Cloud migration: With strategy to success

The success of digital business transformation is inextricably linked to cloud computing. To increase the chances of success, two-thirds of companies make the move to the cloud on the basis of a previously developed strategy. In 85% of companies with a cloud strategy, this is partially or fully linked to the corporate strategy. These are the findings of the “Cloud Migration 2021” study conducted by the trade journals CIO and Computerwoche.

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High satisfaction with cloud projects

The larger a company is, the more likely it is to have already implemented cloud projects. While around a quarter of smaller companies have implemented corresponding projects, the rate for medium-sized and large companies is one third. In addition, 43% of all companies surveyed have firmly planned to implement cloud projects in the near future.

If companies go ahead with cloud migration, the projects are generally successful. The level of satisfaction with the projects carried out to date is 85%. For companies with fewer than 500 employees, satisfaction even reaches 91%. A key factor for these figures is certainly the strategic approach of most companies, which increases the probability of project success.

Benefits are quickly realized

The high level of satisfaction with cloud projects is also linked to the fact that around two-thirds of companies are already benefiting from concrete advantages shortly after the cloud migration. Most respondents see the greatest benefit in general digitization (36%), followed by cost reductions through faster processes and lower IT maintenance costs (32%) and higher security (28%).

In contrast, aspects such as achieving competitive advantages (13%) and establishing new business models (6%) play a surprisingly minor role. One possible explanation is that companies only address these issues after they have achieved their primary goals of digitization and cost optimization.

Challenges on the road to the cloud

Companies cited IT infrastructure (36%), complexity of the project (32%), data security (31%) and lack of management support (26%) as the biggest challenges to cloud migration. Smaller companies are less critical of these aspects overall than large organizations. It is possible that the lower complexity of their IT landscapes and the shorter decision-making paths within the company help them here.

Using external expertise

As far as the implementation of cloud migration is concerned, 66% of companies place a corresponding project wholly or partly in the hands of an external service provider. Apparently, many companies lack the necessary personnel resources or the required know-how internally.

Regardless of whether the cloud migration is carried out with or without external support, it is clear to the majority of companies (60%) that the change to the cloud must also be accompanied by a cultural change throughout the company. Only then can the potential of cloud computing be fully tapped and the company’s success ensured in the long term.