M. Meulenbroek – Automation4B

The private cloud on the horizon

The cloud on the horizon

According to the latest surveys, more than 70% of companies have single or multiple public cloud services up and running. Many have plans to migrate further to a preferred cloud platform. Initially for file storage and workplace amenities, the office features. Secondly, also the generic business software. From the operational line of the organization but also from management, the pressure is felt to migrate mission-critical functions to the Cloud. The expected benefits are scalability and cost savings on management. In addition, business propositions in the Cloud can be implemented more quickly.

Cloud migration — Is the IT department under pressure to migrate 100% to the cloud? Companies have fewer/more than 1000 employees. Source: IDG survey 2018

In the grip of legacy

For many companies, legacy systems with business-critical data are still on-premise. These systems have a specific configuration or are not technically compatible with the large Cloud platforms. Based on the requirement of data management and security, it is necessary to replace these systems. However, this can not always be linear, unbundling requires a functional approach. This could be a project in itself. Many organizations are now also feeling the disadvantage of previous purchases of generic web services. These are often fragmented operational sometimes even on different platforms. The costs can be enormous.

From public to private cloud

There is rightly a lot of resistance to bring the mission-critical data to a public cloud platform. For example, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure or AmazonS3 do not guarantee data and privacy security in practice. It is a matter of time whether data leak should be mandatory to be reported. Partly because of this, the developments with “self-hosted” private Cloud platforms have accelerated. Gartner calls this new generation of Cloud platforms “Content Collaboration Platforms” (CCP). These are characterized by integrating secure storage of version-controlled files with the generic mail, contacts, calendar collaboration features. With an app hub, which is constantly expanding, standard office features can also be added to your own preference. Specific business services can be added and configured with connectors, REST APIs. All data can now be stored securely for the first time under internal or external hosting, in one integral cloud platform. APIs with remote public Cloud services providers can be limited, which also reduce availability and security risks.

The migration approach

The migration to a private Cloud platform requires thorough preparation and customization. What is the initial situation of the information management? Which Cloud platform and hosting provider is chosen? What will be the CloudService model? With a pre-scan, all aspects can be taken into account for determining the migration scenarios, with the highest benefits and where risks are reduced.

One step further

The starting point for cloud migration may not have been to optimize work processes. However, this encore can easily be obtained. With “Single Sign On” (SSO) and a fine-grained file-acces administration, a dashboard can be set up for all employees in the Cloud environment. For them, access to the essential information is never more than a few clicks away. File versioning and a backup regime ensure the protection of mission-critical data.

Business – IT alignment

The developments of technology have been rapid in recent years. Native Cloud applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, what new technologies can add value to the organization? In recent years, it appears that most CIOs give unchanged priority to the optimization of business practice. The effort to connect the information provision to the primary business processes has remained unchanged. Why is this still such a big effort?

The historical perspective

Historically, IT has evolved from large central (mainframe) computers to distributed environments, the many specific client-server systems. The information was all this time connected to expensive hardware and software systems. In recent years, internet technology with Cloudservices has completely changed the information management. Everything is now connected to everything and available in real time at any location. What is specifically the best solution for providing information to a specific objective is now defined by these new internet technologies.

Chain processes

The internet technology makes it possible to enter into other collaborations, it is no longer important that data is present within one's own systems. Some of the data required to execute the primary business processes can be taken from different external parties. Collaboration and sharing of information largely determines the success of the organization. The chain processes have become a standard on which the business domain decides.

The multidisciplinary team

The information provision has become more complex, in order to arrive at the best IT solutions there are many trade-offs. There are many aspects in the business and in the technological domain on which decisions need to be taken. This can only be balanced in a multidisciplinary team, where all professionals make their contributions together. It is high time for an upgrade of the various specialists: the IT architect, the process analyst, the product manager and the developers. It is in the CIO's interest to ensure that the employees in the team work well together, to give confidence to the professionals with their specific knowledge.

Process-oriented automation

Process-oriented work

In the department, the mood is immediately put with the comment: "it is time to automate successfully, the process specialists can leave now". It indicates to me that not everyone has a positive experience with the process-oriented approach. Opinions are based on past experience. So I have a mission to convince colleagues that work processes are a good starting point for efficient business operations. That it contributes to pleasant work.

Bad reputation

The process approach is often associated with assembly line working, forcing everyone into a framework without any flexibility. Unfortunately, this image has been reinforced for many years by the roll-out of ERP systems in large organizations. The standard processes in the modules are the "best-practices", determined by the software supplier. Many organizations have been disappointed by, for example, an SAP implementation. Was the choice a flight ahead not to have to wait any longer for that stagnant IT project? Due to the multi-year ERP contract and the investment that still needs to be recouped, a way back is not obvious, the Vendor Lock-in. The organization may be forced to work sub-optimally for many years to come. Often there is a proliferation of alternative solutions around the ERP system. These include the supporting processes such as stock management, sales, financial administration and HRM. However, these processes do affect the execution of the primary processes.

Keep It Simple

To convince them that process-based work is not something of the consultant, I ask those involved about their daily routines. What are the activities from the moment of waking up in the morning to the coffee at work. Would all this be feasible over time without a process based on experience? In what order is something done? Is it important to know who does what and when in a collaboration?

Although there are individual differences, it appears that everyone relies 90% on routines on a working day, the remaining 10%, the unexpected and unstructured events, need full attention. See here the power of a well structured working process, all attention and time can be devoted to the exceptions.

Process-oriented automation

It is strange that many think that their work process should be thought out by others, that it is something abstract for the specialist. Giving the control of process design and process optimization out of the hands is a failure factor. Employees are experts in their own work process, know exactly where the information provision is inadequate, it just needs to be made explicit. By going through the work process, which is already being followed informally, with all those involved, the new procedural requirements are established.

Growing in the role

After several months of cooperation with the domain experts on their work process, the requirements for better information provision and IT solutions, something special often arises. The interactions create an awareness about how it has been worked for years. New ideas about how this can be done differently, more efficiently. The employees now carry out the Lean Management, the process optimizations themselves. The consultant has only facilitated this.