Cloud
Optimising infrastructure for your business
The Problem
After an initial cloud-first strategy has established a significant cloud presence and some corresponding expertise and governance, organisations may still have large amounts of legacy IT in Data Centres which owners or operations may be sceptical about migrating.
Moving to a cloud-only model can reap significant rewards both operationally and financially, but requires significant impetus to achieve.
Two-speed IT can be frustrating and expensive. You may find it’s easy to migrate a few services to the cloud, but to migrate everything – including core infrastructure services - is large and complex.
Teams get bogged down with discovery and analysis; vendors tend to focus on server numbers or create artificial move groups for their own scheduling convenience.
The Refractis way
We remain sceptical about discovery tools but recognise the need for comprehensive estate information and data to effectively plan and manage migrations. To support these efforts, we can create, review, or refresh a migration business case and measure spend and benefits throughout the lifecycle of the migration program. This holistic approach ensures that each phase of the migration is thoroughly evaluated and optimised for efficiency and effectiveness.
Our collaboration with application owners is crucial for agreeing on a migration schedule and an approach that aligns with required DC Exit dates. We then work closely with technical teams to ensure timely delivery. Unlike traditional migration "waves," which are often designed for the convenience of System Integrators rather than the business, our methodology prioritises the specific needs and timelines of the business, avoiding unnecessary disruptions.
Understanding and managing the technical complexities of datacentre exits is one of our strengths. These exits encompass more than just application migrations; they also involve network and hosting contract terminations and impacts on DNS/DHCP. We recognise that migrations place demands primarily on application teams rather than cloud teams. Success hinges on meticulous planning and communication as much as technical capabilities. Our ability to operate effectively within both spheres is rare, if not unique. Additionally, we bring order and structure with tools to help plan, schedule, manage, and report on large-volume, multi-year programmes.
