Six Steps for a Cloud Readiness Assessment

1.  Articulate your Business Needs for Cloud Migration

Businesses should clearly outline why they want to migrate to the cloud and what they aim to achieve through this transition. Many organizations want to migrate to the cloud mainly because of their competitors or because it is a trend that is being talked about, and they do not want to be left behind. However, clarity of purpose and goals are first and foremost.

The key drivers of cloud adoption should be to improve scalability, increase productivity, enhance collaboration, improve security, and avoid costs that come with physical data centers.

2. Assess the IT Resources

With clear business goals established, the next step is to assess the strength of the IT team and other allied resources and understand the scope of their capabilities.

• Do they have the required expertise and experience?
• Do they possess knowledge of the necessary tools and technologies?
• Does the team have enough resources and backup to handle the transition?

Preparing the IT resources of businesses is essential for clean cloud migration. However, not all organizations or their employees possess the skillsets of cloud technology. Take the time to identify the skill gaps and train your resources accordingly. For the businesses that do not have adequately skilled resources or cannot train them quickly, we recommend that they engage a cloud partner who can help them with their cloud migration.

3. Analyze the Existing IT Infrastructure

Businesses will naturally scrutinize the applications that are migrated to the cloud. It also helps collect ample information on the data storage, network, on-premise hardware, and other essential information. Businesses need to be aware of the following during a cloud migration:

• What are the applications that should be migrated?
• How many users are allowed to access these applications?
• What is the cost involved in the migration?
• What is the impact of migration on your current business operations?
• What are the technology requirements for the transition?

With these answers in hand, they will get a clear picture of their migration priorities—what to retain and discard. This clarity will lead to the proper roadmap for the cloud migration journey. Organizations that do not possess the skillset for this analysis can partner with a seasoned cloud consultant for assistance.

4. Prioritize the Security Requirements

Businesses are often concerned about the security and privacy of their client data while migrating to the cloud. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the existing security mechanisms and shortlist the security and compliance requirements. This will enable businesses to choose the right cloud platform and its security capability for their business. It is essential to consider these requirements before choosing a cloud service, either a private, public, hybrid, or provider.

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Disaster Recovery Management (DRaaS)
• Compliance needs
• Endpoint security

An added advantage while performing this assessment is that businesses can detect potential cloud vulnerabilities. As a result, they can devise plans in advance to mitigate the risks involved to make the best use of the cloud without compromising the safety of their data.

5. Assess Your Operational Readiness

Operational readiness helps determine how prepared an organization is to shift to the cloud and manage the operational aspects after the migration. A clear idea of the following items is useful:

• Who is responsible for the operations of the applications in the cloud?
• Which operational model is used for deployments and updates?
• Are the stakeholders aware of the roles, responsibilities, and operational model?
• Is the team clear about how operations are carried out in the cloud?
• What are the operational best practices followed?
• What are the business continuity or disaster recovery strategies planned?

By the end of this evaluation, businesses can determine if their IT team has the capability to handle the post-migration cloud operations. If the answer is negative, organizations can seek a cloud service provider to perform the migration.

6. Finalize the Budget

Moving to the cloud positions a company for long-term cost savings; it is one of the primary reasons organizations migrate to the cloud. However, there are initial costs to be considered and budgeted for. Take the time to address the transition budget and gain buy-in from the necessary stakeholders and decision-makers.

A cloud cost calculator such as the Microsoft Azure Pricing Calculator can be helpful both to identify hard costs but also the expected time required for the migration.

Why can LevelShift be your reliable cloud partner?

For decades our experience in the cloud industry has given us the expertise to help businesses across domains and geographies address the pressing challenges of cloud migration. Our advanced cloud readiness assessment services help companies analyze their existing IT teams and infrastructures, allowing them to choose the best options for their organization.

Are you looking for a reliable cloud partner to help you with cloud readiness assessment? Our team of experts is just a click away! Contact us