Since the outbreak of Covid-19, businesses are under growing pressure to up their digital game. Long-term plans to migrate legacy applications have been brought forward and there has been a surge in cloud adoption.
In the sometimes chaotic rush to start the migration process, it is vital for organisations to set out clear criteria for measuring the effectiveness of their cloud initiatives. There is no silver bullet. Rather, a range of factors must be considered to determine whether migration is a success.
How best can businesses measure the success of moving to the cloud? (Photo by StockStyle/Shutterstock)
As businesses come under increased pressure to streamline operations, figuring this out is more important than ever before.
Working with a partner that sets out clear metrics for measuring success can help lift the burden. Hexaware’s Amaze for Applications cloud replatforming solution uses a unique mix of automation and human expertise to analyse existing applications, identify which code needs to be changed, and generate cloud-friendly code without disturbing existing business functionality.
From dramatic time to market and cost savings, to enhanced application productivity, the IT giant makes some bold claims when it comes to the tangible business benefits its platform offers. But why are these metrics for measuring success so important, and how do they compare with those that opt for a manual migration process?
Application migration strategy and time to market
The first parameter for measuring success is often the very first question business leaders will ask once they have decided to embark on a cloud migration journey: how long will it take to get the application from initial assessment to production deployment?
In most cases, automation–led replatforming using Amaze can be completed in four to six weeks to get the application to a SIT-ready state. When contrasted with a manual approach – which can take more than six months – this is a significant time saving.
“A lot of customers, especially in the first few applications are really surprised when they see how fast the process is,” says Hexaware’s vice president for application transformation and management, Vinodh Arjun. “Especially when they see the amount of change the application has undergone.”
Several applications can be replatformed in parallel, without impacting timelines. Arjun explains that usually, customers carry out a pilot and, following a successful roll-out, go on to replatform many more applications.
Enhancing performance and productivity
Equally as important is the need to record improvements to application performance. This can be measured through error rates, application availability and the number of time-outs. Of course, application performance should exceed pre-migration levels.
Arjun highlights the importance of measuring the quality of the application, dictated by how many test cases have passed and how ready the application is for production deployment.
Developer productivity is another crucial metric for measuring success. The Amaze platform’s agile approach with CI/CD and automation can enhance the developer’s productivity by 25%.
Once the replatforming process has been carried out it is useful to test the application to see how quickly and efficiently new features can be added. “The newly replatformed application is going to be modular and the level of automation significantly higher, because you will have complete CI/CD automation so your velocity of new features will be higher” explains Arjun.
Cost savings
Last, but by no means least, is the cost of cloud migration: the parameter that businesses feeling the pinch from Covid-19 will no doubt be keeping a close eye on.
Total cost of ownership (TCO) – or the amount paid over time for a service – is used to calculate the economic impact of cloud migration. The cost of storage, software licences, administration and development teams influence this. By moving legacy applications to the cloud, it is possible for an organisation to modify resources according to its specific needs, freeing up unnecessary costs and reducing overall TCO.
Hexaware’s TCO calculator enables businesses to find out how much TCO reduction can be achieved through migration. The Amaze platform helps organisations to save up to 50% on both implementation costs and TCO reduction due to containerisation and elimination of WebLogic.
Longer-term, businesses using Amaze typically see return on investment (ROI) within nine to 10 months. In contrast, those undertaking manual implementation are unlikely to see ROI realisation for at least 18 months.
Modernising outdated legacy applications is crucial for businesses hoping to retain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital environment. But the migration process itself is only half the story, and organisations must define metrics for measuring success if they are to get the most value from the cloud and make further improvements to their operational efficiency. By utilising automation, there is an opportunity for businesses to reap the rewards in speed, cost and productivity, ensuring they don’t get left behind.
Download Hexaware Technologies’ free white paper: Discover The Power of Automation For Application Cloud Replatforming
