How do you execute a successful cloud and hybrid IT initiative?

1 Assess your current state

Before you embark on any cloud or hybrid IT project, you need to have a clear understanding of your current IT environment, including your assets, dependencies, performance, costs, and risks. This will help you identify your gaps, needs, and opportunities for improvement, as well as your readiness and maturity for cloud adoption. You can use various tools and frameworks, such as the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF), to conduct a comprehensive assessment and create a baseline for your cloud journey.

2 Define your strategy and roadmap

Based on your assessment, you can define your cloud and hybrid IT strategy and roadmap, which should align with your business objectives and priorities. Your strategy should outline your vision, goals, scope, and principles for cloud and hybrid IT, as well as your governance, security, and compliance policies. Your roadmap should detail your action plan, timelines, milestones, and metrics for cloud and hybrid IT implementation, as well as your migration, integration, and optimization methods.

3 Choose your cloud and hybrid IT models

Depending on your strategy and roadmap, you can choose the best cloud and hybrid IT models for your specific needs and scenarios. There are different types of cloud models, such as public, private, or hybrid cloud, and different types of service models, such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), or software as a service (SaaS). There are also different types of hybrid IT models, such as on-premises, edge, or multi-cloud, which combine different cloud and non-cloud resources. You should evaluate the pros and cons of each model and select the ones that offer the most benefits and flexibility for your IT operations.

4 Implement your cloud and hybrid IT solutions

Once you have chosen your cloud and hybrid IT models, you can start implementing your cloud and hybrid IT solutions, following your roadmap and best practices. You should use a phased and iterative approach, starting with low-risk and high-value workloads, and then scaling up and expanding to more complex and critical workloads. You should also use automation, orchestration, and standardization tools to streamline and simplify your cloud and hybrid IT deployment and management. Moreover, you should ensure that your cloud and hybrid IT solutions are integrated and interoperable with your existing IT systems and processes.

5 Monitor and optimize your cloud and hybrid IT performance

After you have implemented your cloud and hybrid IT solutions, you need to monitor and optimize their performance, quality, and costs on an ongoing basis. You should use various tools and techniques, such as dashboards, alerts, analytics, and feedback loops, to collect and analyze data on your cloud and hybrid IT performance, usage, and trends. You should also use various methods and practices, such as DevOps, agile, and continuous improvement, to optimize your cloud and hybrid IT operations, delivery, and innovation. Furthermore, you should review and update your cloud and hybrid IT strategy and roadmap regularly, based on your changing business and IT needs and goals.

6 Learn and grow from your cloud and hybrid IT experience

Finally, you should learn and grow from your cloud and hybrid IT experience, by capturing and sharing your lessons learned, best practices, and success stories. You should also seek and leverage feedback, insights, and support from your stakeholders, partners, and peers, as well as from external sources, such as industry experts, communities, and platforms. You should also explore and embrace new opportunities, technologies, and trends that can enhance your cloud and hybrid IT capabilities and outcomes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?