• Develop a Cloud Strategy: The first step in transitioning to the cloud is to develop a cloud strategy that aligns with the organization's business goals and objectives. This involves identifying which workloads and applications are suitable for the cloud, determining which cloud deployment model (public, private, or hybrid) is most appropriate, and selecting the right cloud provider based on their specific needs.

• Migrate Applications and Data: Once a cloud strategy is in place, organizations need to migrate their applications and data to the cloud. This involves a careful assessment of existing applications and data, as well as selecting the right migration approach (lift and shift, re-platform, or refactor). It's also important to ensure that the appropriate security and compliance measures are in place to protect sensitive data.

• Optimize and Manage the Cloud Environment: After migrating to the cloud, organizations need to optimize and manage their cloud environment to ensure that it continues to meet their business needs. This involves ongoing monitoring and management of the cloud infrastructure, as well as ensuring that the appropriate governance and security measures are in place. It's also important to continually optimize the environment to ensure that it remains cost-effective and delivers the desired performance and scalability.

Conclusion

Transitioning to the cloud is a trend that is gaining momentum, and for good reason. Governments, non-profit organizations, and small-to-midsize businesses have been and will continue to benefit from the agility, flexibility, and cost savings that come with operating in a cloud-first environment. Developing a cloud strategy, migrating applications and data, and optimizing and managing the cloud environment are three key steps that organizations need to take to ensure a smooth transition to the cloud. With the right tools, processes, and structures in place, organizations can leverage the benefits of the cloud to modernize their IT infrastructure and applications and future-proof their operations.

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