Steps for success with Hybrid Cloud

As we move into the second act of the era of cloud computing, businesses will unlock new layers of benefits. We will soon see mission-critical applications moving into the cloud. Hybrid cloud offers new levels of interoperability to help companies move to a place where their data can be portable, realizing the idea of “write once, run anywhere.” Here are four steps to be successful with hybrid cloud implementation.

Begin with the End in Mind

As you begin, architect the destination. Think about open, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud. The decisions you make now will impact your organization for years to come. Consider each of your workloads. Which ones fit best in the public cloud? Which workloads have sensitive information that are better suited to private cloud and traditional IT environments? Avoid becoming dependent on a single vendor for products and services and reassess proprietary systems. These can lock in costs making it challenging to use other vendors without substantial monetary value. As technologies continue to evolve, these vendors and systems may not survive.

“Crawl, Walk, Run” Mindset

To ensure a successful deployment, approach with a “crawl, walk, run” mindset. It’s easy to get excited about the results and try to rush the critical first steps. Build out a clear and carefully plotted roadmap of the steps to the process. Know what you want to accomplish and in what order. Resist the pressure to move faster than necessary and focus on building a robust, open foundation.

The Right Talent at the Right Time

Always be looking for talent in and outside of your enterprise. Make sure to grow and develop in-house expertise. As these dynamic ecosystems evolve, so should your team with continuous training and education. Adjust the way you hire and train. However, don’t be afraid to draw on resources from trusted third-parties as well. Leaning into local expertise can help to reduce fixed costs and fill short-term gaps should they arise.

Manage to Clear Outcomes

You know the foundations of your enterprise. As new and exciting technologies emerge, stay true to your business principles while being agile. Incorporate new technologies when they arise but establish meaningful qualitative and quantitative measurements. Hold to them and stay true to those guiding principles. Manage to clear outcomes for the success of all involved.

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Key questions to consider:

• How will you approach the analysis of which workloads can be moved to the cloud and when?
• What is your plan to develop a hybrid cloud infrastructure?
• How can you start evaluating and comparing the potential benefits and pitfalls of working with various cloud vendors?