What’s Stalling Migrations? Security and complexity are the two main barriers that are stalling cloud projects. According to RapidScale, 43 percent of leaders have slowed migrations due to security concerns, while 42 percent are struggling with complexity. Further, 90 percent of respondents claim to have underestimated the complexity of cloud migrations to some degree, while 24 percent admit to making a massive miscalculation about the challenges they would face. The report also mentions budget cuts, compliance and leadership skepticism as top barriers to progress in the cloud. What’s more, over half of organizations have been forced to move talent away from existing projects to address cloud-related issues. “This clearly highlights that the complexity of cloud projects requires an organization’s best and brightest,” the report stated. “Moving resources to these cloud initiatives can degrade progress on other technology projects.” Hidden Costs Create Financial Burdens Companies often migrate to the cloud expecting to save money. However, reducing costs requires careful planning and execution at every turn. Cloud costs can quickly pile up from things such as data egress charges, network connectivity and data storage to name a few examples. In RapidScale’s report, 99 percent of respondents reported facing hidden costs in their cloud migrations. “The most prevalent hidden costs have been the simultaneous support of on-premises and cloud operations, unchecked cloud sprawl, and strategic shifts toward speed rather than efficiency, each affecting 40 percent of IT decision makers,” the report stated. PwC separately found that 50 percent of companies fail to realistically plan for cloud expenses and wind up paying more due to coexistence and other dependencies. Security a Top Need Cloud security remains a major concern, with migrations expanding attack vectors and exposing companies to greater risk. Many companies are migrating to the cloud and launching cloud-native services without the necessary visibility and security expertise to combat sophisticated threats. In Palo Alto’s latest “State of CloudNative Security” report, 90 percent of organizations said they can’t detect, contain and resolve cyberthreats within an hour. And in a recent “Cyber Risk Alliance Report,” one-quarter of respondents (25 percent) said they lack the skills or experience to properly secure the cloud. Fortunately, RapidScale’s report reveals that companies are increasing their efforts to protect their assets in the cloud. Thirty-six percent of respondents claimed they have increased their focus on security and compliance. That said, migrating to the cloud requires more than just investment and expertise. Companies also must modernize their culture and strategy to prioritize security and keep up with evolving threats. “For a security professional, the challenge in migrating to the cloud is about more than the migration of apps and data,” Palo Alto analysts explained. “Modern architectures and tech stacks for building, deploying and running applications require a new approach employing application-aware tools, products and methodologies. In view of the expansive attack surface, securing cloud native architectures must be the security professional’s objective.” Opportunity for Partners Challenges aside, cloud migration will undoubtedly accelerate in 2024 as more companies look to boost speed, efficiency and reliability. But while IT leaders may be eager to embrace the cloud, many lack the resources to execute migrations and achieve their goals. Considering this, channel partners must do more than simply guide clients to the cloud. Companies require strategic advisors who can help anticipate obstacles, control costs and deliver value in unexpected areas. Organizations also need support evolving cloud strategies and navigating trends including serverless computing, AI/ML integration and edge computing. Having honest discussions about the challenges and pitfalls of cloud computing can help build trust and improve cloud outcomes. As RapidScale pointed out, 99 percent of respondents expressed a strong preference for service partners if they were to redo their cloud migration. “This highlights the pivotal role of partners with expertise across a spectrum of services, from application modernization to cloud infrastructure design,” RapidScale said. “These partnerships streamline the migration process, optimize operations, reduce costs and provide the necessary support to navigate the complexities of cloud transformation.” o What are the top hidden costs, if any, you have encountered during your cloud migration? Supporting operations for both on-prem and cloud during a migration 40% Changes to cloud strategy to prioritize speed over optimization and efficiency 40% Cloud sprawl due to lack of constraints, guardrails, and governance 40% Refactoring legacy and/or monolithic applications not built for cloud 38% Source: Rapidscale If you were to have the chance to redo your cloud migration, what type of service partner would you use to facilitate migration to the cloud? Application development/modernization partner 59% Cloud infrastructure design and/or deployment partner 54% Automated infrastructure migration software 52% Database migration or refactoring partner 49% We would use the same partner we used in the past 16% Source: Rapidscale VIRTUAL REALITIES 26 CHANNELVISION | JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2024
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