Cloud Transformation is a Marathon, not a Sprint

We recently wrapped up our cloud transformation webinar series by discussing how maintaining security at the core of your transformation enables growth, scale, and expansion of your business. This post expands on that discussion, offering a look into the shift to managed security services and how that shift can help you win the race to the cloud.

Before we get started, feel free to view any of the webinars you may have missed by clicking the links below: ·

• Part 1: Cloud Transformation: How security helps you win the race to Digital
• Part 2: Cloud Transformation: Jumping the migration hurdle
• Part 3: Cloud Transformation: Keeping up the pace
• Part 4: Cloud Transformation: It’s a marathon, not a sprint

When we think about cloud transformation, we know it’s a steady and strategic process. Proper preparation, technique, and fine-tuning during the earlier stages of your transformation can make all the difference and ensure you gain the competitive edge.

Now, let’s think of this process as a race, with optimization being the final stretch before you reach the finish line. As you get closer to that finish line, the difference between coming in first or third place can be decided based on a slim margin.

Earlier in the race, there are larger, more obvious differences that set organizations apart. However, in the cloud optimization phase of your journey (the final stretch), it’s the marginal adjustments that can make all the difference. The key is recognizing those adjustments while feeling like “everything is going fine.”

For example, up until October 2019, no one had been able to run a marathon under 2 hours. It was predicted that no one could accomplish this feat until 2032. But that all changed when Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1:59:40. In so doing, he became the fastest man to ever run 26.2 miles. To say he’s a skilled runner is an understatement. But what sets Kipchoge apart from other runners were the adjustments he incorporated into his run that day.

He incorporated subtle techniques that included strategically placing pacers to block the wind that may contribute to drag, running in an environment with optimal weather conditions, utilizing a custom pair of running shoes that would enhance his efficiency, and supplementing with the “perfect” amount & balance of fuel (carbohydrates). Each of these adjustments helped him shave 0:00:45 off his previous 2:00:25 record, thus tipping him over the less-than-2-hours scale.

How does this relate to your cloud transformation? Let’s assume you already have someone on your team who is handling security. They may be addressing most of the major security issues you can identify. But it doesn’t hurt to ask yourself, is there a more efficient or holistic way to do this? Is that multi-skilled security staff spending their time on what matters most to the business, do they have the visibility into the wider threat landscape needed to identify unforeseen gaps, or are they bogged down with tasks that could be managed more efficiently?

As your cloud transformation unlocks new growth opportunities and increases customer security demands, you’ll need security to scale accordingly. Technology and a DIY approach will not be the most efficient way to accomplish that. You’ll need a solution that allows you to be innovative without heavy resource demands, one that will enable you to control your costs while expanding your coverage and enabling agility.

With Managed Services, the security heavy lifting is conducted by a third-party provider. Thus, those multi-skilled resources can shift their focus, expertise, time, and energy to activities that add long term benefits to your organization. Such benefits may be more strategic planning for the future, implementing security-as-code to respond to that inevitable breach, or focusing on getting the most out of the security services you employ.

Outsourcing the security activities that require specialist skills can help organizations gain more efficiency and productivity out of their existing resources while providing enterprise-level security to customers. Ask yourself if the cost of managing security yourself contributes to the business objectives.

The shift to managed services may be subtle in the short term but will make a significant difference in the long run and could be the winning adjustment that gets you to the cloud transformation finish line in first place.

To learn more, register for the full webinar or view the case study on how McArthurGlen made the shift to Alert Logic MDR to enhance their internal team’s capabilities while simultaneously expanding their security coverage.