Introduction

In July 2023, Ntegra held a dinner to explore the cloud journey with clients, and we noted that the hype around cloud adoption was cooling, but the need to assess cloud as an option and define a transition strategy was still strong. Eighteen months after this event, we recently held a round table discussion to revisit this topic and share some of the lessons we learned from our experience helping clients, including a public sector organisation empowering their staff with cloud services in a controlled and repeatable way.  

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This blog describes some of the conversation topics, with particular attention on defining the end-state, sequencing transformation activities, ensuring visibility and management, leveraging diverse cloud service providers (CSPs), and addressing data sovereignty and security.

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Context  

With Amazon Web Services launching in 2006 (GCP 2008, MS Azure 2010) we are well over a decade into the world of cloud service providers. In parallel to this, analysts can look at investment trends as a proxy for the “S-Curves" of technology adoption and argue that the era of significant innovation of “cloud services” is slowing. Concepts in AI and Autonomous Systems that are built upon scalable cloud computing are absorbing a substantial proportion of the investment dollars from VC. As such, arguably the underlying cloud computing enterprise “is what it is” from here onwards (until highly-available commercial quantum computation changes everything!).

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Discussion

Over the course of the afternoon, we covered several topics. Some were not entirely new insights—we know that—but we also know that very few organisations are “all in” on the cloud and are, therefore, still working through these concepts and challenges as they consider moving some proportion of their enterprise to the cloud.  

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1. Vision and Alignment

We had experienced technologists around the table, so it was no surprise that it was well understood that a successful cloud strategy starts with a well-defined vision of the desired end-state. This vision must not only encompass immediate technology requirements but also reflect the company’s long-term business objectives. Organisations should consider how cloud adoption will integrate with other transformation efforts, including digital innovation, operational restructuring, and enhanced customer or user experience. Key factors in defining this end-state include:

• Business Alignment: Aligning cloud capabilities with broader goals, such as improving customer engagement, driving operational efficiency, or enabling data-driven decision-making. ‍

• Flexibility and Scalability: Ensuring that cloud resources can grow alongside the business to support future requirements.

• Regulatory Compliance: Establishing a framework to comply with industry-specific regulations as cloud solutions are implemented.

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2. Building a Strategic Roadmap

We discussed the fact that the world doesn’t stand still for cloud migration to take place. For optimal results, cloud transformation should be part of a broader sequence of transformation activities that are strategically aligned to minimise risk and maximise outcomes. The sequence of these activities might include:

• Prioritising Digital Readiness: Organisations must evaluate their digital maturity to determine the feasibility of transitioning core functions to the cloud.

• Aligning Cloud Migration with IT Modernisation: Transformation activities such as IT modernisation or cybersecurity upgrades should ideally precede or align with cloud migration to ensure compatibility.

• Managing Change Management Initiatives: Employee training and change management programmes must be integrated to equip teams for cloud-native processes and applications.

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3. Driving Innovation

There appeared to be some differentiators relevant to organisations that want to use cloud services as part of an enterprise optimised for experimentation. To foster innovation, organisations often benefit from engaging multiple cloud service providers. Different CSPs provide unique tools and frameworks that can support experimentation and drive innovation across various business functions. Benefits of a diverse CSP approach include:

• Access to Specialised Services: Each CSP brings distinct capabilities, enabling businesses to select specific services tailored to their needs.

• Increased Resilience: Diversifying across multiple CSPs reduces dependency on any single provider, improving resilience and availability.

• Fostering Innovation: Experimentation in a multi-cloud environment allows teams to test new ideas, technologies, and services without being locked into a single provider’s ecosystem.

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4. Centralised Cloud Management

We noted that effective cloud management requires robust visibility and control across all cloud environments. As organisations scale their cloud presence, they benefit from centralised management solutions, commonly known as a cloud management plane. This plane allows for:

• Real-Time Monitoring: Enhanced visibility into cloud resources, performance, and usage patterns.

• Cost Management: Tracking and managing expenditures to prevent overspending and optimise cloud spending.

• Security and Compliance Management: A unified view of security policies, regulatory requirements, and compliance standards across different cloud providers and environments.

Having a centralised management plane enables businesses to effectively govern their cloud environments, mitigating risks while maximising the value of cloud investments.

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5. Aligning with CSR Goals

We discussed the alignment with corporate and social responsibility and that cloud environmental impact has come under increasing scrutiny. Sustainable cloud computing focuses on minimising the carbon footprint and optimising energy efficiency across data centres and cloud operations. Key considerations include:

• Green Data Centres: Organisations should partner with CSPs that use renewable energy sources and adopt energy-efficient technologies.

• Optimised Workloads: Efficiently managing workloads and scaling resources dynamically to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

• Sustainability Metrics: Leveraging tools provided by CSPs to monitor and report the environmental impact of cloud operations.

By prioritising sustainability, organisations can align their cloud strategies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals, assessing impacts of different enterprise compute options and managing their contribution to global efforts to combat climate impact. ‍

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Cloud Centre of Excellence

Here at Ntegra, we excel in designing and constructing cloud-based systems, offering expertise in platform deployment strategies. As part of the discussion, we used a project deploying a Cloud Centre of Excellence within a public sector organisation to explain how we help clients with the challenges outlined above. We described how we collaborate seamlessly with existing teams, extending our support through the sharing of best practices, advanced architectures, and engineering solutions to overcome common challenges.

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Conclusion

Cloud transformation offers numerous benefits, but a strategic approach, assessing value along the way, is essential to realise its full potential. A successful cloud journey involves a clear end-state definition, strategic sequencing of transformation activities, robust cloud visibility, and perhaps multi-cloud capabilities to foster experimentation. Additionally, considerations around data sovereignty, security, and sustainability are critical to protecting organisational assets and ensuring compliance.

By addressing each of these areas, we can assist organisations in creating a resilient, flexible, and sustainable cloud infrastructure that supports long-term business development. ‍

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Participate in our next event

We have a full calendar of events, including roundtable discussions, planned for 2025. Clients of Ntegra’s Innovation Programme are provided early-bird invites to our events. If you would like to know more about our Innovation Programme, Cloud Centre of Excellence or future network events please contact hello@ntegra.co.uk.‍

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Authored by Ben Parish (Head of Innovation)

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