How to brief a cloud consultant

 Let us paint you a picture. You've decided that you're going to migrate to the cloud. This could either be from an on-premise data centre to a new cloud environment or from one cloud to another. 

What's more, you've decided to outsource the job to a cloud consultant. As cloud consultants ourselves, we approve. You're leveraging external expertise so you can focus on the rest of your bulging to-do list. You probably wouldn't dig the foundations for an office extension yourself – so why put yourself in charge of something as niche and complex as cloud migration? 

You've chosen your cloud consultant and are in initial talks. If they're doing a good job – one with your enterprise in mind – then they'll be asking you questions. Lots of questions. 

These will include practical questions to do with budgets, existing infrastructure and scheduling. They'll also focus more broadly on your expectations for the project: what, when it comes to down to it, do you want this migration to achieve? 

Now it's your turn to brief the cloud consultant. And it might come as a surprise to learn that this is a crunch moment. This is the stage of proceedings that can make or break a project. 

Why? Because getting a third party to lift the bonnet on your business and make big changes is like any other kind of outsourcing. It's not really that much different from getting your windows replaced. If you don't provide the right detail, the job won't be done properly – and you'll only have yourself to blame. 

For starters, there's the very real risk ofcloud shock. This isn't getting struck by lighting – although that is undeniably a setback – but rather the all-too-common moment when a cloud client finds themselves spending more than they expected on the migration project. 

There are all sorts of reasons why this could happen ( miscalculating TCOis a big one) but they all boil down to one thing: a lack of clear communication. If you share the right details clearly and in a timely fashion, you're way more likely to get the outcome you desire than if you skimp on details. 

The alternative is to pay more for less and to be lumbered with a cloud solution that doesn't meet your business goals. And when you find yourself in this position, there's really only one thing to do – call up another cloud consultant and pay them to plug the gaps.

 At Ascend Cloud Solutions, we value customer satisfaction above all else. We pride ourselves on asking the questions that lead to great results and great ROI. But you might not be so lucky if you choose another consultancy firm. 

That's why we've put together this list of five things you should always cover when briefing a cloud consultant. 

1. Infrastructure 

All cloud migrations are different because every existing infrastructure is subtly different. This is true whether you're migrating from an  on-prem data centre to the cloud, or from an existing cloud environment to a new one. 

In either scenario, you need to tell your cloud consultant exactly what your current set-up is and exactly what workloads are involved. Think of it like moving house – your removal men need to know how long it's going to take them to load the van. 

2. Expectations 

When it comes to cloud migration, some expectations are a given: cost savings, for example. Without the need to keep IT staff on board to maintain, upgrade and replace your servers, you stand to make some substantial savings. 

But that's just a broad-brush reason. Your expectations and desired outcomes will be unique to you. Whatever business goals made it into your final pitch to management need to be communicated in some form to your cloud consultant. 

3. Finances 

It's time to talk money. To avoid overspending, you have to be upfront right from the start. If you're not, you risk committing yourself to a project that's more expensive than you think. We don't mean that you'll end up paying the consultant more than you expect, mind – just that the long-term running costs could be higher than you think.

 If your migration project has been approved, you should have a very clear budget. Make sure to communicate this to your cloud consultant. 

4. Dates 

A reputable cloud consultant will make sure that the migration process doesn't disrupt your day-to-day operations as much as physically possible. But a small amount of trouble is inevitable. 

Make sure to keep your consultant in the loop as to any deadlines or other commitments you have in the diary. That way, the migration can be planned in waves that work around, not against, your agenda. 

5. Questions 

Finally, a broader point about how to talk to a consultant. Cloud computing is, by pretty much any metric, a highly complex and niche subject area. Most of us have some understanding of how these things look out front, but we don't have much by way of insight into the backstage area. 

That's fine – it is, after all, why you're getting outside help to begin with. But make sure you ask lots of questions. Don't know what your consultant is talking about? Ask. Feel blinded by science? Ask. It's another small thing you can do to maximise your chances of success. 

Final thoughts 

Working with a cloud consultant when migrating to the cloud can be a sensible choice – one that unlocks cost savings, minimises disruption to your business and gives you on-demand access to expertise that's hard to come by internally. 

When done wrong, however, the consequences can be disastrous, especially when you end up with a larger bill than you anticipated. That's why it's so important to brief your cloud consultant in detail – to ensure not just that the process runs smoothly, but that it does so in the interests of your business's goals. 

Are you looking for a VMware cloud consultant to help you migrate to the cloud? At Ascend Cloud Solutions, we've managed over 400 migrations and counting. Get in touchtoday for a no-obligation consultation.