Independent Research Firm Study Cites Cloud Migration Challenges, Says Migration Should Be a ‘Continuous Process’

June 22, 2017 Off By David
Grazed from CloudHealth Technologies

Cloud migration should not be thought of as a one-time project but as a continuous process that requires thoughtful reassessment and re-alignment to maximize the potential value of cloud, an independent research firm concluded in a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of CloudHealth Technologies.

The research from Forrester Consulting, "Due Diligence is the Cornerstone of Public Cloud Migration Success," is a Technology Adoption Profile (TAP), a format in which Forrester summarizes market surveys and custom research questionnaires to show how IT organizations are using and benefiting from emerging technology and industry trends. The study polled 108 U.S. decision makers responsible for public cloud (IaaS) strategy at firms migrating workloads to public cloud.

The study reached the following conclusions:

  • Cloud migration is not easy — less than 40% of firms meet or exceed goals related to both migration and run costs.
  • Cost complexity is the largest source of confusion and misaligned expectations — 58% of respondents claim the costs to run their infrastructure in the cloud were higher than estimated.
  • Due diligence in the discovery and planning phases are critical — when asked what they would do differently in their next migration, the most common responses were to invest in tools, increase performance visibility, increase education of costs, risks and benefits, and spend more time on application assessment.

"Not only will increased visibility help to optimize performance and cost, but holistic information serves as a collaboration point across stakeholders," the study states.

While many firms pursue cloud with the expectation of improved performance and cost reduction, only 43 percent of those surveyed considered their most recent migration to public cloud as a success overall, according to the report. The study found most firms underestimate the costs associated with cloud usage and migration. While cloud platforms promise greater agility and flexibility, pay-per-use models often translate to unpredictable costs.

During the discovery and planning phase firms should strive to "increase visibility, education and time spent on application profiling" and "involve more business stakeholders in order to realign security and budgeting processes for a cloud first mandate."

"We believe these conclusions echo what we’ve been hearing from customers for years – that cloud migration is a difficult, confusing process that must be approached in a holistic fashion," said Joe Kinsella, CTO and Founder of CloudHealth Technologies. "The successful organizations are the ones that take the time to plan, evaluate their options and adopt continuous-learning feedback processes."

You can download a full copy of the study here.