Cloud Services


fruitful in driving down long-term costs than a migration that continues to run the same static virtual machine (VM) resources in the way it’s currently done on premises. For other organisations, the business case may boil down to


moving as quickly as possible from a current hosting solution, making a migration with minimal modernisation the most viable option in the short term. However, while the business case might not be clear at first (especially when there are conflicting goals), helping organisations understand their order of priorities from the get-go will be critical to keeping them on track.


Building solid foundations Once the ‘why’ is established, organisations need to set their sights on the ‘how’ of migrating applications and assessing the extent of the modernisation effort. Tis is best achieved by using the six Rs methodology which stand for: Retire, Replace/Re-purchase, Retain, Re-host, Re-platform and Re-factor/Re-architect. Tese represent the migration paths available, and while every migration is unique, they provide a strong framework for meeting the business case goals. Te first three (Retire, Replace/Re-purchase and Retain) don’t


involve the application itself being migrated to the cloud, but there may be a need to organise data migration activity when retiring or replacing the application. Retain is a strategy that exempts specific services from migration, which might be necessary when services need to be close to robots or other equipment that must reside within your premises. Te other Rs (Re-host, Re-platform and Re-factor/Re-architect)


describe the magnitude of modernisation effort, from no modernisation with Re-host to extensive alteration of application code with Re-factor, categorising applications in this way allows for applications to be more easily grouped together for high-level planning. Te Re-Host activity is generally able to start and complete more quickly than activities that require modernisation effort. By putting the effort


in at this planning stage, organisations can uncover the relevant processes, architectural and development expertise needed. Tey should also take the time to generate estimates of the total cost of ownership, ensuring they can build a picture of how the investment will pay off through savings on both human and cloud resources.


www.pcr-online.biz June 2023 | 41


Steering clear of migration pitfalls Before kicking off a cloud migration, it’s also important to consider what criteria need to be met for it to end – whether that’s when all workloads are in the cloud (regardless of their state) or only once those workloads have been modernised. Ending the migration too early, before workloads have been refactored, can mean that the business misses out on public cloud capabilities like the ability to scale on demand. Failing to enable these workloads to optimise themselves for efficiency generates unnecessary cost that could, in some instances, be even higher than the previous hosting solution. Te ease with which resources can be provisioned or scaled on public cloud, also brings risk. Without the right expertise, visibility or guardrails on cost, it can be very easy to lose control of cloud spend. As well as a clear and informed strategy, organisations often


require professional guidance from an experienced partner to optimise cloud spend and pinpoint opportunities to develop IT services. When they form a good vendor strategy, businesses can standardise the knowledge needed internally, benefit from proven ways to manage and maintain workloads and even open the door to funding mechanisms from cloud providers. In an increasingly agile business environment, organisations


need to balance the business case demands while creating the building blocks to gain new capabilities. From supporting with the right purchasing model to mapping out the migration and modernisation journey in the most efficient manner, the right partners will deliver high-performant infrastructure while freeing investment for future innovation.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52