– Article in partnership with Cloudreach, an Atos company –
In just six seconds, my new Alfa Romeo Giulia can go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour. Conditions allowing it can also accelerate, brake, and steer autonomously. This technological advance not only improves the quality of my road trips, it also ensures my safety, that of my passengers, and the many other commuters that I pass along the way. As I was researching Cloudreach, an Atos company – the world’s leading independent multi-cloud services company – I couldn’t help but see many parallels between its value proposition and that of my car
Post-digital era accelerates the shift to Cloud
In the interests of transparency, I have a special relationship with the experts and executives at Atos, who recently acquired Cloudreach. For two years, I was an invited guest to their Atos Expert Community convention and was given full access to their innovations between sessions. No doubt, the warm connections that I formed with the team pre-pandemic and that I’ve since maintained, have spilled over into Cloudreach. Naturally, the more I researched the company’s vision and value proposition, the more aligned I felt with their mission.
At this point, you may be wondering: What does my car have to do with Cloudreach’s cloud migration services? Answering this question requires a basic understanding of cloud migration and its significance in our increasingly digital, connected, and interdependent world.
Allow me to explain. As we transition to the post-digital era – where digital will become so ubiquitous that it will fade into the background, like water and electricity – businesses will face increasing pressure to adopt the cloud. The advantages of the transition are many, from reducing costs, enhancing system security, and more operational flexibility to increased agility in go-to-market strategies.
Migrating to the cloud is not an easy process. It's best to choose an ally that will allow you to go from zero to cloud in the shortest time possible. Click To Tweet
Some technology experts have defined the “5 Rs” of cloud migration as rehost, refactor, revise, rebuild, and replace. Others see “7 Rs” as critical evaluation metrics; namely, refactor, replatform, repurchase, rehost, relocate, retain, and retire.
Numbers aside, the Rs are not a matter of invention, marketing gimmicks, or catchy mnemonics. They are thoughtfully defined and clearly articulated. That is precisely why businesses need to take a structured approach to cloud migration, one that involves 360 assessments, careful planning, selecting the right assets, and, above all, targeting operations that will ensure a smooth transition that does not detract from the customer experience or undercut revenues.
The benefits of an ally in cloud migration
Like any undertaking, embarking on this journey without clear planning can create more problems than it solves. Some of the potential drawbacks include, but are not limited to, organizational complexity, its impact on human resources and operations, the evolution of applications, and the likely return on investment.
While some companies will end up hiring industry experts in Cloud Computing or acquiring small companies to tap into their niche skills, many will turn to external consultancies, like Cloudreach. And this is where my car comes back into play, with its acceleration and autonomous driving capabilities.
The first thing that struck me was Cloudreach’s tagline from Zero to Cloud in 50 days, wherein they define a 50-day “no regrets” plan that ensures a smooth migration of a single application to the cloud. Immediately, this conjured up images of my car, which, you’ll recall, goes from 0 to 100 in six seconds.
The second is their commitment to making both technical and human resources available – while educating internal staff about cloud migration best practices – so that the customer is free to focus their attention on what matters most: running their business. This gave rise to yet another association with my car. Even though I am the one navigating the road, my car is there to assist me, course correct, brake, accelerate, and take the wheel as needed.
Coming full circle, Cloudreach’s cloud migration services are similar to what I get from the technological advances infused into my car – advances that allow me to drive with more peace of mind, greater safety, and the freedom to let my mind wander just enough to draft this article in the back of my mind.
- Original article previously published here