How cloud automation can benefit your legacy IT operations
Blog: Capgemini CTO Blog
Cloud-native applications are on the rise. In fact, our 2017 research report revealed that the number of new enterprise applications built natively in the cloud will more than double by 2020 as businesses work to develop and provision apps faster while simplifying management.
A major shift towards a more efficient and continuous approach to software development could see legacy organizations fall behind their progressive cloud-native competitors. To mitigate such a risk, these organizations need to apply automation – fast.
Transforming your siloed, on-premises IT systems to keep up with cloud competitors is a colossal task, no doubt about it. But cloud automation can deliver major benefits for your legacy systems, ultimately helping you level the playing field with your fresh-faced, cloud-native competitors.
Here’s how.
Simpler, with cloud automation
When enterprises are using cloud-native applications and DevOps to develop software continuously, relying on your legacy systems can make it difficult to stay competitive.
Luckily, cloud automation can be executed in any environment. Although it uses cloud-based tools, cloud automation can be applied to both legacy and cloud-native applications. This means you can automate the manual efforts associated with managing cloud computing workloads – allowing you to manage traditional applications and infrastructure in a more competitive, agile, and scalable way.
But why not just stick with tradition?
In our report, The automation advantage, we found that companies that quickly encompass a mix of cloud technology and legacy on-premises applications (Fast Movers) significantly outperform those that follow behind. Not only does cloud automation help accelerate processes, but these organizations find it enables greater profitability, business agility, and flexibility.
Of the 415 organizations we surveyed:
- 75% have attempted changing their business model with automation
- 59% have redeployed engineers onto higher-value activities
- 86% say customer experience has benefited
- 45% of Fast Movers were able to integrate development and operations teams more tightly.
Of course, every company’s approach to automation will vary according to its current infrastructure and resources, and key business goals. As Jens Ekberg, vice president for Technology and Transformation at Securitas explains: “Scalability and reducing time to market are important goals of automation for us. We also want to free up the resources that we have to enable us to really start to change the way we deliver IT services and focus more on business outcomes.”
Join the Fast Movers
You don’t have to miss out on the benefits of cloud automation just because your business relies on legacy IT operations – you can join the Fast Movers.
Public cloud and PaaS platforms offer built-in tools that help you move from development into production in minutes, even on traditional applications. This is achieved by automating tasks such as:
- Infrastructure provisioning
- Configuration management
- Application testing
- Application release.
The transition to complete cloud automation can be daunting, but your legacy applications can still benefit from investment in PaaS without being rearchitected. Instead, you can select and implement the right pattern for each application – helping you accelerate delivery of new software for both legacy and cloud-native applications.
Your future, with cloud automation
Cloud automation is a great way to accelerate software development and enable DevOps implementation, but how will this impact your business processes?
By applying automation to your legacy apps, your workforce stands to benefit from modern cloud services that incorporate automation and orchestration capabilities. In practice, this can lead to:
- Reduced manual processes and errors
- Increased data consistency and repeatability
- Accelerated speed of delivery and deployment.
Leave legacy behind
Adopting a cloud-based model can seem like a big move, but with cloud-native competitors leading the way – it’s an inevitable one.
Cloud automation is not just there to serve IT objectives; companies now see it as critical to their survival. In the words of Johan Esbjörner, product owner and technical lead for the Cloud Center of Excellence at Husqvarna: “If we don’t spend time on automation today, we may be out of business in five years. We’ll be too expensive and our time to market will be too long.”
Cloud automation helps you make a simple transition from your legacy systems, allowing you to deliver software at a greater speed and lower cost.
Transforming your legacy IT systems can be a big challenge to face alone, so picking the right partner to help is important – especially when it comes to ensuring data security. Take a look at our security information hub to explore how we can help you stay safe throughout your cloud journey.
Want to learn more about cloud automation from our experts? Read our latest blog series and find out the benefits cloud automation can bring to your company.
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