As an enabler of innovation and a means of gaining a competitive edge, cloud migration can be seen as a positive force for organisations.
Many CIOs recognise the advantage of cloud technology, as it enables organisations to react fast to market changes, support expansion and minimise disruptions. The time is freed up so that employees can innovate and create lasting competitive advantage.
Drew Firment, chief cloud strategist at Pluralsight, emphasises that customers are not concerned about the intricacies of data centres. What matters to them is the value provided. The essence of cloud computing lies in eliminating the burdensome tasks, enabling technologists to focus on delivering meaningful services and solutions.
However, in order for organisations to unlock the full potential of cloud computing, they must build and maintain a cloud-conscious culture grounded in five key pillars.
Cloud-conscious culture requires good leadership. In instances where an organisation’s work requires travel to remote locations, teams need to become operational. They must travel somewhere, disperse their service and collect the data they need. Adopting a cloud-first mindset provides them with greater flexibility, enabling employees to focus on their mission.
Creating talent is hugely important for organisations to deliver success. Many CEOs believe they can hire their way out of an issue, but this thinking is unfortunate. The skilled people are already employed and they are in high demand. Therefore, joining an organisation in the early stages of transitioning to the cloud might not be suitable for them. A practical solution to this challenge is it to create own talent instead of hiring talent.
Creating a cloud conscious culture involves nurturing a learning mindset beyond traditional training. This involves focusing on practical experiences and engagement in cross functional learning. This way people develop a shared language about technology.
Several organisations are ridding themselves from outdated cultural norms and developing new ones. For example, developers are encouraged to move away from the practice of setting up extra-large servers and let it run indefinitely. Instead, they need to embrace a cloud-native approach, which involves understanding concepts such as elasticity, scalability, and resiliency.
It is crucial to scrutinise cloud adoption. Some applications may have been designed in a manner that does not work well in the cloud. It is important to make a good business decision and understand when it is worthwhile to adapt these applications to the cloud.
Source: CIO
Image Credit: iStock
