Despite the rapid adoption of cloud technology in recent years, many organizations are still hesitant to fully embrace it. This phenomenon, which we’ll refer to as “Cloud Hesitancy,” is a pervasive issue in today’s business environment. Organizations of all sizes are reluctant to move their critical applications and data to the cloud due to a variety of reasons. In this blog, we’ll discuss some of the reasons behind The Cloud Hesitancy Phenomenon and how to overcome it through the eyes of an innovative and successful technology executive whose had the pleasure of serving in many industry verticals throughout my career and an innovator in driving cloud adoption in state government. 

The Reasons behind Cloud Hesitancy:  

• Costs, Costs and Costs: The transition from a [mostly] fixed cost on-premises data center to a consumption model is a significant contributing factor to the hesitancy phenomenon.  What are the costs to transition, what are the costs of operating/managing in the cloud?  What’s the best transition approach to migrate and manage those costs effectively? 
• Security and Data Privacy Concerns: The fear of data breaches and cyber-attacks is one of the main reasons why organizations are hesitant to move their data to the cloud. They are concerned about the security of their data and the privacy of their customers’ information. 
• Lack of Cloud Expertise: Many organizations lack the technical expertise to move their applications and data to the cloud. They are unsure how to migrate their existing applications, and they may lack the skills to manage cloud infrastructure. 
• Legacy Infrastructure: Many organizations have a significant investment in legacy infrastructure that is difficult to migrate to the cloud. They are concerned about the cost and complexity of migrating their existing applications to the cloud. 
• Regulatory Compliance: Organizations that operate in heavily regulated industries are hesitant to move their data to the cloud due to concerns about compliance with industry regulations.  

Approaches to Successfully Embrace Cloud:  

To overcome the Cloud Hesitancy Phenomenon, organizations should consider adopting a structured and deliberate approach to cloud adoption. The creation of a cloud architecture and governance framework are essential first steps if the organization doesn’t already have one. For this article, it is assumed you have this in place so we will focus on approaches. The Two popular approaches are “Cloud First” and “Cloud Fit.” 

Cloud First is an approach where organizations prioritize the cloud as the default option for all new applications, workloads or proof-concepts project initiatives. This approach allows organizations to take advantage of the cloud’s benefits and develop cloud-native applications that can take full advantage of cloud services. Beginning the cloud journey through this approach enables organizations to prove out the cloud model and start to consider migrating existing workloads to the cloud. 

On the other hand, Cloud Fit is an approach where organizations evaluate each application and workload to determine whether it can and should be migrated to the cloud. The decision to migrate is based on factors such as the level of effort required, the impact on the business, and whether it makes sense from a financial perspective. This approach helps to minimize the risk of disrupting the business by only migrating applications that make sense and can be done efficiently.   

To begin adopting cloud in a structured and deliberate manner, organizations can start by identifying the low-hanging fruit. This involves identifying applications and workloads that are the easiest to migrate to the cloud and have the least impact on the business. Once these applications have been successfully migrated, organizations can move on to more complex applications and workloads.  

Organizations can also consider partnering with cloud experts who can help them navigate the complexities of cloud adoption to streamline the process. Cloud experts can help organizations assess their current IT landscape, identify which applications and workloads can be migrated to the cloud, and develop a comprehensive cloud adoption strategy.  

In conclusion, embracing the cloud is not the daunting task it may have once seemed to be. By adopting a structured and deliberate approach to cloud adoption, organizations can overcome the Cloud Hesitancy Phenomenon and start to take advantage of the benefits of cloud technology. Whether it’s through Cloud First or Cloud Fit, taking the first step towards cloud adoption is crucial for staying competitive and agile in today’s fast-paced business environment.