CLOUD GUIDE INSIGHTS FOR A GREAT MIGRATION

2014 CLOUD GUIDE INSIGHTS FOR A GREAT MIGRATION

RISE ABOVE THE NOISE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (AND WHERE TO FIND IT) Cloud computing is set to become mainstream computing, period. the biggest news for cloud computing is that it will not be news. It s the way we do computing today. The cloud space is noisy, with competing opinions, statistics and data. There s plenty of information out there but knowing what to trust can be a challenge. Here s a quick look at important cloud computing trends and a short list of trusted resources to help you think through your cloud strategy. You ll find expert insight about: Why Business Is Moving to the Cloud What Makes a Great Migration? The Truth About Cloud Security Joe McKendrick, Forbes 02

WHY BUSINESS IS MOVING TO THE CLOUD In 2013 enterprises got real about cloud computing. In 2014 we will integrate it into our existing IT portfolios whether IT likes it or not. James Staten, Forrester Research Cloud Computing Predictions for 2014 03

63% of business leaders agree that the cloud can make their entire organization more business agile and responsive. McKinsey Report Protecting Information in the Cloud SHARE WHY BUSINESS IS MOVING TO THE CLOUD SHARE Up to 80% of IT budgets are tied up in routine maintenance. Cloud frees up IT executives to think and act strategically. Joe McKendrick, Forbes 5 Benefits of Cloud Computing You re Not Likely to See in a Brochure AGILITY, SCALABILITY & COMPETITIVE EDGE CIOs and other IT leaders have good reason to consider the cloud. Many companies choose cloud for the savings it promises. What they find, however, is even more important: Cloud enables your business to be more agile and more competitive. 04

WHY BUSINESS IS MOVING TO THE CLOUD RETURN ON INVESTMENT SHARE 68% of IT managers see greater migration to the cloud as bringing equal or better total cost of ownership (TCO) to the organization. GigaOm 2013 Future of Cloud Computing Survey Cloud offers businesses a variety of ways to achieve a positive return on investment (ROI): Shifting capital to operational expenses, paying only for actual consumption and scaling to meet demand enables overall savings and lower total cost of ownership (TCO). However, a 2013 Gartner survey of more than 2,000 CIOs revealed that enterprises realize only 43% of the business potential of technologies, including cloud computing. To get the most out of the cloud, smart organizations consult a provider with the expertise necessary to provide a roadmap for achieving ROI and TCO goals. 05

WHAT MAKES A GREAT MIGRATION? As 2014 dawns, we re moving into an era of truly mainstream adoption of cloud IaaS...Organizations that haven t done at least a cloud IaaS pilot by now, however informal...are at the trailing edge of adoption. Lydia Leong, Gartner The End of the Beginning of Cloud Computing 06

WHAT MAKES A GREAT MIGRATION? ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS From migrating the wrong applications to not understanding governance, it s easy to blow things up in the cloud. David Linthicum, InfoWorld 3 Surefire Ways to Screw Up a Cloud Deployment While the benefits of cloud adoption are clear, it s also an incredibly complex undertaking. As Gartner Analyst Richard Watson points out, a cloud migration is not a silver bullet: All require architects to understand application migration from multiple perspectives and criteria Before starting a migration plan, consider these critical questions: What business challenges do you want to address through cloud computing? What are your company s needs for control, security and accountability? How will you integrate cloud services with the network? What are your users doing and what are their needs? How are you going to use your applications? What are your performance metrics? The first step is working with a partner to develop a plan that gets to the heart of your business. 07

WHAT MAKES A GREAT MIGRATION? MOVE THE RIGHT STUFF Most organizations sort their applications into buckets based on security, availability and SLA considerations. Here s what most businesses are moving. 85% 59% CLOUD MIGRATION OF APPLICATIONS 30-40% SAVINGS 85% of enterprises plan to host internal back-office applications (accounting, ERP, supply chain management, etc.) on cloud platforms. 59% of applications will be upgraded or replaced. More than half of those will move to the public cloud. Executives predict that by 2015, 70% to 75% of their applications will be hosted in cloud environments that will enable savings of 30% to 40% compared with current platforms. Forrester, Private Clouds Will Use Hybrid Infrastructure Gartner, User Survey Analysis: Using Cloud Services for Mission-Critical Applications McKinsey Report, Protecting Information in the Cloud SHARE SHARE SHARE 08

SHARE WHAT MAKES A GREAT MIGRATION? ONE CLOUD DOES NOT FIT ALL PUBLIC CLOUD seasonality scalability Over 60% of Windstream s cloud customers have chosen a hybrid cloud solution. Rob Carter, Windstream Cloud Computing Choices: For Some Organizations, the Best Answer May Be All of the Above Many cloud experts recommend hybrid configurations because they offer the best of both private and public clouds, balancing security needs with mission-critical applications that require 24 x 7 uptime. web search engines application servers For example, a company might use public cloud for web, search engines and application servers, but use private cloud for their database servers. Experts agree with this approach. Robert Jenkins at CloudSigma predicts 2014 will be the year of the hybrid cloud solution and he s not alone. Gartner predicts, Nearly half of large enterprises will have hybrid cloud deployments by the end of 2017. PRIVATE CLOUD compliance licensing auditing database servers The clear path to the cloud is hybrid. PRIVATE CLOUD 09

migration planning timing technology connectivity data users WHAT MAKES A GREAT MIGRATION? THE RIGHT APPROACH assessment With the amount of complexity in a cloud deployment, there s no template to follow. Every project is unique because every business is different. While it s tempting to jump in and get started with migration, the smarter approach is to begin with a thorough assessment of current technology, legacy applications and business needs. A deliberate, thoughtful process makes your migration go more smoothly. A stair-step approach often works best. 10

THE TRUTH ABOUT CLOUD SECURITY While the vast majority of organizations have deployed cloud computing in some form, those that don t make the move to cloud make that choice because of security. Every survey conducted over the past two years reflects that security is the primary cloud adoption concern. 5 Cloud Predictions for 2014, Cloud Passage 11

THE TRUTH ABOUT CLOUD SECURITY IT S BETTER THAN YOU THINK Nearly 60% of enterprises believe their cloud providers security capabilities are better than their own. 2013 U.S. Cloud Security Survey IDC In many cases, the physical security and data protection of a cloud services provider is better than your own on-premises solution. With a hosted cloud solution, you still decide who has control and access, but you can spend less time managing and monitoring the network. That gives you the freedom and peace of mind to focus on your core business. No matter what, good security begins with a deeper conversation about your business needs with your provider. SHARE 12

FINDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES & TEAM At the end of the day it is all similar technology; what s different is how the provider makes the technology work for the customer. Rob Carter, Windstream 13

FINDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES & TEAM REPORTS, BLOG POSTS AND WHITEPAPERS My One Big Fat Cloud Computing Prediction for 2014 Joe McKendrick, Forbes Cloud Computing Predictions for 2014 James Staten, Forrester Research Protecting Information in the Cloud McKinsey Report 5 Benefits of Cloud Computing You re Not Likely to See in a Brochure Joe McKendrick, Forbes 2013 Future of Cloud Computing Survey GigaOm The End of the Beginning of Cloud Computing Lydia Leong, Gartner 3 Surefire Ways to Screw Up a Cloud Deployment David Linthicum, InfoWorld Cloud Computing Choices: For Some Organizations, the Best Answer May Be All of the Above Rob Carter, Windstream 5 Cloud Predictions for 2014 Cloud Passage 2013 U.S. Cloud Security Survey IDC Cost vs. ROI: Is There Value to Virtualization and Cloud Computing? Windstream Whitepaper Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds: A Cloud for Every Business Need Windstream Whitepaper Cloud Evangelist s Reading List Kent Landry, Windstream 14

FINDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES & TEAM MEET YOUR TEAM OF WINDSTREAM EXPERTS Talented engineers with a real head for business are rare but we found them. Pairing our experts with your expertise about your own business is what makes a solution work. If you win, we win. Rob Carter Cloud Product Marketing Leader Expertise: cloud computing, data center managed services, business applications, network, voice solutions MORE > Rob Fewkes Cloud IT Engineering Leader Expertise: hosting services technology, virtualization, storage MORE > Duane Barnes Cloud Solutions Engineering Leader Expertise: network engineering, data center solutions, cloud computing, security, load balancing, managed services and disaster recovery services MORE > Kent Landry Cloud Subject Matter Expert Expertise: management, marketing and sales for cloud, data center and managed services MORE > 15

FINDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES & TEAM 9 THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN A CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDER WHAT EXPERTS RECOMMEND WHAT WINDSTREAM BRINGS 1 One-stop shop Single provider for cloud services, including data, network and voice 2 Offers complete mix of public, private and hybrid cloud options Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud and cloud storage 3 24 x 7 x 365 physical and digital security 24 x 7 physical security and uptime guaranteed by industry-leading SLAs 4 HIPAA or Sarbanes-Oxley compliant SSAE16 Compliant Managed Hosting Solutions and 16 certified data centers with PCI DSS and HIPAA compliance standards 5 Customized solutions Personalized service with fully customized solutions done right the first time 6 A pioneer and has developed technology over a few years Provider of choice for four out of five Fortune 500 companies with more than 8 years in the cloud business 7 Experience in a variety of cloud implementations Over 60% of Windstream clients have a hybrid solution 8 Strong relationships with other tech vendors in the space Partners include Cisco, EMC, Microsoft, NetApp and VMware 9 Case studies or testimonials See case studies > SOURCE: IT BUSINESS EDGE, TIPS FOR FINDING A REPUTABLE CLOUD PROVIDER HTTP://WWW.ITBUSINESSEDGE.COM/SLIDESHOWS/SHOW.ASPX?C=85803&SLIDE=3 16