{"id":13100,"date":"2023-09-21T11:37:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/?p=13100"},"modified":"2023-09-21T11:38:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:38:24","slug":"migrating-to-the-cloud-beware-of-the-many-hurdles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/2023\/09\/21\/migrating-to-the-cloud-beware-of-the-many-hurdles\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrating to the cloud? Beware of the many hurdles"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Businesses today are moving en masse to the cloud. However, before undertaking such a move, companies should understand the many hurdles they face, and how to overcome these, says <\/span> <\/i>Benjamin Coetzer<\/span><\/i>, Director at<\/span><\/i> local VMware Cloud Verified provider and VMware Principal Partner, <\/span><\/i>Routed<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Most businesses today, if they have not already undertaken a c<\/span>loud migration<\/span>, are certainly in <\/span>the process of <\/span>planning such a move. The desire to do so is fuelled by the multitude of <\/span>benefits <\/span>that are loudly proclaimed, including <\/span>scalability, flexibility<\/span> and<\/span> cost-efficiency. <\/span><\/p>\n

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However, <\/span>while there are undoubtedly many benefits, there are also numerous hurdles to cloud adoption, and it is these challenges that CIOs need to be especially aware of when planning a migration.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In fact, <\/span>some of the biggest challenges revolve around managing cloud spend, understanding the cost components of cloud infrastructure, and <\/span>of course, <\/span>how those costs can scale. Additionally, migrating traditional on-premises workloads to hyperscale providers isn\u2019t <\/span>always <\/span>a simple equation. Unlike buying physical servers and equipment, hyperscalers charge for communication and disk access in ways that are unfamiliar to most organi<\/span>sa<\/span>tions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Still, perhaps the single biggest global challenge currently, and one that is certainly a major issue in South Africa, is the lack of adequate cloud <\/span>skills<\/span>. A shortage like this means that <\/span>a lot of people <\/span>do not have the relevant experience in cloud migration, and thus face a steep learning curve when <\/span>transitioning from on-premises to the cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Part of the problem lies in the fact that with <\/span>on-premises setups, IT teams have more control over data access and security. In the cloud, security becomes a shared responsibility, requiring awareness and training across the <\/span>enterprise<\/span>. Moreover, as businesses shift to software-as-a-service (SaaS) models, employees <\/span>also <\/span>need retraining<\/span>, in order to<\/span> adapt to new ways of using applications and accessing data<\/span>,<\/span> while <\/span>still <\/span>maintaining <\/span>effective <\/span>security.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Legacy versus cloud native<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Another concern is that t<\/span>echnical leaders <\/span>sometimes try to take <\/span>legacy on<\/span>–<\/span>premise applications and <\/span>shift these straight <\/span>into a cloud native environment. <\/span>Not only do such applications not always work properly in the new environment, but organisations that are used to the usual <\/span>Capex<\/span>-type<\/span> investments<\/span> for <\/span>hardware refreshes or perpetual software licenses<\/span>, quickly find that the <\/span>cost operation model in a cloud environment is completely different. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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Worse still, it is often <\/span>the non<\/span>–<\/span>IT departments in the <\/span>business <\/span>that don’t know how to handle th<\/span>is new cost paradigm model – people like <\/span>the finance director, accountants <\/span>and<\/span> product teams. <\/span><\/p>\n

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There are also significant technical challenges to consider, with c<\/span>onnectivity <\/span>being <\/span>first and foremost<\/span> among these. Since connectivity is the lifeblood of the cloud, it is imperative that your business or <\/span>office park<\/span> has some form of <\/span>redundan<\/span>cy built <\/span>in. <\/span>The best approach is to utilise <\/span>two different <\/span>connectivity <\/span>mediums<\/span>, such as a main <\/span>fibre link<\/span>, with a wireless connection <\/span>as a secondary<\/span> option<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

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A second challenge here is the issue of <\/span>locality. <\/span>This is of concern, due to the nature of <\/span>compliance requirements <\/span>– like the General Data Protection Rule (GDPR) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (PoPIA) – indicating that certain <\/span>data <\/span>must <\/span>reside within <\/span>local <\/span>borders<\/span>. It is vital to be aware of the <\/span>personal information that you are saving in your databases, systems, and applications, <\/span>as this is stringently controlled and there are strict rules around <\/span>where <\/span>such <\/span>data resides<\/span>,<\/span> from a compliance perspective. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Security and data privacy concerns <\/span>should be among your top of mind thoughts, as such issues <\/span>play a significant role in hindering cloud adoption. <\/span>For example, we are aware that the <\/span>cloud introduces new operating paradigms and governance challenges<\/span>, such as S<\/span>hadow IT<\/span>. This is <\/span>where different departments use various cloud services without oversight, <\/span>something that <\/span>can <\/span>easily <\/span>lead to data breaches<\/span> of local regulations like PoPIA, and international ones like <\/span>the US Cloud Act<\/span>. Such laws<\/span> add complexities to data sovereignty and privacy<\/span>, meaning that organisations <\/span>need to consider these aspects when selecting a cloud provider.<\/span><\/p>\n

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High costs and vendor lock-in<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It is also worth noting that one really needs to r<\/span>ecogni<\/span>se<\/span> and address these challenges beforehand<\/span>. This<\/span> is critical<\/span>, <\/span>because once you’re committed to a cloud provider, it<\/span>s<\/span> difficult to switch or repatriate data without incurring high costs. Vendor lock-in is a real concern<\/span>, and carefully p<\/span>lanning ahead can prevent <\/span>your business <\/span>getting trapped in a situation where options are limited and costs are unforeseen.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This happens because <\/span>the fees from hyperscalers <\/span>are often consumption-based when<\/span> it comes to repatriating data or information out of cloud environments.<\/span> What occurs is that the providers entice new customers with an offer of huge discounts on their workloads, but this is done b<\/span>ecause they know that within <\/span>the contract period<\/span>, <\/span>the client\u2019s <\/span>consumption of their platform is going to grow drastically. Moving to a hyperscaler cloud is like checking into Hotel California: You can check in but you can never leave – o<\/span>nce you have committed, <\/span>you<\/span> may find yourself<\/span> stuck <\/span>with them – <\/span>because <\/span>in order <\/span>to move out<\/span> again<\/span>, it<\/span> may well <\/span>cost you more than you would have saved with th<\/span>e original <\/span>discount<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One more thing to consider is the concept of multi-cloud, similar to the previously coined term \u2018hybrid cloud\u2019<\/span>, where organisations place different workloads with different hyperscalers. This is often considered the next step in cloud migration, but represents further <\/span>challenges<\/span>, as it is now about <\/span>governance, compliance, control, and operational insights across <\/span>multiple <\/span>different cloud providers<\/span>, making the whole process even more complex. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Looking at the big picture, c<\/span>loud adoption <\/span>is obviously a move that <\/span>can be expensive<\/span>,<\/span> due to <\/span>the <\/span>operational complexities<\/span> outlined above<\/span>. However, these expenses can be balanced by the expertise that cloud providers bring in managing risk and operations, <\/span>as compared to <\/span>relying solely on internal IT staff<\/span>, particularly if they do not even have proper cloud skills<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Besides doing your homework before making the move, the best advice for those still seeking to migrate to the cloud is this: F<\/span>ind a trusted partner <\/span>that has a <\/span>proven track record<\/span> in cloud migration. Avoid those that like to <\/span>throw buzzwords <\/span>around and instead seek out a partner that will <\/span>look at your current IT state and your current business processes<\/span> with a critical eye, and that will be capable of both evaluating your situation and providing ongoing guidance as you move through your transformation journey<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Businesses today are moving en masse to the cloud. However, before undertaking such a move, companies should understand the many hurdles they face, and how to overcome these, says Benjamin Coetzer, Director at local VMware Cloud Verified provider and VMware Principal Partner, Routed. \u00a0 Most businesses today, if they have not already undertaken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[366],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techandbiz.com.ng\/tab-backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}