A cloud readiness assessment can help determine whether businesses are ready for cloud platforms and which types of cloud migration strategies would work better for the unique needs of each company. Some companies succeed with public cloud migration while others work with private clouds and some adopt hybrid solutions, which is a combination of public and private services.
Statista shows that 73% of companies plan to adopt hybrid cloud solutions in 2024 while 14% wish to adopt multiple public cloud services, with 10% planning single public cloud adoption and 2% considering multiple private clouds. Only 1% of companies seek a single private cloud migration strategy. Use our readiness checklist to determine the best strategy for your business.
What Are Cloud Readiness Assessments?
A cloud readiness assessment ensures that a business, databases, staff, and existing IT infrastructure are ready to migrate to a cloud platform, and it’s essential to know how to avoid cloud migration failure. Seamless cloud migration is possible once you assess cloud readiness to adopt cloud technology that fits your security requirements and storage and data protection needs.
Cloud Readiness Assessment vs. Cloud Migration Plan
A cloud readiness analysis determines whether you’re ready for the cloud migration process. It’s only the first step of a cloud migration process and comes right before planning the cloud migration strategy. So, what is a cloud migration strategy?
The cloud readiness analysis defines the strategy, which follows the 7 R’s of a cloud migration plan. Businesses decide whether to refactor, re-platform, repurchase, rehost, relocate, retain, or retire. For example, some assets may be rehosted on cloud servers while others retire as outdated data.
The Benefits of Using a Cloud Readiness Assessment Checklist
Moving to cloud providers has many benefits for businesses and users. However, the advantages of using a cloud readiness assessment include the following:
- Business Continuity: The right strategy is aligned with business objectives for continuity.
- Competitive Edge: Migrate successfully to compete with market leaders using cloud services.
- Cost Savings: Manage cloud costs and the budget for your migration strategy.
- Decision-Making: Make informed decisions based on data analytics from assessments.
- Resource Planning: Allocate resources to critical tasks and development needs.
- Risk Mitigation: Reduce the risk of cloud migration strategy failure or excessive downtime.
- Scalable Infrastructure: Know what the business needs to ensure infrastructure scalability.
- Strategic Planning: Design a strategic roadmap sure to succeed in the migration process.
What Are the Risks of Not Assessing Readiness?
A cloud readiness assessment can prevent or reduce risks, including migration failure and compliance issues. Assess cloud readiness to avoid the following risks:
- Compliance Issues: A thorough readiness assessment can define compliance requirements.
- Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities: SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS security requirements differ for migration.
- Excessive Downtime: Moving infrastructure without considering dependencies causes downtime.
- Lack of Scalable Infrastructure: The wrong requirements lead to a lack of storage and scalability.
- Vendor Lock-In: Hasty decisions can cause businesses to struggle with vendor lock-in.
- Weak Migration Process: It highlights possible complexities to improve the chance of success.
The Cloud Readiness Assessment Process Explained
Our readiness assessment process will define a successful cloud migration journey, reduce risks, and make cloud adoption a positive experience for everyone involved. It will also outline the best cloud strategy for choosing the right IT environment, cloud deployment, and disaster recovery methods.
Stage 1: The Discovery Phase
The first step in the cloud readiness assessment process is to define business goals for adopting cloud computing to outline the budget and potential costs. The discovery stage includes an assessment of business preparedness and strategic objectives for the cloud journey project scope.
The cloud assessment discovery phase determines strategic business goals to move to the cloud. The business case may include the need for innovation, agility, a competitive advantage, or enhancing the overall customer experience. Companies must build a business case before they can move to the cloud.
Stage 2: Existing IT Infrastructure Evaluation
The next stage is a comprehensive evaluation of the existing IT infrastructure to determine what cloud infrastructure will be required to accommodate an existing infrastructure and data storage capacity to define the technical requirements for the cloud transition.
Migrating to the cloud requires a smooth transition that reduces downtime while ensuring the right cloud setup is ready before a company moves to a cloud provider. Experts also evaluate the technical needs, data flows, access management, and during this cloud readiness assessment phase.
Stage 3: Determine Operational Readiness
An organisation’s preparedness is also determined by understanding how ready the operations are to move to the cloud environment. For example, do your business processes and operations have a disaster recovery plan ready if the migration process takes longer than expected?
Migrating to the cloud requires technical experts to assess the existing IT infrastructure and network infrastructure with data flows to improve the smooth transition without disrupting the operations while having a disaster recovery plan in place should the cloud transition take longer.
Stage 4: Evaluate Existing Resources and Provide Training
An organisation’s readiness also depends on whether the existing resources or personnel can handle the smooth transition to cloud providers, regardless of the cloud setup. This phase of the cloud readiness assessment determines your internal resources and the need for additional talent or training.
Moving legacy systems to the cloud is a process, and having well-trained and knowledgeable personnel on your premises isn’t essential. The cloud readiness assessment ensures you adopt cloud technology with the right talent, whether you keep existing resources, an in-house team, or outsource your needs.
Stage 5: Assessing Security and Compliance Requirements
Some cloud benefits include improved security and compliance to ensure data protection based on data sensitivity. The next phase of the cloud assessment occurs when technical experts gather and define the security and compliance requirements to ensure data security and good migration timing.
Migrating to the cloud requires companies to follow the UK’s stringent Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to protect data sensitivity and privacy for businesses, users, and consumers, whether moving to a hybrid cloud, Google Cloud, or a private cloud provider.
Stage 6: Capture an Application and Data Inventory
Finally, capture the complete list of existing infrastructure, data storage systems, data security, data sensitivity information, data security needs, compliance requirements, cloud adoption technologies, cloud computing applications, and desired cloud environments.
Create an extensive application and data inventory to allocate the best migration strategy for each category using the 7 R’s. For example, repurchase outdated security and compliance measures and choose cloud environments that best fit the migration strategy budget.
Stage 7: Design and Implement the Migration Strategy
Finally, the cloud readiness assessment for the migration process is complete once all of the above evaluations and requirements are listed for an expert cloud partner to design the ultimate migration strategy that aims to meet the budget, use the right cloud environments, and start the cloud journey.
The 7-stage cloud readiness assessment framework acts as a cloud readiness assessment template that helps organisations move to the cloud while they manage cloud costs and initiate a successful cloud deployment. Companies can also learn how to reduce cloud hosting costs before the stage ends.
The Ultimate Cloud Readiness Assessment Checklist
Use our checklist as a cloud readiness assessment template to guide different phases of the above process. Each headline will influence a checklist of items to evaluate and consider during different phases of the assessment to ensure seamless cloud adoption in a deliberate cloud strategy.
Discovery Phase Checklist:
Understanding more than the business goals can help you define the project scope more efficiently in the discovery phase. Consider the following factors that influence the business case for cloud adoption:
- Define business objectives for cloud adoption to ensure goals align with the strategy
- Outline the expected timeline to start and complete the migration process
- Identify potential cost savings methods to reduce or manage cloud costs
- Assess whether competition, user experience, innovation, agility, or continuity matter the most
Existing Infrastructure Evaluation Checklist:
Assess what the requirements are to move the existing IT infrastructure to a more scalable infrastructure with the right technologies and storage capacity by considering the following factors:
- Define and prioritise workload complexity to fit into the 7 R’s of the migration strategy
- Decide the best cloud environment for each workload (public, private, or hybrid cloud adoption)
- Map application and component dependencies to ensure all necessary components are identified
- Outline the data storage and capacity requirements to move current data to cloud infrastructure
- Identify the physical infrastructure that may need to use a hybrid environment or private setup
- Determine the addition of modern applications and software in a cloud environment
Operational Readiness Checklist:
A cloud readiness assessment ensures that operations don’t experience downtime during the process. Use the operational readiness checklist to include the following considerations and factors:
- Choose the selected cloud model that suits the PaaS, SaaS, or IaaS workloads better
- Plan the cloud deployment type to ensure a smooth migration to the cloud platforms
- Define which workloads and applications must be moved in which order to avoid disruptions
- Implement a risk management strategy for data recovery if things don’t go as planned
- Detail all the migration roles, responsibilities, and resource allocations for the transition
Resource and Personnel Readiness Checklist:
The migration process won’t succeed if in-house personnel don’t have the skills or knowledge to execute their responsibilities outlined in the previous checklist. Consider the following factors:
- Ensure all staff and resources are aware of the cloud journey for organisational preparedness
- On-board any talent short in your in-house team, or outsource cloud migration services
- Consider outsourcing software development services for added software and infrastructure
- Provide training to any staff who may have roles and responsibilities in the migration strategy
Security and Compliance Readiness Checklist:
Gather and define the security and compliance needs before migrating to the cloud to prevent delays and reduce the risk of compliance issues or cyber threats. Consider the following checklist:
- Expand your knowledge about cloud security with an AWS partner or Microsoft Azure partner
- Partner with a team who can define your specific security requirements to ensure compliance
- Work with a trusted custom software development company to ensure cloud security
- Define the IT infrastructure security protocols to be implemented in the migration stage
Application and Data Inventory Checklist:
The application and data inventory can help in disaster recovery and if the migration suddenly requires change management. Here are the inventory additions to ensure an organisation’s cloud readiness:
- Create an inventory of all virtual and physical servers in use
- Document every application or software with its dependencies
- Define the network topology and connectivity capacity
- Outline current data storage, data types, databases, and capacity
- All cloud computing technologies to be implemented or added
Cloud Migration Planning Checklist:
Familiarise yourself with the cloud migration strategies, including the trusted 7 R’s of cloud strategy to ensure efficient cloud management during the migration stage. Here are some considerations:
- Choose between the AWS cloud migration strategy or Azure vs. Google Cloud platform strategies
- Conduct a Google Cloud readiness assessment if moving to the Google Cloud environment
- Select a private or hybrid cloud adoption strategy if the existing cloud providers don’t fit
- Assign the role of cloud management to a person with the expertise to ensure success
- Define and document the entire cloud migration strategy for a smooth cloud transition
Cloud Readiness Assessment Tools
Cloud readiness assessment tools from well-known and trusted cloud provider platforms act like a cloud readiness assessment template to guide the entire process. Here are fantastic tools from the major cloud platforms to help determine an organisation’s readiness:
- AWS Cloud Adoption Readiness Tool (CART)
The AWS cloud adoption readiness tool helps to define the business case, follows security and compliance best practices, and guides the planning process to reduce operational downtime.
- Microsoft Azure Cloud Adoption Framework
The Microsoft Azure cloud adoption framework guides a comprehensive evaluation of the current digital landscape, planning the migration strategy, and ensuring operating model alignment.
- Google Cloud Readiness Assessment
The Google Cloud adoption framework also guides the entire evaluation and planning processes to ensure security and compliance before the adoption of cloud computing.
Cloud Readiness Assessments With a Cloud Migration Expert
At Pulsion, we provide cloud migration services to cater to all project types and sizes, even offering hybrid or private cloud setups. We are a trusted AWS partner and Microsoft Azure partner in the UK, ensuring all business operations will continue running smoothly throughout the migration phase.
We’ve served multiple clients and completed many successful case studies over nearly three decades, empowering any company in any industry to meet its business objectives, including business continuity. Our cloud readiness assessments follow the guidelines provided by leading cloud readiness platforms.
We conduct a thorough evaluation of your existing IT infrastructure to ensure your cloud infrastructure can manage and improve your processes, operations, products, and services. We walk you through the entire cloud migration process with complete cloud readiness assessments.
We help clients answer, “Which cloud solution is right for me?” Let us transform your existing infrastructure into scalable network infrastructure that helps you tick every objective box. Contact us today to partner with a certified cloud partner in the UK to keep data secure and streamline migration.
Cloud Readiness Assessment Checklist Conclusion
Moving your IT infrastructure, operations, and security and compliance protocols to a cloud platform runs smoother once you conduct a thorough cloud readiness assessment. Cloud adoption has many benefits for businesses, including continuity, competitiveness, and improved security.
However, having checklists to complete each assessment stage before cloud migration can mean the difference between failure and success. Alternatively, use the Azure cloud adoption framework or a trusted, certified cloud partner in the UK when you contact us to discuss your business plans.
Cloud Readiness Assessment FAQs
How do you perform a cloud readiness assessment?
Cloud readiness assessment tools can help outline the process, including the Azure cloud adoption framework or the Google Cloud readiness assessment. Alternatively, implement these stages to complete a cloud readiness assessment to streamline migration processes:
- Use the discovery phase to define a business case, project scope, budget, and timeline
- Evaluate existing IT infrastructure, workloads, and technology for cloud readiness
- Assess operational readiness by planning strategies according to the 7 R’s of migration
- Evaluate the organisation’s readiness to determine whether resources or training are necessary
- Assess the security and compliance readiness and requirements for cloud readiness
- Capture and document a comprehensive application and data inventory with assigned strategies
- Design the ultimate migration plan to ensure success and implement the step-by-step process
Why is a cloud readiness assessment important?
Cloud benefits are plentiful. However, poorly planned migration can increase the risk of failure. Businesses can also experience revenue losses and downtime that may hurt the brand or reputation. Instead, a readiness analysis can identify potential cost savings while evaluating an organisation’s cloud readiness.
Additionally, the readiness assessments could outline better security protocols to reinforce cloud security and meet compliance requirements to prevent downtime. Furthermore, assessments can help with disaster recovery by implementing risk management and mitigation plans during the migration.
What is a project readiness checklist?
A project readiness checklist ensures business continuity and project success by reminding project managers what to include in each evaluation stage. For example, a project manager may see a risky gap in the project’s lifecycle when evaluating security and compliance measures. They may also identify missing technology before planning the migration of business processes.
