Most companies have long been using flexible cloud technologies to modernize their IT. Cloud offerings are now so mature that many organizations are even pursuing a 'cloud-first' strategy. This means that they use cloud services from the outset rather than purchasing their own systems. Most business leaders and IT managers believe they are on the safe side with this strategy in their modernization efforts. However, a closer look reveals that the move to the cloud must be well prepared so that organizations do not take outdated processes with them into the cloud - and thus negate some of the desired improvements.

The cloud is already the standard

Many organizations believe that once they have decided to move to the cloud, they simply have to choose a suitable cloud provider. In reality, of course, the decision is much more complex than simply comparing prices and functions of cloud providers. Beyond these certainly important parameters, for or against one cloud or another, it is important for organizations to design their processes in such a way that they always function smoothly in the chosen cloud environment, especially when requirements change. In practice, migrating data and processes to the cloud often involves a lot of manual adjustments. And if you take outdated processes with you to the cloud, you run the risk that the processes in the cloud will be even more complex to manage than before in your own data center. This additional effort involved in premature migration projects to the cloud partially negates the benefits of this migration - and thus calls into question the 'cloud-first' approach as a whole. In order to avoid these high costs, data management must first be brought up to date. Automation plays a key role here.

Modern data management requires automation

Before the cloud, IT teams were used to managing their own systems themselves. The day-to-day tasks consisted of purchasing, installing, licensing, regularly patching and upgrading these systems as required. However, if the systems themselves are in the cloud, the area of responsibility of these teams shifts from system administration to data management. Alongside the secure provision of IT services, this has emerged as one of the most important areas of IT responsibility.

Rob Mellor is Vice President and General Manager EMEA at WhereScape.

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However, as data volumes grow enormously in times of digitalization and can no longer be processed efficiently manually, IT teams need automation to help eliminate manual, repetitive and labor-intensive processes. This allows data to be managed faster and less error-prone, reducing the burden on IT teams.

Most IT teams understand this in principle, but see automation more as a medium to long-term goal of strategic modernization. In addition, many IT teams are more used to managing systems than modern data management. However, it would make more sense for modernization to automate first and then migrate to the cloud, where the automated processes also simply work on the new platform. The fact that such an 'automation-first' approach, i.e. thinking about automation first, is not implemented in most cases is mainly due to the lack of culture in companies' IT departments. In other words, 'automation first' is a sensible intermediate step that should be taken before moving to the cloud.

The 'automation-first' culture

Moving to the cloud offers a platform that is scalable, more user-friendly and more agile. However, moving to this platform does not mean that the data strategy becomes more modern. If you take an outdated data strategy to a modern platform - such as the cloud - you will not be able to fully exploit the value of the cloud.
At its core, an automation-first approach is about preparing for changes in the future. A high degree of automation makes data management future-proof, more flexible and easier to manage. However, to achieve a high level of automation, an organization's senior management needs to be on board to pave the way. A culture of automation must be actively supported, which must grow together with all employees involved in the processes - including IT. This makes 'automation-first' an important precursor for many companies on their way to the cloud.