The best way to combat the anxiety created by an imposing task like adopting the cloud, is to understand it.

Digital transformation is doing more than putting IT departments involved, its turning companies, virtually all of them, into technology companies. Regardless of product, service or market, changing consumer demand and an evolved business landscape means smart companies are recognizing that technology has moved from a business support tool to a business driver.

It is necessary that companies be able to take advantage of a newly connected business world. These days, the speed, mobility, and flexibility offered by the cloud has increased the business stakes. It’s vitally important that your company overcomes the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) that can surround the cloud.

The best way to combat the anxiety created by an imposing task like adopting the cloud, is to understand it.

The biggest obstacles to cloud adoption often have nothing to do with technology. In my experience, many cloud efforts fail due to misalignment with internal stakeholders. Each stakeholder group has unique concerns about moving forward with the cloud. For example, IT fears losing control of infrastructure. Finance has concerns with how to budget for the cloud and new procurement models. The Security worries about compliance requirements and monitoring. But, peer buy-in is also critical to success. For instance, if application teams fear the cloud, they may not use it. You can try to force your infrastructure decisions on users. A better approach is to make them want the cloud in the first place.

Cloud is not a plug n play solution. You need ongoing education, training, collaboration and communications around cloud projects. To foster this, build a new cross-functional team. Remember, the impetus to adopt cloud may have come from the CXO’s. Its success relies on peers working side-by-side. Companies that adapt quickly to new technologies gain a foothold on the market. But companies that wait for a second or third wave stay at the back of the pack and never get the leading edge. So how does a company embrace technology and position itself in the wave.

Nothing beats experience for getting over the fear of the unknown. Shed light on the benefits of cloud by showing it in action in your environment. Take a production workload say, an app that everyone cares about and migrate it to the cloud. “Exposure therapy” will prove the value of the cloud model to cloud-averse adopters. Meanwhile, focusing on Hybrid IT means having a solid understanding of how your existing infrastructure can adapt to this and, that means, a change in security thinking. The biggest challenge of the cloud is that it entails data flowing outside of your business’ four walls.

Another most common fear is the Cloud security; Cloud security is different in that it requires a mentality of partnership, rather than control. Instead of relying on a firewall installed by your enterprise, cloud security means bringing other services onboard. You have to outsource certain parts of security to partners you can trust. With the knowledge, partner can provide security tools that guarantee visibility, control, and guidance. That means security that’s clear and understandable, that controls what matters. This might sound like yet another source of FUD. It’s not, the good news is that partnering with other organizations means that you can share their knowledge.

Every organization’s FUD about cloud is a little different because every organization is a little different. Implementing cloud can be tricky—there’s no way around it. But with open conversation and partnership with the right organizations, there’s no need to fear. Sooner than you think, you can embrace the possibilities of being secure, empowered, and cloud-enabled.

—by Gaurav Mishra, LSP Business Head, Crayon India.

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