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Cloud-Strategies

Cloud Hosting

Designing a cloud strategy that’s right for your application

Hosting websites and applications in a cloud environment is particularly useful when variable storage space and extremely fast system response times are called for. That's why we offer our clients Cloud Hosting in addition to Managed Hosting in our own infrastructure in the data centre.

A cloud strategy defines the role of the cloud in your organisation and how it can contribute to the success of your company. It leads to a package of measures, the implementation of which is intended to deliver long-term success. The strategies depend on how well the company's processes are already prepared for cloud computing and the reasons an organisation has for moving its activities to the cloud.

Why is it necessary to develop a cloud strategy?

Each business step should be preceded by an analysis of the current situation and the development of a strategy. Without a cloud strategy, moving business to the cloud can lead to massive problems and inefficiency. A well-designed strategy is necessary to prepare your own company for the move to the cloud and the potential it offers.

What should a cloud strategy include?

A cloud strategy that clearly defines the “what”, “how” and “why” is effective and target-orientated. VIt is crucial to understand what the term "cloud" actually entails before developing such a strategy. A basic understanding of public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud will help a company in defining its requirements. It is important to consider how the cloud can and should contribute to the achievement of strategic business targets.

What does a cloud strategy involve?

Information gathering

The basis of any good strategy is the information on which it is based. This is the first and most important step for all subsequent decisions. More on this.

Cloud model

What is a cloud model and what different models are available? Moreover: Which service models are available for the different models and which one best fits your requirements? More on this here.

Analysis & target definition

The analysis and target definition phases follow once the parameters for your cloud strategy have been identified. We have listed here the questions that need to be answered at this point.

Implementation

We will start implementing your cloud strategy once all aspects have been planned, prepared and agreed. There are differences depending on the size of the company. More on this.

Communication

As with any other strategy, communication of the new cloud strategy is the key. Find out here which steps need to be taken and what interfaces need to be addressed.

Glass roof

Step 1: Information gathering

In preparation for moving the website / application to the cloud environment, it is important to first gather all the information relevant for developing an individual cloud strategy.

The following aspects need to be discussed and defined in this context:

  • What are your company's objectives?
  • What requirements need to be met before implementation can start?
  • Who are the key stakeholders in your company and what potential will the move to the cloud present for them?
  • What are the key drivers for moving to the cloud?
  • What are the opportunities and risks of moving to the cloud? What relevance do you attribute to the opportunities and risks?

The next step is to look at how well your organisation's IT structures, processes, and dependencies are prepared for a possible move to the cloud.

Step 2: Evaluation of possible cloud models

Once you have a basic understanding of cloud technology and the main objectives and requirements for its use have been clarified, the next step is to find a cloud deployment model that fits your organisation. A cloud deployment model describes the specific form of the cloud environment in terms of responsibilities, scalability, access restrictions and purpose. It also defines the location of the servers to be used and the people (groups) that access them. 

 

Generally, people tend to distinguish between the following cloud deployment models:

  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
  • Community cloud
  • Multi-cloud

The question then arises as to how the construct should be supported and maintained ("cloud service model"). There are different models to choose from, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). The suitability of each respective service depends on the organisation.

 

Step 3: Analysis and definition of objectives

Show larger version for: Analysis

Analysis

Once these parameters have been clarified, the next step is to find a suitable provider. The following approaches are helpful when considering providers:

  • Gap analysis (target/actual) and an action plan based on this to close the gaps
  • Risk analysis followed by weighting

Definition of objectives

Part of the process to define objectives involves developing a clear idea of the physical and virtual state that the company hopes to have achieved once the strategy has been put in place.

Answering the following questions will help to define this state:

  • Which services are to be migrated to the cloud?
  • Does your business require private or public services, or both?
  • Is it necessary to retain selected processes internally within the company?
  • To what extent does the company need its own control over the selected cloud service (IaaS, PaaS or SaaS)?
  • What changes need to be made to existing policies to achieve the desired state of affairs?
  • What metrics are used to measure the degree of target achievement?

Step 4: Communication and implementation timetable

As is so often the case, here too, it is important to inform all stakeholders within the organisation about the progress of the process. This will help you to promote an understanding about the process and motivate people to contribute to its success. It will also gradually prepare your employees for the upcoming changes and ensure that every relevant aspect is considered to the best of your knowledge when implementing the strategy.

Step 5: Implementation

Experience has shown that your strategy will take approximately two months to implement in small businesses and up to two years in very large companies. The period depends on the number of services to be migrated, compliance requirements and other factors identified during development of the strategy.