Accomplish the Impossible: A Business-First Approach to Cloud Transformation

Cloud transformation can seem like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's the key to agility, innovation and modernization. On the other, it’s a journey riddled with risk.
The rapid adoption of cloud technologies isn’t slowing down anytime soon, yet, few organizations have a solid plan for managing the complexities of enterprise-wide cloud migration and adoption.

Over 80% of migrations either fail to deliver on time or go over budget due to poor planning, and about 70% of all digital transformation projects fail to meet their objectives because too much focus is on the technology — not enough on people, processes and change management. These issues beget challenges like shadow IT, a lack of governance controls and security risks, complicating adoption even more. But what if we could build a comprehensive cloud transformation model that minimizes risk, accelerates adoption and optimizes migrations while adding immediate value to the business? This is the key.

Imagine a cloud transformation approach where FinOps is integrated within the cloud adoption framework (CAF) from discovery through deployment — where automation is integrated across the stack, ensuring security, compliance and operational efficiency across the board — and where end-to-end DevOps further accelerates innovation and improves reliability. This is the kind of approach technology experts like CDW are delivering to help businesses maximize their investments in the cloud.

CDW’s specific strategy for effective cloud adoption and transformation combines the CAF with cloud cost economics, platform automation and DevOps. This model is built on the foundation of clear business objectives, robust governance and measurable outcomes, ensuring that cloud transformation is not just a technological shift but a strategic evolution that empowers organizations to drive sustainable growth and innovation.

The Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF): Build a holistic cloud transformation business case based on total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis, capital cost avoidance planning and a systematic transition from CapEx to OpEx.

Platform Automation: Shifting left with platform engineering is the key to accelerated cloud adoption. Utilizing Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Policy as Code (PaC), Configuration as Code (CaC) and self-service provisioning streamlines secure modernization.

End-to-End DevOps: Cloud transformation is not only about a shift to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS), but an effort to modernize your entire software development lifecycle (SDLC) to bring speed to development through cloud native DevOps tooling, continuous product design (CPD) and artificial intelligence (AI) integrations.

FinOps and Cloud Cost Economics: FinOps and cloud cost economics can help organizations optimize cloud expenditures. However, effectiveness depends on factors such as stakeholder engagement, accurate cost tracking and a commitment to ongoing financial discipline, rather than just focusing on lowering costs alone. This is why CDW’s approach, for example, pulls in hundreds of business drivers across cost savings, cost avoidance, operational efficiencies and increased business value to build a comprehensive and integrated TCO to drive your cloud transformation strategy.

75% of cloud migrations go over budget, with over a quarter of enterprises experiencing cost overruns of more than 20% (McKinsey & Company).

In the past, cloud transformation initiatives focused on lift-and-shift methodologies and were plagued by cost overruns, forecasting inaccuracies, slow delivery and architectural indecision. Ideally, your cloud transformation approach should aim to build migration acceleration, increase digital modernization initiatives, bring immediate value to the business, decrease overall cloud adoptions costs and optimize operational efficiencies. To do that, it must be framed around TCO modeling, FinOps best practices, security and governance, and accelerated application rationalization.

Building your migration strategy on the back of a holistic business case and integrated TCO drives business value, leads to revenue generation and is key to successful cloud transformation. Likewise, identifying opportunities for optimization during application rationalization can bring immediate benefits to the business. These opportunities act as quick wins, providing tangible results that bolster confidence, secure stakeholder buy-in and fund further innovation.

Ultimately, the future of a successful cloud journey is about shifting your focus from simply moving technology to strategically transforming your entire business. A holistic approach is crucial. This is why cloud experts at CDW developed a comprehensive strategy that moves beyond technology alone to address the core business drivers of a successful cloud transformation.

With a cloud transformation model that combines CAF, cloud cost economics, platform automation and DevOps, delivered through a framework that focuses on TCO modeling, FinOps best practices, security and governance, and accelerated application rationalization, CDW can help you build a comprehensive cloud transformation model that minimizes risk and accelerates adoption.