Everybody is starting or already on the way of migrating stuff to the Cloud. Business cases revolve around money. Direct cash back. However, Cloud Adoption is very different from Cloud Migration. And actually I believe we do it in the wrong order: we migrate and maybe someday, but not now, we (will try to) adopt.
Let me define Cloud Migration and Cloud Adoption. Cloud migration is about taking a workload currently running in the local network and move that workload to the Cloud. A Mailbox migration to Exchange Online is a perfect example of Cloud Migration. Cloud Adoption is about leveraging features of workloads running in the Cloud which are not available when those workloads run in the local network. Office 365 for example advertises with “Enterprise Grade Features” but moving a Mailbox does not imply those features will be used. And most often they will not be used. So having you mailbox in the Cloud does not mean you do Cloud computing.
Recently I commented on http://www.conceptsearching.com/wp/challenges-in-adopting-cloud/ and my only comment was that this is the consequence of BAD PreSales and BAD Management of Customer Expectations. When we do not put an effort in on Cloud Adoption, the results of Cloud Migration are disappointing and frustrating. Maybe that is the main reason for this report to come out with such statistics.
Mea culpa. Me too, I have been focusing too much on the technical challenges of Migrating workloads to the Cloud. Although, together with that, I have always been evangelizing the powers of the Collaboration Suite; Exchange, Lync, SharePoint, Office, Devices. Then we talk Adoption. To get the full benefits of Cloud, Adoption should be the context and Migration is just content. Migration is only the execution of part of the adoption.
Now that Cloud Migration is no longer “rocket science” and now that the dust has settled, we can redefine Cloud Adoption as a Strategy whereas Cloud Migration was a tactical operation. For Organizations this is GREAT news. It means a huge step in getting IT as a “Business Enabler” instead of a “Cost Center. And for IT Companies and Consultants that is GREAT news too. It means we can engage in longer projects with our Customers! Adopting them to the Cloud and contribute to our Customers in moving their IT forward. Less technical and tactical, more engaging and strategic.
Happy Adopting!!!