Today, we’re going to talk about a hotly debated topic in the tech industry – whether to pick a single cloud provider or go for a multi-cloud strategy. As someone who’s been in the industry for a while, I’ve seen companies go back and forth on this topic, and I think it’s time to weigh in with some of my observations.
Let’s start with the basics. A single cloud provider means that your company uses one cloud provider to host its applications, services, and data. On the other hand, a multi-cloud strategy means that you use multiple cloud providers for the same purpose. Sounds simple, right? Well, not exactly.
While the idea of using multiple cloud providers might seem like a good way to hedge your bets, the reality is that it can quickly become a headache for your organisation. One of the biggest challenges is the overhead that comes with establishing a presence in more than one cloud provider. Each provider has its own set of tools, services, and pricing models, which means that you need to invest time, money, and resources in learning and maintaining all of them. Not to mention the added complexity of managing data across multiple clouds, which can result in increased latency, security risks, and compliance issues.
For smaller organisations, a keep-it-simple approach might be best. According to a recent survey by LogicMonitor, 87% of SMBs are using a single cloud provider, and only 13% are using a multi-cloud strategy. This is because smaller companies typically have limited resources and cannot afford to spread themselves too thin. By using a single cloud provider, they can focus on their core business and avoid the added complexity of managing multiple cloud environments.
But what about larger organisations with more resources? Surely, they can handle a multi-cloud strategy, right? Well, not so fast. A recent report by Flexera found that 93% of enterprises have a multi-cloud strategy, but only 16% of them have the expertise to manage it. This means that most organisations are struggling to keep up with the demands of a multi-cloud environment, which can lead to increased costs, downtime, and security risks.
So, what’s the solution? While it’s tempting to go for a multi-cloud strategy to take advantage of the best features of each provider, the reality is that it’s not always worth the overhead. Instead, companies should focus on finding the right cloud provider that meets their specific needs and invest in developing the skills to manage it effectively.
At cloudstep.io we created a simple three step ‘Business Case in a Box’ process that leverages our unique tooling to help organisations big or small answer these questions. Starting with a rapid assessment to provide lightweight, express validation of cloud intention through exploration and validation of different migration scenarios. The output of this assessment identifies any organisational knowledge gaps followed by focused analysis to prepare the organisation for a successful migration.
The decision to pick a single cloud provider or a multi-cloud strategy should not be taken lightly. While multi-cloud might seem like a good idea in theory, the overhead and skills requirements can quickly become overwhelming for most organisations. Like many things in life its not a simple case of one size fits all. Investing time upfront in validation of your requirements, assessment of candidate cloud providers and planning your migration could spare you a lot of sleepless nights. Thanks for reading!
Today I want to talk to you about an important topic that can make or break a company’s success in the digital age: migrating infrastructure to the public cloud. As the world becomes increasingly digital, businesses must adapt to survive. And one of the most significant changes a company can make is moving their infrastructure to the public cloud.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But, why should I move my data to the cloud? Isn’t it just another buzzword that’ll fade away in a few years?” I’m here to tell you that not only is the cloud here to stay, but it can also be a game-changer for your business. In this article, I’ll explain why establishing a business case for cloud migration is crucial, how to choose the right cloud provider, and why cost shouldn’t be the only factor to consider.
First things first, let’s talk about why you should even bother migrating to the cloud. The answer is simple: scalability and flexibility. The cloud offers a level of agility that on-premise solutions simply can’t match. With the cloud, you can scale your resources up or down as needed, pay only for what you use, and access your data from anywhere in the world. This level of flexibility can be a game-changer for businesses of all sizes, allowing them to respond quickly to changing market conditions, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs.
Now that we’ve established why the cloud is important, let’s talk about choosing the right cloud provider. There are plenty of cloud providers out there, from big names like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud to smaller private cloud players. But how do you decide which one is right for you? There are many factors to consider when choosing a provider, including cost, security, reliability, supportability, and ease of use. However, I want to stress that cost should not be the only factor you consider. While it’s important to stay within your budget, choosing the cheapest provider could end up costing you more in the long run if the provider doesn’t meet your needs. Instead, focus on finding a provider that can offer the right mix of features, support, and security that your business requires.
Of course, simply choosing a cloud provider isn’t enough. You need to validate your choice to ensure that it truly aligns with your business case. So, what exactly does a business case entail? Essentially, it’s a comprehensive analysis of your current infrastructure, your business needs, and your goals for the future. It involves exploration of different migration scenarios, identification and comparison of costs to identify the validity and viability of one choice vs another. This will help you identify the areas of your IT landscape that could benefit the most from a cloud migration and determine which cloud provider can best meet your needs.
A robust business case is essential to secure the buy-in of key stakeholders in the organisation. This includes executives, investors, and board members. The business case should outline the ongoing financial operational benefits of migrating to the public cloud, in addition to the softer benefits such as improved scalability, and increased agility. By presenting a solid business case, you can effectively communicate the value proposition of the migration and gain the support of those who hold the purse strings.
At cloudstep.io we created a simple three step ‘Business Case in a Box’ process that leverages our unique tooling to explore different migration scenarios and build a business case. Starting with a rapid assessment to provide lightweight, express validation of cloud intention. Our tooling allows you to develop a A board-ready business case, comprised of the capital and operational costs that are important and specific to your organisation. Once you’ve identified the optimum business case, the output of this assessment identifies any organisational knowledge gaps followed by focused analysis to prepare the organisation for a successful migration.
Establishing a business case for your cloud migration and choosing the right provider are crucial to the success of your cloud journey. Don’t rush into any decisions without first conducting thorough analysis. Remember, cost is just one piece of the puzzle. Keep your business goals and needs in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to a successful cloud migration.
Public cloud migration for a while has been the the buzzword on everyone’s lips. Often described as a no brainer for organisations where their core business is not managing IT systems. Sure, there are plenty of good reasons to take your organisation’s applications to the cloud: lower costs, better scalability, and increased flexibility. But here’s the thing – it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and there are definitely some pitfalls you need to be aware of.
One of the most critical factors to consider when migrating applications to the cloud is having a solid understanding of those applications, their relationships with one another, and the infrastructure that underpins them. This is essential if you want to avoid a disruptive migration that could have significant impacts on your organisation’s operational performance.
According to a recent study conducted by Harvard Business Review, a poor understanding of applications and infrastructure is one of the leading causes of disruption during a cloud migration. The study found that only 38% of IT leaders had a clear understanding of their organisation’s applications, while only 26% understood the relationships between applications and infrastructure. These statistics are worrying, especially when you consider that a failed cloud migration can have real and lasting consequences.
For instance, a poorly planned migration can result in application downtime, data loss, and security breaches, all of which can lead to significant financial losses and damage to your organisation’s reputation. These consequences can be particularly devastating for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may not have the resources to recover quickly from such disruptions.
So, what can you do to avoid these pitfalls? Well, first and foremost, you need to ensure that you have a thorough understanding of your organisation’s applications and infrastructure. Sounds easy right? This means conducting a comprehensive inventory of your applications, documenting their dependencies and relationships, and mapping out your infrastructure architecture. Where do you start? How do you know where to focus your attention? How do you make this a cost effective exercise?
At cloudstep.io we created a simple three step ‘Business Case in a Box’ process that leverages our unique tooling to answer these questions. Starting with a rapid assessment to provide lightweight, express validation of cloud intention. The output of this assessment identifies any organisational knowledge gaps followed by focused analysis to prepare the organisation for a successful migration.
As is with anything that is outside the scope of your core business, It’s wise to also consider working with a trusted cloud service advisor that can provide your organisation with expert guidance and support throughout the migration process. This will help ensure that your migration is seamless and that your applications and data are migrated securely and efficiently.
As a wrap, migrating your organisation’s applications to the public cloud can be a fantastic way to save costs and increase flexibility. However, it’s essential to recognise that this process comes with its own set of challenges and pitfalls. To avoid disruption of your business, it’s critical to have a solid understanding of your applications and infrastructure, as well as to work with a trusted cloud service advisor. With careful planning and execution, you can ensure a successful migration and reap the benefits of the cloud without putting your organisation’s operational performance at risk.
Any company that runs for long enough will inevitably run into cost overruns; the key, though, is to minimise the number of cost overruns and mitigate the damage from overruns that occur. However, one of the costliest overruns a company can face has to do with cloud migration. In this article, we will tackle the ten most important strategies for avoiding a devastating financial blowout.
Elements of a Cloud Migration
When it comes to cloud migration, you’re really spoiled for choice. The market is fiercely competitive, which is great news for you, but picking the right vendor for cloud migration can be a difficult and potentially frustrating experience—worse yet, picking the wrong one could cost you massively in the long run. Cloudstep seeks to take the pain out of the decision-making process while simultaneously ensuring you get the best deal for your company’s specific needs.
10 Ways to Avoid a Financial Blowout
01. Have your migration plans ready
Cutting costs on cloud migration is only a reality if the cloud-based system is effective. If your new cloud-based system (or the migration itself) is plagued with issues, it can lead to exorbitant cost overruns, which is why planning your migration and performance analysis is so important—and where Cloudstep’s state-of-the art analysis comes into play, including plans to suit companies both big and small.
By tracking KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and making note of suboptimal performance, you can track and tweak your original plan as you go. A cloud-based system is only useful if you can maximise the tangible benefits that come with moving to a cloud-based system. As an example, you should check out Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring Software so you can ensure everything is working to your expectations.
2. Implement continuous monitoring
This one is interesting, since it might not be immediately obvious why continually monitoring the migration period could potentially affect costs. Most companies have sensitive data that they would very much like to keep private. This could be anything from trade secrets to non-public financial data. It could also be employee data and a range of other things that aren’t intended for public (or rival) consumption.
If the cloud migration is botched, say, after a security breach, a hacker could steal this sensitive data and hold the company to ransom, abuse the information for their own (or their company’s own) benefit, or simply cause chaos as an act of malice or revenge by deleting the data. A topical security risk is that of the ransomware attack, which encrypts the data until a cryptocurrency ransom is paid. If a hacker is stealthy, you might not even know your sensitive data has been compromised until it’s too late.
03. Invest in automation
Automation makes our lives easy. We let automation set our clocks and alarms, we let automated processes trade stocks as bots, and we use automation to build most of our stuff. It has allowed our economy to boom while also reducing a lot of the need for back-breaking labour.
Cloud migration is no different. There already exists a variety of excellent tools and software to help you along the journey, including AWS Migration Services, Azure Migration Tools, Corent SurPaaS, and Carbonite Migrate. You can download our eBook for a more thorough understanding of the different tools that are available to you.
04. Reduce excess storage
We usually don’t think about it much these days, but since the dawn of the computer age to the early 2000s, the compression of a given file was given a lot of importance. Software packages like StuffIt and WinZip were created 30+ years ago to tackle bloated file archives using cutting-edge compression algorithms. The MP3, which helped lay the foundation for the digital music revolution triggered by iTunes and the iPod, was a game-changer. Compression on the internet is still useful to this day. Gone are the days where you need to turn a lossless picture file into a lossy jpeg when uploading online.
However, there is still a need for maintaining good compression techniques and minimising bloat when it comes to files your company has on hand. For instance, do you really need an uncompressed hour-long 4k video clogging up your server that’s purpose is as a training or onboarding video? (For reference, that’s a stupidly high 318 GB, although it’s an admittedly extreme example.) Video is highly compressible, and the same video would probably be just as serviceable in 1080p. If you used similar compression to YouTube, the file size plummets to about 1.65GB. But even if you kept the video at 4k with the same compression technique, you’d still only have 2.7 GB. If such video content is sensitive, you could put the entire video on YouTube but with a valid email to watch it. This would save you a lot of storage space and bandwidth, especially when there is a lot of content involved.
05. Identify overprovisioning
If you’re going on holiday, you don’t pack your entire wardrobe (unless your name happens to be Mark Zuckerberg). Instead, you pack according to your destination. Simple enough, right?
If you only need 16 GB of server space, why pay for 64 GB? If your answer is “I might need it later”, consider that the price per gigabyte of storage is always going down. Have enough space to cover your overheads, sure, but don’t overprovision unless you have a good reason for doing so. Your company’s hypothetical overprovisioning might well be logical, but for many it is not.
06. Correct inefficient code
Inefficient code is problematic on a number of levels. While unorthodox (i.e., bloated) code might be okay in some esoteric instances, inefficient code in cloud migration can be disastrous.
According to APMdigest, inefficient apps are causing some companies to overspend by millions of dollars. It is estimated by the end of 22 that $330 billion will be spent on the cloud, meaning that billions of dollars are being lost as the result of inefficient code. Having your code appraised now is a small price to pay to save your money and headaches down the line.
07. Assign an inventory owner
In the Cloud Asset API in Google Cloud, access control can be configured at the project level or organization level. In this environment, you can bestow certain individuals (or a group of developers) with access to all Cloud Asset Inventory resources within a project.
08. Manage shadow IT
The term shadow IT isn’t as well known as it should be, although almost anyone who works in a company with computers in it has probably either encountered or engaged in shadow IT. It also goes by a cavalcade of other names, including embedded IT, fake IT, stealth IT, rogue IT, feral IT, or client IT. Put simply, shadow IT is when employees who aren’t with the official IT department start implementing their own workarounds. Some have even created their own software just to bypass problematic official software.
While shadow IT can have its benefits in some aspects, including innovation and reactivity, it can also pose a risk to company control, security, and reliability. It is imperative that you keep any shadow IT efforts in check, as the road to hell is often paved with good intentions.
09. Review support contracts
Cloud service agreements can lock you into contracts that won’t do you any favours. Make sure you actually have an expert read through the terms of service to ensure you’re not breaking any rules but also that your support contract will actually get you out of a bind if something goes wrong.
10. Bring your own license
Google Cloud (and other cloud services) allows you to bring your own license (BYOL). That being said, as with any BYOL agreement, do your due diligence and ensure that you have read and understood the terms of conditions. To find out more information on how to comply with these terms and how to carry out the steps in correct order, please visit Google’s support article or the supporting documentation for any cloud service you may wish to use with a BYOL agreement.
How Cloud Computing Leads to Cost Savings
There are numerous ways in which cloud computing can reduce costs. In the following five sections, we will take a look at five of the biggest points.
Requires No Setup Investments
One of the biggest pain points for any company looking to archive data—or simply process it—is the logistical hurdles and upfront costs. Server maintenance and physical storage can add up quickly. By incorporating cloud technology to solve your storage and processing concerns, much of these upfront costs are offset. This is because the cloud space is very competitive. Moreover, the largest cloud-hosting companies in the world have done a fantastic job of cutting costs through technological innovation and scaling up to nearly unfathomably large degrees. Even the biggest companies in the world have outsourced their cloud-hosting needs to pre-established cloud-hosting companies rather than use their own proprietary server farms.
Optimal Hardware Utilization
This is sort of a follow-on from the previous point. Perhaps the best idea here is to use a simple analogy. Imagine a typical office with, say, two dozen workstations. For much of the day, the computers are either operating at partial capacity or not at all. With cloud storage, data is processed and stored across various nodes for built-in redundancy—in simple terms, that means your data is backed up and always retrievable (on a competently run cloud server). So not only is this a cheaper option for most companies but also a more secure one.
Energy Savings
Server farms often get criticised for their energy use; however, what is often overlooked is how scalability actually cuts down the total amount of energy required per byte stored. Indeed, the higher demand there is for cloud computing, the more incentive that cloud-hosting companies will have to innovate and create more optimal energy-saving techniques. In any case, traditional on-site storage and data-processing techniques cannot match the efficiency per byte stored/processed.
No In-house Team
Depending on your company’s size, this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. By migrating to the cloud, you no longer need to keep a dedicated team devoted to maintaining server racks and other such problems that arise when you’re not harnessing the incredible utility of the cloud. Regardless of whether you have a dedicated IT team or intermittent server inspectors, your operating costs tend to become quite bloated when you’re handling everything yourself.
Eliminates Redundancies
If you’ve ever had to deal with magnetic tape backups, you know how antiquated and frustrating the experience can be. After all, storing data on tape doesn’t just feel so 20th century; it is 20th century. Moreover, a lot of companies only create backups once a day! Imagine if your company lost an entire day’s work! By migrating to the cloud, creating redundancies and backups into your system isn’t something you need to worry about. Having said that, we do encourage to keep an onsite backup of your company’s most important files (just in case).
Conclusion
Throughout this article, we’ve looked at all the incredible benefits that a cloud-based system can have on your business, including energy savings, cost cuts, hardware optimisation, code improvements, and taking advantage of automation; however, you don’t need to take our word for it! Just take a moment to look at the chart below from Research and Markets.
This says it all, really. In five years, the cloud market is projected to more than double. Companies have realised how much money there is to save by embracing cloud technologies. Much of this growth also stems from cloud computing. Whether you model, analyse, or plan, Cloudstep has got everything you need to streamline your cloud-migration process, making it as pain-free and as efficient as you’d like it to be.
More About Us!
Check out our features page or download our free eBook to read further about how you can revolutionise your company’s infrastructure. The eBook is a must-read for anyone who is serious about increasing your company’s agility and scalability. We cover risk mitigation, digital transformation, and how to reduce your company’s overall IT expenditure.
We have plans starting at just $49 per month for an exploratory plan, all the way up to $1,499 for our comprehensive enterprise plan. We also have a free 30-day trial. Plus, unlike many companies, we won’t try to trick you into paying for your plan if you forget about the trial, as we will only ask for your billing information after your trial period has commenced.
The start of 2021 brings a new logo to cloudstep, as we start to refresh our look. Our previous logo had served us well, but with the help of our friends at Skella & Co. we have been on a mission to improve our product, user experience and brand identity.
Our first logo was created before the application had launched. The new logo is an evolution of our first logo with the ‘cloud’ component and the inclusion of ‘steps’.
