Insights

Debunking the five most prevalent cloud myths

Muraleekrishnan Nair

By now, virtually every organization is at one stage of their cloud transformation journey, either doing research or due diligence or assessing how best to move to the next stage.

However, misconceptions about what the cloud is and can do, how to start and how to measure success can doom a cloud journey before it even starts.

Here, we are sharing five of the biggest cloud myths and offering rebuttals with the facts - so you can be armed with the right information to move your business forward.

Myth 1: It’s too late for my organization to devise a cloud strategy

Fact: The best time to start your cloud journey was yesterday. The next best day is today. There is a reason people refer to it as a “cloud journey;” it’s because it never ends. Right now, hundreds of thousands of companies, including your competitors, are in different phases of their journeys. And considering that 90% of cloud transformations take 2-3 years to complete, an organization with a more streamlined migration could be live before a competitor who started months earlier. UST has accomplished complex migration durations in just 4-6 months.

Even if your organization has not started yet, it’s never too late, and it’s always better late than never. Besides, many organizations that started their cloud journeys years or months ago may have gotten stuck because their strategy was wrong. Having the right strategy and partner enables you to transform much quicker than others who started earlier.

Myth 2: Migrating to the cloud is purely an IT initiative

Fact: Like other facets of digital transformation, a cloud migration journey requires a fundamental cultural and operational shift that impacts multiple areas of your business.

While the cloud is, at its basic level, a move from physical to virtual technology, it requires more resources and inputs than IT alone. While the IT department is the primary owner of any cloud migration, the application team must alter its way of doing things to ensure its apps work in the cloud. While the IT team will likely spearhead the migration, everyone must understand how their roles will change once the cloud is operational. The operations team will likely need to learn new policies for how cloud updates are needed to work. And the security team will have new challenges with their data most likely being on a secure, but public platform. One of the most avoidable reasons a cloud transformation fails is when the project leader fails to secure stakeholder buy-in.

Myth 3: The cloud is cheap

Fact: The truth is more complex. As with most technology, the cloud can be very expensive if you do not use it correctly and do not have visibility into the specific costs. Cloud billing can be daunting. The cloud can be a real money saver only if the applications are architected well enough for the cloud to take full advantage of the cost benefits provided by the cloud vendors, and you have complete visibility over cloud expenditures. As McKinsey stated in its article, Cloud’s trillion-dollar prize is up for grabs, lifting and shifting legacy technology to the cloud can cost more if they are not optimized properly.

Many organizations also benefit from a hybrid cloud where they can shift data and applications between clouds to achieve cost benefits. We have found that infrastructure costs across the hybrid cloud ecosystem have been growing at an average of 20-30% year-over-year. And, even worse, Forbes estimates one-third of all cloud spending is wasted.

Myth 4: The cloud is secure by default

Fact: Moving to the cloud without appropriate security measures is less secure than using legacy technology. Cloud security is a joint responsibility between the cloud vendor and the application owner, and it must be built into all layers of cloud architecture. Maintaining cloud security increases complexity when you are using the hybrid cloud. In fact, a recent Gartner report found the biggest cloud concern involved data breaches of those executives surveyed. However, it doesn’t have to be a challenge. The right cloud management platform can offer an operation model that balances agility with repeatability, reliability and security. That’s why using a multicloud manager, like UST’s, is so important.

Myth 5: The cloud is an “all or nothing” proposition with only one approach.

Fact: Cloud is a step-by-step process with a high number of variables to consider. While it is true that cloud journeys benefit from a well-honed strategy, no one blueprint works for every organization. Cloud migration plans require a clear vision for moving mission-critical workloads that align with business value. As Gartner described it, cloud-first doesn’t mean cloud always. It's imperative to find the strategy and the right partner that works best for you. UST is technology agnostic; we develop the right strategy for your organization’s specific needs.

This is a fact

The near-infinite customizations an organization can take with their cloud strategy remove many definitive statements. Moving to the cloud can be inexpensive, but it’s not always the case and is definitely not cheap without the right approach. The cloud is not secure on its own; it takes a real investment in security to keep that data safe. The cloud is not just the business of IT; everyone benefits from the cloud and therefore, everyone should participate in its implementation. And if you haven’t started today, it is not too late.

Companies almost universally benefit from a trusted partner helping to guide their cloud journeys. UST leverages 15+ years of cloud infrastructure expertise to expand and manage our clients’ cloud footprints for ultimate flexibility and scale. To begin a better migration today, visit us here.