Migration to the cloud may seem like a project that only involves the IT team, but a successful migration depends on communication and collaboration with a wider group of people to ensure acceptance and uptake.

Involve Users and Executives

Department heads and users are a key target. Your migration plans should reflect the changes they need to help them work more effectively and productively. Line of business applications in the cloud can enable employees to work from any location – an important consideration when mobility and flexible working are part of the modern workplace.

Cloud migration can also make it easier for users to collaborate and share information with colleagues. Involving users in migration plans helps ensure acceptance in the future and reduces the risk of departments and users deploying shadow IT solutions out of frustration.

Executive backing for the migration is essential to ensure you have sufficient resources and funds. Executive backing can also be useful in driving adoption. That makes it important to put together a strong business case, highlighting how cloud migration can help the organization achieve its strategic objectives.

Manage Change in Your Team

Moving to the cloud can also change the dynamics of your team, so it’s important to manage change. If your team currently manages applications on a legacy infrastructure, they may need to undergo training to acquire necessary cloud skills. Alternatively, you may need to recruit new team members with existing cloud skills.

Cloud migration also changes the type of work the IT team carries out. As the service provider takes over responsibility for management and maintenance, the in-house team will no longer need to take on day-to-day operational tasks.

Although this can free team members for more strategic duties, some may be concerned about job security. Communicating the impact of migration and the change in future roles is essential.

You should also plan the project carefully to ensure you have the right resources in place to complete on time, while maintaining service continuity. Migration can be extremely time-consuming and there are serious risks of delays. In some cases, overtime or weekend working may be needed to stay on schedule. So, make team members aware of their potential workload.

Keep Stakeholders Informed

As part of the planning process, set realistic timescales covering the complete migration lifecycle. By keeping users and other stakeholders informed on progress and any potential delays, you can maintain contact and help to build anticipation for the launch.

As you near completion, announce ‘go live’ dates so that users and others are ready for the changeover. You should also schedule training and demonstration days into the process.

Drive Adoption

Good adoption levels are essential to ensure successful completion and return on investment. During the migration process, consider usability trials to identify user training needs or any problems that need to be resolved before launch.

User training may be necessary to ensure users can make full use of the features of their cloud applications. Training will also accelerate adoption and reduce the support demands on your team during the transition period.

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If you would like advice on migration options or to find out more about our migration services, please check out the articles and infographics on our website.