IT infrastructure: cloud transformation strategy
Most organizations already understand the value of moving their IT infrastructure to the cloud. The ability to access software and services via the internet offers flexibility, scale/capacity, security and cost transparency. But moving to the cloud also changes the way the IT function works – with less focus on running infrastructure and an increased opportunity to become more business- and customer-centric.
Implications of cloud transformation
The decision to move operations to the cloud and/or shift towards a more product-based IT operating model (e.g. merging development and operational capabilities into “DevOps” and forming multi-disciplinary hybrid teams for technology product development) presents businesses with both challenges and opportunities. The challenges include the sourcing of capability and third-party assistance; contracting and incentivizing the right behaviour; training and upskilling your people; the legislative and regulatory implications of infrastructure potentially housed overseas; the transition to very new and different ways of working and governance; the provision of new tools and techniques, methods and standards; and the sheer scale of work involved in a wholesale cloud migration.
It’s critical to ensure you have strong leadership, governance, and rigorous execution in place – capitalizing on the experience of those who have previously implemented transformations of this size to achieve real value.
At Berkeley, we’ve worked with many clients to help them both set their strategy and then go on to successfully deliver end-to-end cloud and product-based operating model transformations.
The Berkeley team quickly developed a good rapport and credible presence with our executive leadership team… The support they brought raised the level of professionalism in the team, and I believe has set a new benchmark for future projects at [the company]. An added benefit of working with Berkeley was the strength of the back-office team - it was clear there was a pool of skills and knowledge behind the scenes to assist when needed.”
Global Enterprise Architecture Director, a consumer goods company
Truly impartial cloud consulting services
We’re committed to working with you to understand your business and your ambitions – and ensuring that our work helps you achieve them. As Berkeley is independent of all cloud service providers, system integrators and software vendors, we won’t recommend a product or service if we don’t believe it’s right for your business.
Consultants experienced in delivering cloud transformation at scale
Our clients work in a variety of sectors and vary greatly in size. Because of this, The Berkeley Partnership is perfectly positioned to partner with you on cloud and product-based operating model transformations, regardless of the scale of the project.
Whether you’re considering basic rehosting, a transformation to cloud-native technologies, buying multi-tenanted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), or moving to a hybrid cloud operating model, the right answer will depend on your own circumstances. We bring deep knowledge and extensive experience in conducting large-scale cloud transformation projects to work with you on a strategy that works for your business.
Understanding the opportunities of cloud strategy and product-based operating model
We want our clients to consider a move to cloud as more than a technology change, but as an opportunity to reshape their IT operating model. We believe the greater flexibility and agility cloud technologies offer can only be fully exploited if your IT function is set up to develop and release new products or features in a flexible, agile way and make the most of other cloud features such as greater financial flexibility and control enabling improved financial operations (FinOps) of your technology.
Shifting to a product-based, rather than project-based, IT operating model in tandem with your move to cloud often makes sense. Viewing the two together encourages a more customer-focused organizational mindset, removing the divide between digital solutions and traditional IT delivery.
Navigating regulatory and legislative issues
Moving applications to the cloud has the potential to raise several legislative and regulatory issues. It is essential to understand and appropriately mitigate, the implications of a cloud strategy which migrates data to the cloud, and potentially different geographies, for example. By choosing to work with Berkeley, our clients know that they are getting deep product-based and cloud operating model consulting experience with a considered approach to potential issues.
Both moving to the cloud and adopting more product-based technology operating models are fundamentally improving the ways that business and technology people can collaborate. Together, they can better support and drive business goals, including delivering more responsive, customer-centric business products and services and new digital revenue streams.”
Dave Machin, Partner
Clients often ask us…
Question 1
How can I move even my largest, core transactional enterprise systems to the cloud safely and effectively?
Question 2
Should I aim for a fast ”lift and shift” to cloud for quick wins, or a longer and more complex cloud transformation strategy that ultimately delivers greater benefits?
Question 3
Which suppliers should I work with – for the cloud transformation strategy, for the base cloud services, and potentially also for run?
Question 4
Should I pick between AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud to build deep skills with just one platform, or target a multi-Cloud model that avoids lock in?
Question 5
Should I move to a product-based operating model partially (hybrid model) or wholesale / in entirety?
Question 6
A product-based and/or cloud operating model change does not only affect IT – how can I engage the business effectively on this journey?
Question 7
How might I use our shift to the cloud transformation to deliver more customer-centric products and services?
Question 8
What are the cyber risks or opportunities associated with a move to a cloud operating model?
Question 9
How can I develop the cloud IT infrastructure my organization needs to deliver real value?
Client stories
Ensuring a critical platform's success
Our client’s global web platform is critical to its business – it has to be there up and running no matter what. Yet over the years the platform they had in place had begun to show its age. A solution that had been reasonably sophisticated ten years prior was proving to be increasingly inflexible and difficult to use. There was no such thing as a small or quick change.
Moreover, successive customizations had further compromised the platform’s ability to perform, and maintenance and upgrades were becoming ever more problematic. The original principle of having a central platform that gave scale economies and enabled group communications to retain overall control was breaking down.
Large energy super-major
We led the project to migrate the global, multi-brand web-estate for a large energy super-major to the cloud in response to a huge increase in web-traffic volatility and a number of security threats.
The project implemented a new Content Management System and helped establish a process for each brand entity to migrate their sites.
FTSE 250 manufacturer
We led the program to migrate a FTSE 250 manufacturer’s entire data-center estate onto the cloud.
This included both Unix and Windows services, ERP and best-of-breed package and bespoke applications.
Workday and Cornerstone migration
We led the evaluation, selection and migration of core HR platforms onto Workday and Cornerstone
This was for 170,000 users across 106 countries, including the integration to over 40 payroll providers.
Global cloud solution
We led the overall program as well as business case and supplier selection streams to deliver a cloud solution for all internet and intranet content with 200+ sites spanning 100 countries, in 29 languages and five major brands.
Benefits included: improved site resilience and flexibility, improved digital security, annual OPEX savings and a significantly reduced lead time over traditional methods of hardware procurement, rack and stack, deployment and testing.
UK financial services regulator
We worked with a UK financial services regulator to develop the detailed business case for a multi-million pound investment in a new Salesforce.com authorisations workflow capability.
One particular complication was to drive out an accurate set of ongoing service support costs given that this was the first time the organization had implemented a cloud-based solution. The business case was approved by the regulator’s executive committee and the template was rolled out as a good practice example.
Global manufacturer
We assisted a major global manufacturing company to evaluate and select a cloud infrastructure service provider on which to run its new ERP system.
We helped establish selection criteria, a decision-making team, and a short-list of potential vendors. We ran the selection exercise and helped negotiate the contract for the service.
Client stories
Our client’s global web platform is critical to its business – it has to be there up and running no matter what. Yet over the years the platform they had in place had begun to show its age. A solution that had been reasonably sophisticated ten years prior was proving to be increasingly inflexible and difficult to use. There was no such thing as a small or quick change.
Moreover, successive customizations had further compromised the platform’s ability to perform, and maintenance and upgrades were becoming ever more problematic. The original principle of having a central platform that gave scale economies and enabled group communications to retain overall control was breaking down.
We led the project to migrate the global, multi-brand web-estate for a large energy super-major to the cloud in response to a huge increase in web-traffic volatility and a number of security threats.
The project implemented a new Content Management System and helped establish a process for each brand entity to migrate their sites.
We led the program to migrate a FTSE 250 manufacturer’s entire data-center estate onto the cloud.
This included both Unix and Windows services, ERP and best-of-breed package and bespoke applications.
We led the evaluation, selection and migration of core HR platforms onto Workday and Cornerstone
This was for 170,000 users across 106 countries, including the integration to over 40 payroll providers.
Services
HR transformation
Services
Digital, data and technology
We led the overall program as well as business case and supplier selection streams to deliver a cloud solution for all internet and intranet content with 200+ sites spanning 100 countries, in 29 languages and five major brands.
Benefits included: improved site resilience and flexibility, improved digital security, annual OPEX savings and a significantly reduced lead time over traditional methods of hardware procurement, rack and stack, deployment and testing.
We worked with a UK financial services regulator to develop the detailed business case for a multi-million pound investment in a new Salesforce.com authorisations workflow capability.
One particular complication was to drive out an accurate set of ongoing service support costs given that this was the first time the organization had implemented a cloud-based solution. The business case was approved by the regulator’s executive committee and the template was rolled out as a good practice example.
Sector
Financial services
Services
Digital, data and technology
We assisted a major global manufacturing company to evaluate and select a cloud infrastructure service provider on which to run its new ERP system.
We helped establish selection criteria, a decision-making team, and a short-list of potential vendors. We ran the selection exercise and helped negotiate the contract for the service.
