Despite economic uncertainty, global instability and dynamically changing markets, companies across sectors are investing in cloud technologies. The global cloud computing market is projected to reach USD 1,240.9 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9%.
In the short term, 2025 will see 65.9% of application software spending channelled into cloud technologies (compared to 57.7% in 2022), according to Gartner. Why are companies accelerating cloud migration strategies? What are the advantages and drawbacks of different types of cloud? Crucially, how can companies optimize cloud migrations to increase return on investment (ROI), maximize resources and mitigate security risks? Read on to find out.
A cloud migration, or optimization, delivers real-world value
Businesses are migrating to cloud for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is savings, both in terms of capital expenditure (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx). Regardless of the scale of a cloud migration, it reduces infrastructure costs and maximizes employee productivity. Additionally, the scalability that cloud solutions provide ensures a business operates at its capacity, while maintaining high-quality performance. Easily scaling resources up and down, depending on needs, is an effective strategy for controlling costs.
A cloud migration also delivers enhanced real-time access to data from anywhere and through any device – provided there is an internet connection. Not only does this elevate customer and employee experience, but it makes remote collaboration seamless. Easy access to information, along with increased visibility and transparency, makes it easier for teams to deploy solutions faster and expand their disaster recovery capabilities. Of course, managing data and protecting it from cyber criminals, as well as staying compliant with relevant regulations, remains a priority. Regardless of the type of cloud your organization chooses to migrate to, cloud infrastructures and best practices defend your systems against cyberattacks.
Read more: Cloud Strategy – How to Plan a Successful Implementation
Public cloud vs private cloud vs hybrid cloud vs multicloud
Before pursuing a cloud migration, organizations need to evaluate their operations, align their goals and determine which kind of cloud migration fits their needs – be it public, private hybrid or multicloud. As with any technical solution, there are advantages and disadvantages to each option.:
Public cloud: Cloud resources are hosted by a third-party cloud service provider and used by various companies. Public cloud provides high reliability and security and comes with lower costs, both in terms of initial investment and ongoing maintenance, which is handled by a service provider. However, a company will have less control over infrastructure, be limited in customization options and might face incompatibility with strictly regulated environments.
Private cloud: Cloud resources are used solely by an individual company and hosted by that company or by a third-party provider. Private cloud provides very high security, customization opportunities and data and privacy controls, while easily complying with specific regulations. However, some drawbacks include difficulties in managing spikes in demand, high upfront investment and limited scalability and availability.
Hybrid cloud: Cloud resources are hosted both on a company’s on-site infrastructure and in a public cloud. Hybrid cloud provides high data control, regulatory compliance, reliability, flexibility, security, scalability and customization opportunities. However, a complex infrastructure and costs connected to implementing and maintaining a private cloud may dissuade some chief technology officers (CTOs).
Multicloud: Cloud resources are hosted by several cloud providers. Multicloud provides high availability and flexibility, along with low risk of vendor lock-in. This option requires compliance with various regulations and offers cost optimization through use of different vendors. However, there are complex architecture requirements, potentially high number of critical integrations and data security and privacy concerns.
Read also: Cloud Migration Services Will Help You Grow your Business More Rapidly
What you need to know before starting a cloud migration
Regardless of the industry or market they operate in, companies considering migrating to a cloud, or those who want to optimize their existing cloud systems, have similar questions. That’s why companies that want to use cloud technology to create impact are turning to cloud consulting and services to answer their questions so that value can be maximized.
CTOs considering a cloud migration are rightly concerned about big picture issues like cloud’s impact on an organization’s culture, the roles and skills needed to ensure a successful migration and even how to start a cloud migration strategy. They no doubt have questions about scalability and timelines connected to a cloud migration or optimization endeavor. In terms of more technical matters, they likely want to know if a landing zone is necessary, what ‘cloud native standard’ means and whether it is worth pursuing a FinOps methodology.
Additionally, a CTO would expect information about maximizing investment, optimizing costs and details about cloud’s total cost of ownership (TCO). Given the demands a cloud migration might have on day-to-day activities, a CTO would naturally want to know the impact of a migration on daily business, as well as how to evaluate if a cloud migration of optimization is effective.
While any cloud migration strategy should be tailored to a specific company’s needs and goals, this frequently asked questions were the inspiration behind our latest ebook, Your Essential Guide to Cloud Migrations and Optimizations. These topics, and many more, are addressed by cloud experts with years of experience.
A trusted partner can provide the cloud expertise you need
Any cloud migration is a significant undertaking, as the decisions made will impact almost every aspect of a business for many years. Teaming up with a partner that has technical proficiency and a proven track record of cloud migrations and optimizations is one of the reasons companies turn to Software Mind, whose experience and expertise ensure smooth migrations and cost-effective optimizations.
To learn more about what your organization needs to do to achieve a successful cloud migration, download our latest ebook, Your Essential Guide to Cloud Migrations and Optimizations.
About the authorMaciej Wolańczyk
Senior Cloud Architect & Tech Lead
A cloud consultant and architect with extensive experience assessing organizations’ readiness for cloud computing, creating service maps and overseeing security issues as part of a Cloud Adoption Framework. Excellent knowledge of cloud computing technologies and current trends in the field, combined with experience managing teams from requirements through design, implementation and deployment makes Maciej a valuable asset on any cloud project. Thanks to a background working with organizations and advanced analytical skills, he can easily identify solutions and the specific technologies needed to make them a reality.
