Top 10 Lessons Learned: Analytics Transformation to the Cloud

Below are the top ten lessons that we have learned, which I hope you find useful:

1. Assess before you begin

2. Enroll your stakeholders

Gain buy-in from all stakeholders across the enterprise as people’s challenges are often bigger than technology challenges. Let everyone understand, align, and contribute to the plan.

3. Evaluate your technology options

When considering your technology needs and options, weigh them against your current investments to ensure ROI. Leverage existing investments where it makes sense.

4. Reassess your processes

Utilizing new processes and technologies may create gaps in critical functions, including security and governance. Ensure you have a plan to mitigate these gaps.

5. Break the task

Break the transformation into smaller, logical, end-to-end executable workloads. Gain quick wins to build momentum and validate the approach.

6. Be agile

Adopt an agile development methodology to create defined, measurable success criteria at regular intervals.

7. Use accelerators

Utilize accelerators that bring automation for data migration, code conversion, and testing to reduce duration and cost while de-risking the project.

8. Upskill your people, processes

Use the transformation as an opportunity to install new processes, including DevOps, CI/CD, etc. Create a training plan for your employees on the required skillsets.

9. Have a decommissioning plan

Once you have migrated your analytics to the cloud, execute your decommissioning plan. This is often overlooked and delayed but is critical for the business case

10. Evangelize your success

Promote the success of the project: measure the success, sponsor follow-on projects, and share your overall transformation strategy.