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Gartner: 10 Common Cloud Strategy Mistakes for IT Leaders to Avoid

Cloud spending and investment is forecast to grow 20.7% in 2023, and for IT leaders, it’s never been more important to understand what constitutes an effective cloud strategy. However, many organizations either do not have a cloud strategy or while they may think they have one, they are not true cloud strategies.

An effective strategy is a short and consumable document comprising 10-20 pages or slides, which harmonizes with the business strategy and provides guidance to those who will implement it.

Unfortunately, IT leaders continue to make common mistakes when crafting their cloud strategy. It is imperative, they understand the ten common mistakes to avoid to ensure they get the return on investment they need.

  1. Assuming it’s an IT (Only) Strategy

Cloud computing isn’t just about technology. Therefore, avoid the mistake of devising an IT centric strategy. Be aware of people outside of IT having skills and knowledge that are critical to cloud strategy success, such as HR, legal and finance departments, and work as equal partners in the definition of the organization’s cloud strategy.

  1. Not Having an Exit Strategy

Devising an exit strategy from cloud providers is difficult, which is one of the reasons why many leaders don’t create one. Many organizations believe they don’t need an exit strategy because they don’t expect to bring anything back from the cloud. However, an exit strategy is vital to the success of an organization’s cloud strategy and should be viewed alike to having an insurance policy that you never need to use.

  1. Combining or Confusing a Cloud Strategy with a Cloud Implementation Plan

A cloud strategy is different from a cloud implementation plan and a cloud strategy must come first. It is the decision phase in which to decide the role that cloud computing will play in the organization. A cloud implementation plan comes next, putting the cloud strategy in effect.

  1. Believing it’s Too Late to Devise a Cloud Strategy

Organizations believe that because they’ve been using cloud computing for years it’s too late to adopt a cloud strategy. If organizations drive cloud adoption without a strategy, this will ultimately cause resistance from individuals not aligned to the strategy’s key drivers and principles, potentially jeopardizing the entire cloud project. The new strategy must start from where the organization is and factor in what the organization has already done.

  1. Equating a Cloud Strategy with “We’re Moving Everything to the Cloud”

Many organizations assume that having a cloud strategy implies moving everything to the cloud. This approach deters many IT leaders from devising a strategy because they think it means they’ll be forced to start using cloud computing for everything. To counter this, keep an open mind and partner with a non-cloud technology expert, such as an enterprise architect, who can bring a broad viewpoint to the definition of your cloud strategy.

  1. Saying our Cloud Strategy is Our Data Centre Strategy

Many organizations confuse their cloud strategy with their data center strategy. While keeping them separate in the organization is imperative, ensure they align with each other, as this affects the role that cloud computing will play in the organization. Cloud strategy decisions are workload by workload, they are not data center decisions.

  1. Believing that an Executive Mandate is a Strategy

Often, organizations adopt cloud computing because the CEO, CIO or the head of a business unit believes that doing so will result in cost savings. Treat executive mandates as sponsorship to devise a cloud strategy and not as a cloud strategy in and of itself. The cloud strategy should keep the connection to the business, ensuring that organizations know why workloads are moving and the goal.

  1. Believing that Being a Vendor Shop Means that is the Cloud Strategy

Organizations will likely use several different cloud services over time. As the use of cloud service could become increasingly broad and diverse, devise a broad strategy by accommodating multiple types of scenarios, cloud services, vendors, and non-cloud environments. It’s impossible to source all cloud services from one vendor if you take the necessary broad view of cloud computing.

  1. Outsourcing Development of your Cloud Strategy

Outsourcing an organization’s cloud strategy may sound attractive but should not be done – it is far too important to outsource. Instead, use third parties – even the cloud provider – for implementation. This can be a cost-effective way of procuring the scarce cloud skills needed and providing direction on their individual cloud strategy.

  1. Saying “Our Cloud Strategy is Cloud First” is the Entire Cloud Strategy

A cloud-first approach means that if someone asks for an investment, the default place for them to build or place the new asset is in the public cloud “but cloud first” doesn’t mean cloud only. Adopt a cloud-first principle so that your strategy works out the exceptions to the default choice.

Gartner analysts will discuss the best ways to implement cloud strategy and transform business at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2023, taking place from November 28-30 in Kochi.

 

(The author is Mr. Marco Meinardi, VP Analyst at Gartner and the views expressed in this article are her own)

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