Cloud modernisation programmes (also referred to as digital transformation) are a necessity for businesses wanting to compete in tomorrow’s world. With a plethora of digital-first FinTech startups growing into thriving businesses around the world, pressure is mounting on enterprise businesses to deliver experiences pioneered by the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Xero, and so forth.
While people may think startups have an unfair advantage in this realm, enterprise businesses have access to benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked. Enterprise businesses have access to significant data and insights, stable revenue streams, robust systems that keep delivering, and brand equity and awareness. Distilling these benefits whilst leveraging the full suite of cloud intelligence tools from the likes of AWS and Azure gives enterprises the digital difference needed to achieve sustained success.
Given this, what considerations should you factor into your thinking to increase the confidence you have in your cloud modernisation programme? Let’s take a look.
Uplifting legacy systems
Maximise your investments
Legacy systems often get a lot of flack for being too inflexible and slowing down innovation. Cloud-native systems have their share of issues too. These days, you no longer need to take an extreme view on the subject because there is a sweet spot in the middle thanks in part to the rise in platforms and ecosystems, API development, containerisation, and decentralising data.
Modernising your core applications in the cloud is a way to respect the technology that has got you and your customers to this point, whilst unlocking your ability to deliver derisked, customer-centric digital experiences in the future.
Transitioning core applications into your choice of cloud environment means you can retain many benefits like the wealth of data, platform experience, competitive advantages, and so forth. The vast knowledge that sits with your employees is often forgotten. Your people have built up considerable domain expertise in your existing technology stack, which happens to be transferrable in a cloud modernisation programme. The same can’t be said when moving to an entirely new system.
Iterating and enhancing deliver constant value
Another frustration many people have with digital transformation is the lack of progress – particularly considering the costs associated with defining the initial transformation strategy. Taking an iterative approach to cloud modernisation is one such way to mitigate such frustrations. But this doesn’t mean embarking on the programme without knowing where it is going. Instead, it’s giving businesses the flexibility to adapt their approach and incorporate learnings as the project progresses, whilst keeping the end goal in sight.
Getting stakeholder assurance – prove it works
Getting approval for transformational projects in highly regulated environments can be understandably difficult. If the system isn’t ‘broken’ why fix it? If applications help achieve your compliance obligations, why change them? If customers are using your existing channels, why invest in more or make existing ones better? There are plenty of excuses for not undertaking projects, even when there is room in the budget. The key to moving forward is producing business cases that stakeholders can’t refute.
Through a suite of user experience design and technical tools such as rapid prototyping, discovery workshops, and customer testing and validation, executive sponsors can define projects, get key input from end-users, bring other executives along on the journey, and get an early indication of how the end product or service might perform. Importantly, this can all happen without incurring significant expense.
Further to the results and metrics revealed by the tools above, a technology supplier’s credibility and track record also play a key role in winning over sceptical stakeholders. If suppliers have done it before, they can probably do it again; if they have done it before in the financial services space, even better. Also, long-term customers are always a good sign that a technology business can deliver sustained success.
Want to finally move your modernisation programme forward with confidence?
Transitioning from the strategic phase of your transformation journey to the tactical, roll-out phase is an exciting time. Whether you’re ready to begin, you have started, or you want to move forward faster, we have the skills and expertise to help you derisk your pathway to digital difference. Once you’ve started, you’ll never look back.
