Why successful cloud migration extends beyond technology

The most recent cloud survey from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) found that 60 percent of state IT organizations have incorporated the cloud into their operations, with more than 88 percent planning to expedite their cloud adoption in 2024.

As the demand for digital government services increases, the cloud has become an essential resource for state and local governments (SLGs) to remain adaptable, resilient and effective. Cloud solutions enhance operations and service delivery for essential government functions, such as claims processing and case management-based workloads. As a result, residents can quickly and reliably access the services and information they depend on.

Despite these benefits, only 30 percent of survey respondents have completed a cloud strategy or roadmap to optimize the cloud’s potential.

As SLGs create these roadmaps, it’s imperative to recognize that cloud migration is much more than a technical project. The shift to cloud-based operations is transformational and will impact every person and process in an organization.

The role of organizational change management
Many technology initiatives failed because of organizational resistance, cultural friction, and lack of readiness and support from stakeholders. As such, it’s imperative to take a human-centered approach to cloud migration to ensure the process is sustainable and worth the investment.

Often, employees and other stakeholders may resist a change due to inadequate or ineffective communications, experience and knowledge gaps on the best practices, concerns about job security, and cultural resistance to changes. Therefore, holistic and strategic organizational change management (OCM) is a foundational component of any cloud migration initiative.

Like any IT modernization project, cloud migration is only as valuable as the organization’s ability to deploy and operate the new technology successfully. SLG leaders should focus on workforce development, culture changes and business process optimization throughout the migration to ensure a successful shift to cloud-based operations.

Transparency, organization-wide awareness, timely and accurate communication and candid discussions about the migration’s impact are paramount to build trust and ensure personnel are enthusiastic about the change. Fostering this trust begins with discovery and data-capture activities that align with strategic goals, business process design and cross-functional collaboration.

The scope and impact of cloud migrations are extensive, and there are various obstacles associated with the transition to cloud operations for daily users. Therefore, a deliberate and detailed alignment of training activities is essential to realizing the payoff of cloud migration efforts.

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