When moving to the cloud, many organizations concentrate their focus on the change in technology and overlook an area just as complex: cultural change.
While it can be tempting to believe in a universally “correct” strategy for change management, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every organization has its own unique considerations. That said, there are some core strategies we’ve found to be relevant and useful across a broad range of businesses.
1. Define your purpose for moving to the cloud
Before starting a larger migration, make some deliberate decisions. We recommend having a detailed answer to two key questions:
- Where do you want to go? (What’s your cloud vision?)
- How do you plan to get there?
Start by having a conversation with leaders and those who will be key to the journey about how far you want to push your cloud vision. This alignment ensures everyone is on the same page and provides greater direction, allowing more deliberate action.
2. Find the change path that’s right for you
Whether a “lift and shift” approach is right for you or a more transformative approach with a lot of re-architecting, the most important thing is to find the flavor of change appropriate to your context and level of ambition. This shapes both your key migration activities and the level of impact to be managed within your organization.
3. Learn from best practices
- Share the vision — and measure, measure, measure. Once you’ve crystallized your cloud vision with leadership, share it widely. Set success goals and communicate them to hold yourself accountable.
- Be clear about the capabilities you’ll need in the future — and where you’ll get them. If your vision is to become a cloud-first, data- and AI-led organization, the right data science skills and machine learning capabilities become critical.
- Find the right balance between capabilities that should be centrally controlled and those that should be decentralized or agile. For every business, the solution is a little different.
- Start thinking about the needed tech and non-tech skills now, and how you’ll fill the gaps. Building tech skills takes time, and not everyone will feel comfortable with a future of collaboration, innovation, and agility.
Google Cloud Professional Services’ whitepaper Managing Change in the Cloud — aligned with the Google Cloud Adoption Framework — is a practical guide for organizations looking to maintain momentum in their cloud adoption.
As an authorized Google Cloud Partner, Mekas Cloud Services can help you strategize your cloud journey and execute your migrations — from cloud advisory and migration services to a smooth Google Workspace rollout for your teams. Talk to our team to get started.