Cloud moves continue despite challenges

Enterprises are keen to achieve the many business, technical and financial benefits of moving legacy systems to the cloud despite challenges along the way.

A new report from SAP to AWS migration specialist Lemongrass finds 77 percent of IT leaders say their primary motivation for migrating legacy systems to cloud infrastructure is either a desire to secure data, maintain data access or save money.

Optimizing storage resources and accelerating digital transformation are other top reasons given. Meanwhile, 78 percent of respondents say that IT management systems are the most likely legacy applications to move to the cloud, while 46 percent say security and 39 percent eCommerce.

The top challenge to migration is security and compliance, cited by 59 percent, while 43 percent of respondents say migrations take too long, 38 percent costs are too high, and 33 percent say a lack of in-house skills is the top complicating factor.

Where costs are concerned 69 percent of respondents say the typical legacy-to-cloud migration cost between $100,000 and $250,000, and 57 percent of respondents say that rarely do these projects come in under budget.

"The survey findings are very consistent with feedback we receive from our customers," says Vince Lubsey, CTO at Lemongrass. "Enterprises are anxious to reap the benefits of moving legacy systems to the cloud. They understand there are challenges but the benefits far outweigh the obstacles. The key to success is following best practices, proper training and time management. It also helps to have the guidance of an experienced partner to create the required cloud operating model."

The top three lessons learned when migrating legacy systems to the cloud are: allow for sufficient time (54 percent), dedicate sufficient financial and people resources (52 percent), and ensure you have the correct people/skills in-house (52 percent). These echo the top lessons learned when running legacy systems on cloud infrastructure namely: allow for sufficient time to manage the application (53 percent), ensure you have the correct people/skills in-house (52 percent), and ensure you achieve the outlined business goals (46 percent).

You can find out more on the Lemongrass blog.

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