In previous blog posts, we’ve written about our own journey to the Cloud. Explaining why Microsoft Azure was the perfect partner to provide the scalability, reliability and security we needed. While we’ve had a positive experience, making the move to the Cloud is no easy feat.

A 2015 study from NTT Communication found that 41% of the 1600 ICT decision makers who participated in the study believed that migrating complex apps to the cloud was more trouble than it was worth. This figure may be from two years ago but it illustrates that Cloud can act as a hindrance to business success when not implanted and managed properly.

According to industry experts, the three main reasons Cloud migrations fail include:

• Poor preparation and a lack of planning
• Inability to identify the business objectives for migrating to the Cloud
• A lack of understanding around Cloud security and compliance

Riverbed, a US IT company, outlines several dangers that every modern business should avoid when moving to the Cloud. These pitfalls are unpacked below:

#1 An incomplete or out dated view of your infrastructure – In order to successfully design, map and shift applications from on-premises to the Cloud is a complex scenario. Getting this process right means knowing each and every component back to front and understanding how each component communicates with the next.

#2 Poor understanding of bandwidth and latency constraints – The Cloud offers a multitude of benefits but it does put additional pressure on corporate networks. Bandwidth and latency must be considered before migrating applications and data to the Cloud.

#3 A lack of visibility of app performance during the migration process – During this transition phase, it’s inevitable that performance problems will occur. To mitigate these issues as soon as possible, you need to have a clear picture of app performance so you can easily pinpoint what may be causing the problem. Visibility is critical.

#4 Not allocating enough time for a successful move – If you’ve ever built a house or done renovations, you’ll know that things generally run over schedule. Your Cloud migration will not happen overnight and organisations must keep in mind that migrations may happen slower than expected.

#5 Application, network, and security teams operating in silos – Cloud migration should be seen as a major IT transformation. It requires collaboration from multiple parties to be a success – from network professionals and legal experts to your IT security team.

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