Cloud implementations bring a new set of challenges due to the fundamental difference in how applications and their supporting infrastructure are delivered and managed. It should be noted that none of these challenges should be seen as a reason to delay moving an application to the cloud. Instead, you should embrace the challenges and understand why each of them is a short-term trade-off for the long-term benefits that Oracle Cloud applications will provide.
A New Way of IT Thinking
In the past, any new implementation began with the same step: order the hardware. That had to be the first step because the lead time was generally several weeks, if not months. In the cloud world, you still need to provision your environment from Oracle, but that is usually accomplished in days, not months.
This shift to having an environment provisioned on hardware that you don’t ever see, touch, or feel can be initially unsettling for more seasoned IT professionals. The trade-off, though, is a great one as the focus becomes less on what is going on in your data center and more on what the users are experiencing. This is an important step to becoming the strategic partner of the business, but it does mean giving up the hands-on control so many IT professionals are accustomed to in on-premises environments.
Limitations of Customizations
In the case of all cloud applications, there are limitations to how far the application can be customized. This may be a drawback to some, yet what it really does is force you to evaluate your processes against the best practices built into cloud applications. This means going step-by-step and matching the process to the application and challenging long-held beliefs and practices. That process can be difficult and the selection of a partner who emphasizes managing the change process is critical to mitigate any risks.
Future Functionality
While every cloud application is carefully planned, designed and developed, ultimately there will always be some feature or function that your organization needs, but which has yet to be released. The best strategy to address this is to understand where the cloud application is in its maturity and how the requirements of something that is slated for release 18 months from now can be addressed today.
You have the ability to extend functionality by using tools such as Web Services and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) in the cloud, and they do not require invasive and costly custom programming.
In our new guide, we explore the cloud marketplace, key considerations, integrating the cloud with legacy applications, and challenges of current cloud implementations. If you’re considering Oracle Cloud, this guide will provide some clear steps on how to make the move.
