Get your head in the cloud: why businesses should consider cloud migration

Working from home and other kinds of remote working have become common practice, with many companies adopting cloud infrastructure and technology to ensure business continuity and increased productivity.

Although there are many definitions and descriptions about “the cloud”, for this article, we will simply describe cloud computing as a model for delivering software and other information technology ("IT") resources through a particular type of computer network. In turn, cloud migration refers to the process of transferring data, applications and IT processes from an on-premises server to the cloud.

There are many advantages of using cloud technology, including:

not having to use internal resources to maintain on-premises servers and other hardware because the cloud service provider controls and maintains its infrastructure;
ensuring reliable access to and back-up procedures for the business' data (provided of course you have chosen the appropriate service provider);
the availability of data and computer applications at any time and from anywhere in the world;
improved agility to rapidly respond to changes and develop, test and launch software applications that drive business growth;
increased overall business cost efficiency since most cloud service providers use a pay-as-you-go pricing model including a reduction of overhead costs (for example, rent and electricity to house servers onsite); and
the (general) flexibility and scalability of cloud solutions, allowing a business to increase or decrease the capacity of the product based on the business' current needs.

It is easy to think that cloud migration is simple and can be facilitated through a mere click of a button (which technically it can, but please resist the urge to just click “I Accept”). To truly reap the rewards of the advantages described above (and hopefully more), cloud migration requires an effective and robust strategy and properly thought-out execution plan. Many cloud migration projects fail for reasons such as:

the size of the company impeding the progress that is required to successfully execute the migration process;
the cloud solution that a business selects is not well suited for the actual business needs – it really is not a “one-size-fits-all”;
poor project management: proper execution is key and failure to manage the project properly will most likely result in increased cost and never-ending extensions of the project timelines; and
lack of buy-in from everyone in the business, which often results in the products being underutilised.

The wasted expenditure associated with failed projects can run into figures north of tens of millions of rands and can also result long-term setbacks on plans relating to other IT projects that depended on the migration to the cloud. It is a critical success factor to get sound professional advice when contemplating a migration to the cloud.

At ENSafrica, we are able to provide clients with practical, commercially-sound and business-minded legal advice in relation to your cloud migration strategy.

Isaivan Naidoo

Technology, Media and Telecommunications | Executive

inaidoo@ENSafrica.com

+27 82 310 5172

Jessica Steele

Corporate Commercial | Associate

jsteele@ENSafrica.com

+27 72 455 2135

Naledi Ramoabi

Corporate Commercial | Candidate Legal Practitioner

nramoabi@ENSafrica.com

+27 72 742 0757