The Cloud Clinic is a series on the #AzureEnablementShow where we focus on answering caller questions about using Azure Cloud. It is difficult to start out right, and it is difficult to stay on an optimal path in the cloud journey. "I thought the cloud would be better than this, but I have some questions!" This is the show where you can have Your question answered! Please reach out to me on social channels, or comment here, or on YouTube, and we might be answering Your Cloud Clinic Question next!

In this episode our caller has the question how do we go about...

Verifying the implementation of your cloud strategy

There exists a "divide" between business strategists and technical implementers - that has always been so. A Cloud (first) Strategy has been established in the company. Now it needs to be verified that the technical implementation is indeed following through, aligning to said strategy. Unfortunately, I have seen time and again that companies have a strategy for cloud but actual cloud they are building is technically something different.

Please enjoy this episode on YouTube:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRa6ueIYqp0]

Here is the episode on Microsoft Learn:

[https://learn.microsoft.com/shows/azure-enablement/the-cloud-clinic-verifying-the-implementation-of-your-cloud-strategy]

A good Cloud Strategy follows a set of prioritised motivations and guide the direction of the technical implementation!

How do you then verify that the technical cloud is staying on the strategic path? There are, simply put, two things you need to do to ensure you follow the intended. Clear company communications and some technical data gathering and dashboards.

Everybody can see the goal!

First you ensure there is a clear strategy written down, AND that then you make abundantly certain that this strategy is CLEARLY COMMUNICATED to the entire company! When (not "if") the cloud strategy needs to change, the change is documented and again (very important especially for changes) communicated to the company!

Why would a Cloud Strategy need to change?

There are multiple reasons for that, but common ones include, "we now know more about cloud tech than we did when we started, and there is reason for us to revisit the initial strategy", and "our customer is requiring a certain compliancy level, and that was not the highest priority before". To be on a cloud journey, as a company, and realize you must change your strategic approach takes courage, conviction, and communication!

Technical details for aligning cloud tech with business strategy

Second, based on the goals of the cloud strategy, you find a set of technical metrics that measure the intended strategy. It could be cost metrics, it could be business metrics - number of new users etc., or it could be user satisfaction metrics. The critical factor here is that the metric itself is of VALUE TO THE BUSINESS. You set up monitoring to capture the data for these metrics, then you create a dashboard that you can make available to the less technical business stakeholders. Good technology options here are Azure Monitor for data collection and then integrate the data with Power BI.

Good luck following your strategic path to a fruitful technical existence in the cloud!