Cloud optimization is crucial for organizations as they strive to accelerate business outcomes and unlock the value of their data. At its core, cloud optimization involves selecting and assigning the appropriate resources to a workload or application. However, it is also a lifecycle process that aims to balance performance, compliance, and cost in order to achieve efficiency. Getting cloud optimization right is of utmost importance. According to Gartner, enterprise IT spending on public cloud is predicted to exceed 51% by 2025, while Flexera’s State of the Cloud Report in 2023 highlighted that managing cloud spend has become a top challenge, surpassing security, for all organizations.
Research indicates that 90% of enterprises have adopted a multi-cloud strategy, while 80% have embraced a hybrid cloud strategy that combines public and private clouds. Only 7% of enterprises rely on a single public cloud provider.
The complexity of the cloud optimization problem becomes evident when considering the use of multi-cloud. Many organizations have established Cloud Centers of Excellence or FinOps practices to optimize cloud spend. However, building such practices is not an easy task and requires both time and talent, which some organizations may lack. Cloud optimization goes beyond simple cost reduction and workload placement; it is about aligning costs with business goals.
Remember the TV game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” It featured a segment called “Phone a Friend.” Contestants could connect with a friend over a phone line, read the question and answers, and seek assistance within 30 seconds.
In the context of cloud optimization, workload placement, and app modernization, enterprises often feel the need for a “Phone a Friend” feature. However, it is crucial to call the right friend—the one who can provide the correct answer and guide them towards success.
Why should you phone a friend? Because you need help answering the IT question and time is running out. Calling the wrong friend means missing the opportunity to modernize apps on time, optimize costs, and undergo digital transformation. In short, calling the wrong friend results in losing the game.
Enterprises are not just looking for tools to manage resources and costs in multicloud and hybrid cloud environments. While tools are valuable, having the right tools in the right order is essential. Additionally, organizations need assistance in developing a roadmap or implementing an existing roadmap, especially when modernizing legacy virtual environments. They seek AI-powered automation capabilities that span from AIOps to application and infrastructure observability.
They need to win the game. They need the right friend with the right answers to help them achieve victory.
There is a strong synergy between digital transformation and IT modernization, and it is a long-term endeavor. While transformation sets the vision and strategic direction of an organization, IT modernization is the practical implementation of that vision. These initiatives reshape and transform organizations. By embracing new technologies, organizations improve efficiency, enhance customer experience, and remain competitive.
No matter where an organization is on this journey, phoning the “Right Friend” can progress them from siloed systems to integrated platforms, from on-premises infrastructure to cloud computing, and provide answers regarding the transition from monolithic applications to microservices. A solid strategy involves knowing which friend to call for guidance in driving business growth and innovation.
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