The global spread of COVID-19 has driven organizations to rethink the way they work and operate. Many organizations think they have a working cloud strategy or are simple lacking one altogether. Both scenarios have been particularly poignant since the start of the pandemic as overall information technology services have been stressed with the influx of remote workers.

Many IT departments only consider the needs of IT and, as a result, devise a strategy without input from other parts of the organization. Likewise, they are often operating under the false assumption that a cloud strategy is the same as a cloud implementation plan. Taken together, this means they have not taken the time to consider business outcomes or even ask the explicit question of why they want to use cloud to begin with.

First: What is a cloud strategy? It explores and defines the role that cloud computing should play in the organization. It is not a plan to migrate everything to the cloud.

So, cloud strategy is clearly important. But organizations that do create cloud strategies often make many mistakes in them. Here are the top 10 mistakes Gartner saw most often while reviewing hundreds of cloud strategy documents.

Mistake No. 1: Assuming it’s an IT-only strategy and not involving the business, operations, legal, finance and procurement

The most common mistake that organizations make with their cloud computing strategy is to assume that it concerns only IT, when in fact cloud adoption affects all business units. Departments outside IT have needs and knowledge pertinent to the enterprise’s cloud strategy that IT professionals may not. If you’ve already devised an IT-only cloud strategy, use the strategy’s living document status to involve the business at the next scheduled update.

Mistake No. 2: Not having an exit strategy

An exit strategy outlines considerations regarding extricating yourself from a cloud decision if you need to. Many organizations believe exit strategies are unnecessary because they don’t expect to bring anything back from the cloud. However, it’s vital to have an exit strategy, even though you may never use it. This effort should also consider the possibility of changing providers, not just bringing workloads back on-premises.

Mistake No. 3: Combining or confusing a cloud strategy with a cloud implementation plan

Often, people will refer to a cloud implementation plan as a cloud strategy, when in fact it isn’t. An implementation plan is usually longer than what should be the strategy’s approximately 20 pages. It is also common to see a cloud adoption or migration plan referred to as a “cloud adoption strategy,” and one that is attempting to fill both roles (strategy and implementation). It is also likely extremely detailed, and it may contain some aspects of strategy. If you already created such a document, refactor it into two separate documents: a cloud strategy and a cloud implementation plan.

A cloud strategy should come first. It’s the decision phase in which you decide the role that cloud computing will play — if any — in your organization. A cloud implementation plan comes next, putting the cloud strategy into effect.

Mistake No. 4: Believing it’s too late to devise a cloud strategy

Many organizations believe it’s too late to devise a cloud strategy if they’re already using cloud computing, but it’s better to do it late than never do it at all. Ask yourself why you’re using cloud computing and what its role is in your organization. Determine achievements, mistakes and lessons learned thus far, and document them in your cloud strategy and join your cloud journey in progress. After all, ensuring your strategy is a living, breathing document is vital to its success. 

Mistake No. 5: Equating a cloud strategy with “We’re moving everything to the cloud”

Assuming that your cloud strategy is simply the idea of moving everything to the cloud is a mistake: It leads to organizations believing they will then be forced to use cloud computing for all aspects of the enterprise. A cloud strategy is not just about which workloads are moving but also where they are going (or not).  You should go into strategy development with the answer already determined.

Mistake No. 6: Saying, “Our cloud strategy is our data center strategy” or “It’s all in or nothing”

Cloud strategies and data center strategies should remain separate but aligned. This is especially important if your organization has decided to consolidate its data centers or eliminate them.

Cloud strategy decisions are workload by workload, not data center (all or nothing) decisions. Although the main cloud providers now enable you to “lift and shift” your data center, it is important to recognize that this is more applicable to execution of a data center strategy than a cloud strategy.

Mistake No. 7: Believing that an executive mandate is a strategy

Many organizations adopt cloud computing because a member of the C-Suite believes that doing so will result in cost savings or have some other expectation that is not rooted in fact. This is a very common mistake and one of many cloud myths that continue to exist.

Cloud computing doesn’t always save money, and this objective alone shouldn’t form the basis of a cloud strategy. Base your strategy on achieving target business outcomes and imperatives, not on how the CEO told you to do so. Consider a mandate to be a mandate to do a real strategy.

Mistake No. 8: Having a single-vendor strategy for all things cloud

Aimlessly following a vendor into the cloud is not the same thing as pursuing an intentional cloud strategy. The former does not take into account the many types of cloud services that exist, as many vendors don’t offer every single thing that cloud offers – especially at the software-as-a-service level.

Instead, devise a strategy that includes SaaS, platform-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service along with multi, hybrid, distributed and noncloud options. A qualified cloud architect can provide recommendations on the approach that will work best for your organization.

Mistake No. 9: Outsourcing development of your cloud strategy

Outsourcing your cloud strategy is appealing, but usually the outcome includes measures that are more aligned to a provider’s strategy than your own needs. Use a third party for implementation instead – this can even by the cloud provider. This can be a cost-effective way of procuring the scarce cloud skills your organization needs.

Mistake No. 10: Saying “Our strategy is cloud-first” is the entire cloud strategy

A cloud-first approach means that if someone asks for an investment and it meets the relevant criteria, the default place for them to build or place this new thing is in the public cloud. They would need a good reason to put it elsewhere. But a cloud-first principle shouldn’t force people to use the cloud; that’s a cloud-only policy. Cloud first is but one aspect of an overarching cloud strategy, but there is much more to be done.

A good cloud strategy should be concise (say, 10 to 20 pages or slides) and should be regularly updated. It is essential that it coexists with other strategic efforts in the enterprise, rather than try to redo them, and must be primarily driven by business strategy. Otherwise, your organization is bound to fall victim to one or more of the above mistakes.

You can learn more about how to lead organizations through the disruption of coronavirus in the Gartner coronavirus resource center, a collection of complimentary Gartner research and webinars to help organizations respond, manage and prepare for the rapid spread and global impact of COVID-19.

David Mitchell Smith is a distinguished vice president, analyst and Gartner Fellow Emeritus in Gartner Research. He is part of the Enterprise Architecture and Technology Innovation team, where he leads the research agenda for cloud computing and digital disruption. He wrote this article for SiliconANGLE.

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