How Your SMB Can Build a Business Case for Cloud Migration

Cloud migration is no longer a buzzword in today’s fast-paced digital era and has become a strategic decision for businesses of all sizes and across all industries. Agile and inventive, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) thrive in a unique market space, using their size as an advantage to outmaneuver and challenge larger competitors. To gain a competitive advantage, more businesses are turning to technology. SMB stakeholders now recognize cloud migration as both strategic and necessary for maintaining their edge in the market. The pace of migration and cloud adoption among SMBs has increased significantly over the last 10 years—approximately 63 percent of SMBs are using public-hosted cloud services according to Techjury. Additionally, over 50 percent of SMBs’ technology budgets are now allocated to cloud services, reflecting the growing importance of cloud adoption among these businesses, per CloudZero.

Migration offers a range of potential benefits in the cloud for businesses of any size. By moving IT infrastructure and applications to the cloud, small businesses can leverage scalable, on-demand computing resources to reduce capital investments in IT infrastructure. Additionally, SMBs have utilized the cloud environment to improve collaboration, boost employee productivity, and scale operations effectively. However, as businesses seek to revolutionize their operations through cloud adoption, migration can still be a huge and daunting task due to resources (financial and headcount), and the technical gap required to successfully execute and complete the migration process. While the benefits of cloud migration are undeniable, embarking on such a task without proper planning and justification can lead to costly mistakes, setbacks, and misappropriation of resources. It is therefore crucial that SMBs build a solid business case that clearly articulates the potential impact, risks, and costs associated with their migration.

In this blog post, we will explore how Amazon Web Services is helping SMB customers scale and accelerate their move to a cloud environment.

What is the AWS MAP program?

AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) is a comprehensive cloud migration program that was developed from AWS’ experience in migrating hundreds of customers to the cloud. SMBs can utilize MAP to scale migrations and build a compelling business case for migrating to AWS. There are three main stages in the MAP process: assess, mobilize, and migrate/modernize.

• The assess phase involves a comprehensive evaluation of the organization’s existing IT infrastructure, workloads, and migration readiness through techniques like application portfolio discovery and cloud strategy development.
• During the mobilize phase, AWS collaborates with the organization to build a strong operational foundation for migration by activities such as mobilizing the migration resources, setting up the cloud landing zone, and defining the migration plan.
• The final migration and modernization phase focuses on the actual execution of migrating workloads to AWS while also identifying opportunities to modernize applications leveraging AWS native services and capabilities.

There are different types of MAP that SMBs can participate in depending on the complexity of the migration requirements and the number of workloads. The programs offer varying levels of support and resources to help customers successfully migrate their workloads to the cloud including dedicated support teams and specialists in order to scale and accelerate the migration to AWS.

AWS offers advantages and incentives for SMBs to participate in the MAP program which include:

• AWS credits: SMBs can receive credits to offset the costs associated with their migration. AWS credits are a form of credit or discount that can be applied to your AWS account. This will help reduce the overall financial responsibility and make the migration process streamlined.
• AWS Partner Network (APN): AWS MAP leverages the expertise and solutions of APN partners to address specific migration challenges and requirements. By involving relevant APN partners early in the process, organizations can gather insights and recommendations that can strengthen their business case.

Benefits of MAP

• Reduce cost: SMBs can decrease IT costs by moving infrastructure and applications to the cloud which frees up resources to focus on their business differentiators. On average, businesses can realize 31% cost savings by migrating legacy applications to the cloud.
• Boost staff productivity: Customers who migrate to AWS can run their IT infrastructure 62% more efficiently. Employees will spend less time on system administration tasks and focus more on strategic work.
• Improve operational resilience: By migrating to the cloud, SMBs can meet customers’ demand and increase service availability and reliability. Customers who move to AWS from on-premises achieve a reduction of 69% in unplanned downtime.

MAP can help SMBs build a strong business case for migration to the AWS Cloud in several ways:

• Total cost of ownership: MAP provides a detailed assessment of an SMB’s current IT infrastructure and workloads. This assessment includes a cost analysis that compares the existing on-premises/non-modernized workload costs with the potential costs of modernizing or migrating to AWS. This cost comparison can highlight the potential cost savings and financial benefits of migrating to the cloud.
• Migration planning and roadmap: MAP helps develop a comprehensive migration plan and roadmap. This plan includes identifying the applications and workloads that are suitable for migration, prioritizing them based on business impact and dependencies, and defining a phased approach for migration. Having a well-defined plan can help SMBs better understand the scope, timelines, and resources required for the migration.
• Risk assessment and mitigation: MAP evaluates the potential risks associated with migration, such as application dependencies, data security, and compliance requirements. It then provides guidance and best practices for mitigating these risks. By addressing potential risks upfront, SMBs can build a more compelling business case by demonstrating a well-planned and risk-mitigated migration strategy.
• Business value identification: MAP helps SMBs identify and quantify the potential business benefits of migrating to the cloud, such as increased agility, scalability, and innovation opportunities. These benefits can be used to highlight the strategic value of the migration beyond just cost savings.

By leveraging the assessment, planning, and guidance provided by MAP, SMBs can develop a comprehensive and well-supported business case that addresses both the financial and strategic aspects of migrating to the AWS Cloud.

Next steps

In conclusion, cloud migration is a strategic move for SMBs in order to remain competitive in today’s landscape. But without a solid business case to support it, embarking on the journey could be a costly mistake that could negatively impact the business.

The AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) provides SMBs with the tools, resources, expertise and incentives needed for their cloud migration initiatives. By leveraging this program, SMBs can gain a comprehensive understanding of the financial implications, potential risks, and strategic benefits of migrating to AWS for their business. SMBs can take a holistic approach to migration decisions, while ensuring that resources are efficiently allocated and that maximum value is returned for any investment in migration.

Learn more about migrating to the cloud or if you’re ready to get started, contact us to accelerate your cloud migration and modernization journey.