Top Enterprise Cloud Mistakes of 2022

In today’s digital age, operating a business without cloud support for data management, safety, and storage is rare. As more organizations accelerate their digital transformation and adoption, the need for cloud computing will keep rising, with demand for software development services a core factor.

Cloud Computing Challenges

With cybercrime being a significant threat to company data, organizations focus on building sophisticated cloud-computing strategies. Developing a strategy presents an opportunity for all stakeholders to get involved.

However, business and IT leaders should avoid dangerous pitfalls to organizational prospects when migrating to cloud-friendly strategies. To prevent disappointments, these leaders should understand and avoid the following top 2022 cloud mistakes.

Moving or Migrating the Wrong Applications

Cloud migration is a core step that, if poorly managed, may backfire. The IT and business managers should focus on identifying the right business management services and applications to migrate. Not all applications should be moved to the cloud.

It is vital to leverage multiple cloud services, such as software development in Google Cloud or software development in Microsoft Azure. Still, programs and data need to migrate to the proper cloud to leverage the scalability and flexibility of your infrastructure. Moving all setups can be costly, especially for applications that consume more resources, power, and storage.

Outsourcing your Cloud Strategy

Working on your cloud strategy blueprint is a unique digital transformation that should include the entire IT and C-suite team and systems. It helps you optimize the organization’s outcome. However, a core mistake made when building a cloud strategy is delegating and relying on third-party vendors to design and oversee the complete process.

Only the IT team, executives, and employees understand the organization better than third-party providers. Consulting firms and cloud vendors should refrain from leading the strategy development process.

Making or Assuming an IT-only Setup

IT managers and executives make the mistake of developing an IT-centric strategy and implementing it in the rest of the organization. It is important to understand that cloud computing is not only about technology. This is an opportunity to involve all stakeholders, whether technology oriented or not. A Gartner’s press release states, “Business and IT should be equal partners in the definition of the cloud strategy.”

Ignoring Data Security

When adopting cloud technology, it is essential to leverage best practices to conduct penetration testing of applications and secure data movement. Another common 2022 cloud mistake is the misconfiguration of your strategy and setup in an attempt to migrate quickly, which compromises security.

As more organizations in this digital age deal with bulk confidential and sensitive data, cyber-attacks are a growing threat. Organizations should implement proper security parameters.

Thinking It is Too Late To Develop a Cloud Strategy

Many organizations believe there is still time to devise a cloud strategy. However, there is still time to have one in place. According to Gartner Vice President Analyst Marco Meinardi, “If organizations drive cloud adoption without a strategy, this will ultimately cause resistance from individuals who are not aligned on the strategy’s key drivers and principles.”

Technology is rapidly advancing, and new setups will continue dominating the digital infrastructure. Companies should remain flexible with an open mind in developing an IT and enterprise-specific strategy to streamline operations.

Major Omissions

Another top cloud mistake of 2022 is omission or overlooking vital components when developing a strategy. Common omissions include:

· Failing to architect for the cloud.

· Needing more automation.

· It requires more preparedness for the culture and skills to shift necessary in developing and implementing a successful cloud strategy.

Lack of an Exit Strategy

Many organizations need an exit strategy from cloud providers because many leaders deem it problematic. Some IT leaders do not plan to leave the cloud; others think they do not need to bring anything from it. However, organizations should have a plan B regardless of whether they do not envision leaving the cloud or will not get anything back.

Though in rare cases, you will hear about a company exiting from a cloud provider entirely, it is vital to have a cloud exit strategy.

Having a Cloud-First Strategy as an Entire Cloud Strategy

Many businesses devise a cloud-first approach and make it an entire cloud strategy. As a Gartner analyst explains, a “cloud-first” process means the cloud becomes the default place to build or place a new asset. However, the cloud-first approach should not be equated to the cloud only.

Organizations should partner with non-cloud technology professionals to help them develop a broader viewpoint in adopting a cloud strategy. Even if they consider a cloud-first approach, leaders should be open-minded and ensure there are exceptions to the default choice.

Mystifying a Cloud Strategy with a Cloud Implementation Plan

Many leaders and businesses need to understand or combine cloud strategy with a cloud implementation plan. A cloud strategy and cloud implementation are two different approaches. A cloud strategy should come before implementation. It is the strategic plan that business and IT leaders make to decide the role that cloud computing will play in the organization. A cloud implementation comes next to put cloud strategy into effect.

A cloud strategy should be a short and “consumable” document that includes critical goals, estimated revenue targets, new revenue streams, and what the organization is looking to achieve using the cloud, among others.

Equating an Executive Mandate with a Cloud Strategy

Many organizations adopt a cloud computing strategy because the leaders, including the CEO or CIO, believe it will propel the business forward. Experts recommend companies shirk from treating executives’ mandates as a cloud strategy. Instead, their mandate should be used to devise a workable cloud strategy that connects with the business.

Before implementing or adopting a cloud strategy, an organization should determine the workloads they need to move to the cloud and what they want to achieve.

Conclusion

Cloud strategy has become a common way of running a successful business. As the cloud is becoming a new way of computing, consuming, storing, and networking, organizations should develop a consumable and effective cloud strategy that guides them on cloud adoption or implementation.

Avoiding the mistakes mentioned above that business and IT leaders make will make cloud adoption easy, and it will align with other business strategies.