Cloud strategy: concrete instead of cloudy
High scalability, fast deployment and absolute flexibility – that’s what cloud computing offers. Many companies have begun this transition in the last 5 years – whether to the public, private or hybrid cloud. Getting started with cloud computing seems easy. However, many companies have found that the effort required to set up and operate a private cloud is very high. At the same time, security concerns about the public cloud are leading to reluctance for this operating model. Which cloud strategy is right for you?
Cloud - Quo Vadis?
Cloud solutions are becoming increasingly attractive. This is ensured by their easy and fast implementability. At our customer, a global automotive company, the number of solutions running on the cloud exploded. However, no trace of clear strategic guidelines and documented best practices for future projects. For example, the necessary transparency of cloud security requirements and concrete specifications for the cloud monitoring process were missing. The first step was therefore to develop a sound cloud strategy.
Public Cloud First - fast and innovative
Clear strategic guidelines are needed for the use of cloud technologies. The starting point is a comprehensive market analysis. It is about recognizing trends and correctly assessing one’s own sitaution. With knowledge of existing technologies and their use by competitors, a common understanding emerges among all stakeholders. At the same time, the derivation of a “Big Picture” is made possible. It addresses all central elements: the physical infrastructure, the technical platform, the application-specific services and the cloud orchestration. For each of the elements, key premises were defined on the basis of the initial market analysis and agreed with top management. They provided the basis for the shared vision of the cloud strategy and future development opportunities. With the help of the created steering direction, a new strategic direction – Public Cloud First – has been derived. This strategy was complemented by a risk-optimized approach: applications with low protection needs or very high added value in the cloud are prioritized.
A clear strategy for the transformation to the cloud
The defined strategic direction: Public Cloud First. A landmark decision. A decision that was made on the basis of both well-founded analyst reports and previous project experience. Above all, it points the way for future projects in defining a long-term architecture. In addition to the strategic direction, the necessary elementary cloud capabilities were also identified. These included the target operating model, cloud orchestration and IT security. Only by building up these various cloud capabilities can the opportunities of the cloud be fully exploited and the risks managed. On this basis, the need for action can be prioritized, responsibilities defined and the required capabilities consistently developed. An ideal mix of central requirements and autonomy in the DevOps teams enables the rapid development of innovative solutions. This pragmatic roadmap ensures a safe and efficient transition process to the cloud.
- Strategic guidelines for a portfolio of approx. 6000 applications
- Detailed documentation of strengths and weaknesses of cloud environments
- Elaboration of 12 evaluation categories to assess cloud readiness.
- Definition and design of the 10 central cloud domains / capabilities
