Cloud Migration Options Strategic Review For Honeycomb Housing

Summary

Honeycomb Housing (HCH) required cloud migration strategic review services which would be used to support the later cloud migration services project.

HCH trusted partner Golden Marzipan who are providing business consultancy services used their expertise to assist the A4S team to fully understand the clients needs.

This assurance project took place in May 2022.

Challenges

HCH are in the process of improving their business processes.

Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications, and IT infrastructure from on-premises data centers to the cloud. While cloud migration offers many benefits, such as improved scalability, reduced costs, and increased agility, there are also several challenges and considerations that organizations should be aware of. Here are some of the main challenges and approaches to cloud migration:

Data security: One of the biggest challenges of cloud migration is ensuring the security of sensitive data. To address this challenge, organizations should consider implementing strong security controls, such as encryption, access controls, and monitoring tools. Additionally, organizations should ensure that their cloud service provider has appropriate security certifications and compliance with relevant regulations.
Application compatibility: Another challenge of cloud migration is ensuring that applications will function properly in the cloud environment. To address this, organizations should test applications in the cloud environment before migration and identify any compatibility issues. In some cases, applications may need to be modified or re-architected to function optimally in the cloud.
Cost management: Cloud migration can be expensive, and organizations should carefully manage costs to ensure that they are getting the best return on investment. This can be done by conducting a cost-benefit analysis, optimizing cloud usage and resources, and choosing the right pricing model for their needs.
Organizational change management: Cloud migration can be a significant change for organizations, and employees may require training and support to adapt to the new environment. To address this, organizations should communicate clearly about the reasons for cloud migration, involve employees in the planning process, and provide training and support as needed.
Governance and compliance: Cloud migration may require organizations to adhere to new regulations and compliance requirements. To address this, organizations should identify relevant regulations and compliance requirements, ensure that their cloud service provider is compliant, and implement appropriate governance controls to manage cloud usage and security.

Cloud migration offers significant benefits but it requires a careful consideration of requirements which must be detailed through well-defined strategy and objectives.

Solution

Cloud migration strategy and planning is a complex process which HCH reached out to A4S Cloud Solutions to provide support for.

The Cloud Strategy Team at A4S worked close with the engaging HCH IT Services teams and would follow the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework guidance to give the client the best levels of assurance.

The A4S team would undertake a thorough review and would provide a cloud migration strategy report details areas such as those listed below:

Define your goals: Start by revisiting your organization’s goals for cloud migration. Have these goals changed since you first developed your migration strategy? Are there new priorities or objectives that need to be addressed?
Assess your current environment: Review your current environment to identify any changes or developments that could impact your cloud migration strategy. For example, have you added new applications or data sources? Have there been changes to your regulatory or compliance requirements?
Review your migration plan: Review your cloud migration plan to ensure that it aligns with your updated goals and environment. Identify any gaps or challenges that may need to be addressed, and determine whether your timeline and budget are still feasible.
Evaluate your cloud provider: Review your cloud provider to ensure that they continue to meet your organization’s needs. Consider factors such as reliability, scalability, security, and compliance, and evaluate whether your provider is delivering the expected value and ROI.
Engage stakeholders: Engage stakeholders across your organization to ensure that your cloud migration strategy is aligned with business needs and priorities. Seek feedback on how the cloud environment is meeting their needs, and identify any opportunities for improvement.

Service features

A4S Cloud Solutions provides cloud adoption and support services, which cloud strategy is a part of. A4S utilise the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework approach which includes features such as the below:

Prescriptive guidance: The CAF provides step-by-step guidance on the cloud adoption process, including planning, readiness assessment, migration, and governance. It includes templates, checklists, and tools to help organizations implement best practices and avoid common pitfalls.
Flexible framework: The CAF is designed to be flexible and customizable, allowing organizations to adapt the guidance to their specific needs and requirements. It includes multiple pathways for adoption, depending on an organization’s goals, maturity, and existing infrastructure.
Well-architected guidance: The CAF includes guidance on how to design and implement a well-architected cloud environment, including guidance on security, cost optimization, performance, reliability, and operational excellence.
Azure-specific guidance: The CAF provides specific guidance and best practices for adopting Microsoft Azure, including guidance on Azure services, features, and capabilities. It includes guidance on how to migrate workloads to Azure, how to optimize Azure usage, and how to manage Azure resources effectively.
Governance and compliance guidance: The CAF includes guidance on how to establish governance and compliance controls in the cloud environment. It includes guidance on how to manage access and identity, how to monitor and manage security and compliance, and how to manage costs and usage.

Overall, the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework provides a comprehensive set of guidance and best practices for organizations looking to adopt Microsoft Azure. It is designed to be flexible, adaptable, and customizable, and it includes guidance on all aspects of cloud adoption, from planning to governance.

Benefits

The Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) offers many benefits for organizations looking to adopt Microsoft Azure. Here are some of the main benefits of the CAF:

Standardized approach: The CAF provides a standardized approach to cloud adoption, including best practices and guidance for every stage of the adoption process. This helps ensure that organizations can adopt Azure in a consistent, efficient, and effective manner.
Customizable framework: While the CAF offers a standardized approach, it is also customizable to meet the unique needs of each organization. This allows organizations to tailor the guidance to their specific goals, needs, and infrastructure.
Well-architected guidance: The CAF includes guidance on how to design and implement a well-architected cloud environment. This helps organizations ensure that their cloud environment is secure, cost-effective, and optimized for performance.
Governance and compliance: The CAF includes guidance on how to establish governance and compliance controls in the cloud environment. This helps organizations manage risk and comply with relevant regulations and standards.
Accelerated adoption: The CAF provides guidance and best practices to help organizations accelerate their adoption of Azure. This helps organizations realize the benefits of Azure more quickly and with less risk.
Cost optimization: The CAF includes guidance on how to optimize costs in the cloud environment. This helps organizations ensure that they are using Azure resources efficiently and effectively, and that they are getting the best return on investment.

Outcome

The Honeycomb Housing IT support team were able utilise the produced report to guide their later procurement efforts to source a partner to deliver their cloud migration.

As A4S continue to evolve and improve their IT cloud adoption services we believe our clients will benefit from an ever greater degree in the future.

About the client

Honeycomb Group is a team of social-minded brands championing happy homes in their region by providing services and support that help people across Staffordshire and its surrounding areas feel secure, connected, and confident.

We recommend reviewing their ‘who we are’ section for more information: https://www.honeycombgroup.org.uk/who-we-are/

Client statement

“I am happy to share that the consultancy services provided by A4S Cloud Solutions have been exceptional. Their team of experts worked closely with our organization to review our current environment and develop potential options for a cloud migration plan that aligned with our business goals and objectives. Working with us at a pre-procurement stage of our transformation plans, their guidance on the different technologies available in cloud architecture and governance has been invaluable in helping us to see the ‘art of the possible’ for future ICT transformations. Their approach is flexible and customized, and they are a brilliant bunch of people to work with.

Overall, we are extremely satisfied with the services provided by A4S and would highly recommend them to other organisations”

Richard Ball, Head of ICT, Honeycomb Group