Executive leaders play a crucial role in Cloud adoption. They can’t simply proclaim, “we’re going into the Cloud,” and expect great results and they can’t sit back and passively monitor developments while hoping everything works out. They must establish clear objectives, guide strategy and provide the momentum and support needed to achieve their Cloud objectives.
Sound strategy and executive leadership sets a path and helps you quickly realize the promised benefits of your Cloud efforts. Conversely, inadequate Cloud strategy slows things down and increases the risk of wasted resources and failure. The following four steps help leaders optimize their organization’s Cloud adoption efforts and set them up for success:
Ground Your Strategy in Business Outcomes
Your Cloud strategy should start from an outcomes perspective. Rather than look at all the available Cloud technologies and try to fit them into what you do, set your business objectives first. What do you hope to accomplish? How will your organization benefit? What are the specific business cases that work for your organization? Cloud technology and solutions aren’t one-size-fits-all. Start with your desired business outcomes and then find the best technology fit.
Analyze Your Current Technology
Accurate projections of costs, resource needs and timeline for Cloud adoption are grounded in a clear understanding of your organization’s current technology. What are you currently using and how compatible is it with the Cloud? How do your applications work? How well do your applications scale? You must combine knowledge of Cloud technology with an understanding of what you have to chart the best path from where you are to where you want to go with your Cloud adoption.
Create a Roadmap
After establishing your desired business outcomes and analyzing your current technology, leaders should create a roadmap laying out how to achieve the organization’s Cloud objectives. A roadmap provides direction and creates momentum that combats the analysis paralysis that can cause delays in Cloud adoption efforts. With business objectives set, an understanding of your organization’s current state and a clear path forward, you can eliminate Cloud options that don’t meet your needs.
Provide Sufficient Resources
Your roadmap should be used to identify talent gaps and the resources needed to successfully carry out your Cloud adoption strategy. Going through the previous three steps helps leaders form their vision for what they are trying to accomplish with their Cloud adoption strategy and provide them with the background and knowledge to accurately project costs and resource needs so that efforts aren’t derailed by a lack of resources.
Leadership is Key
Leadership involvement streamlines Cloud adoption efforts and ensures your organization gets the most out of its investments. Driving the strategy, laying the groundwork, guiding the organization’s efforts and providing sufficient resources to see it through sets your organization up for successful Cloud adoption and the rapid realization of the business benefits that it brings.
Download the 5 Strategies to Bridge the Talent Gap infographic for tips on how to ensure your organization has skills necessary for a successful Cloud adoption.
