‘We see that organisations which migrated to the cloud in the past five to ten years are not getting the most out of it,’ say Riepma and Van der Graaff. They often follow a ‘lift and shift’ approach—simply moving applications, data, and infrastructure from on-premises to the cloud. ‘But what works well on-premises doesn’t always work in the cloud. As a result, organisations miss out on the full range of cloud capabilities,’ Riepma notes.
Van der Graaff also observes that some organisations hold outdated views on cybersecurity and the cloud. ‘Although geopolitical concerns regarding cloud carry validity, a well-configured cloud environment is harder to hack than an on-premise environment. Cloud providers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google employ thousands of security engineers worldwide to keep your data safe—something that requires a lot more effort to realise on-prem.'
Getting started with the Cloud Maturity Quick Scan
When unauthorised access to the cloud does occur, it is more often due to human vulnerabilities, such as compromised user accounts, rather than technical flaws.
The technology advisors understand why many organisations are not yet fully ‘cloud native.’ Van der Graaff explains: ‘Other priorities often take precedence. For banks or insurers, making legacy applications cloud native is complex and costly. Recently, concerns about large American data centres—hyperscalers—have added to the hesitation.’
Unnecessary work and excessive costs
Inefficient cloud use means costs remain high—or even increase—after cloud transformation. Riepma sees IT staff performing redundant tasks, such as optimising applications post migration or managing databases separately from the cloud. ‘Cloud database services can automate much of this work, reducing manual intervention.’
Van der Graaff adds: ‘The cloud excels at scaling applications up and down. If you need to run a resource-intensive report once a month, you can configure the cloud to scale up temporarily and scale down automatically when finished. The same applies to events like Black Friday, where you see short spikes in digital payments. Because you only pay for what you use, this delivers immediate cost savings.’
The cloud can also take over many traditional management and system tasks. ‘Developing and launching applications is much faster in the cloud,’ Riepma says. ‘Many organisations have yet to adopt DevOps or BizDevOps, where product managers and marketers work closely with developers and operators. Traditional IT structures slow down delivery and go-live times.’
Cloud infrastructure and business priorities
Riepma and Van der Graaff note that organisations often fail to use the cloud’s advantages in areas like risk and finance. ‘A cloud transformation is more than a technical upgrade. Moving applications and data to the cloud is a strategic shift that impacts every part of the organisation. That’s why our Cloud Maturity Quick Scan goes beyond IT, offering a holistic view aligned with business priorities and ambitions,’ says Riepma.
‘With the scan results, we understand how the organisation operates and is structured. Together, we can identify where to focus to unlock the full value of the cloud, in line with the organisation’s strategy. This ensures the cloud delivers optimal and sustainable value. The quick scan is suitable for both organisations yet to start their cloud journey and those already cloud-ready but seeking further improvement,’ adds Van der Graaff.
Cloud maturity scan
The Cloud Maturity Quick Scan helps organisations determine whether they are fully prepared to exploit the cloud’s potential. This fast, online check uses ten questions to highlight strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement. The scan covers not only technical aspects like cloud infrastructure, but also business drivers, innovation, communication, collaboration (people and culture), and how regulatory and compliance requirements are managed in the cloud (policy and governance).
A cohesive cloud strategy
Many organisations lack a cohesive cloud strategy, resulting in fragmented tools, integration issues, and insufficient security. Is your organisation making the most of the cloud? Let’s find out together. Get started with the Cloud Maturity Quick Scan.
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