Getting the right cloud for your organisation can be a daunting task to take on. There is a huge variety of cloud assessment toolsets, ranging from basic rightsizing of on-premises machines, to their cloud equivalents, as well as in-depth application scoring on purpose-built platforms. All these options can make the decision overwhelming – how do you know which assessment is right for you?

People vs tools

Here at Softcat, we believe that to make the process as straightforward as possible, the best approach is to bring in a public cloud expert. They will take the time to understand not just the technical details of an application workload, but its value to the wider business, and the data it holds, before deciding the best way to approach a migration.

On their own, assessment tools cannot fully grasp the complexities and intricacies of your requirements and may produce a generic recommendation that focuses just on cost and the technical requirements. If this output is considered alone, without any expert human interpretation or influence, you run the risk of not realising the real potential value a bespoke public cloud solution would offer your organisation. Or it may appear that the route to public cloud seems oversimplified – just a subscription to the relevant services and you’re done! But incorporating public cloud into your IT operations is a journey that needs to be travelled thoughtfully and with due care to ensure you end up with a solution that works for you and meets your business objectives (check out previous blogs on the pathway to migration and our 6 R’s of cost optimisation). 

The best approach

We think that the best way forward is to combine an assessment tool with the experience and care of a public cloud expert, as a lot of the information you need to consider for an effective cloud strategy and migration plan can’t be found by using an assessment tool alone. The combination of tool and expert gives the opportunity for value to be added and a tailormade package created to give an effective cloud strategy and migration plan, with support along the way.

What's next?

The second part of this blog will detail some of the areas that assessment reports miss when looking at public cloud transformation, and some of the wider elements that require attention.

Get in Touch

In the meantime, if you’re ready to find out more about our Cloud Assessment Service, click here, contact your Softcat Account Manager, or hit the button below.