Migration vs. Transformation: When Hybrid May Be Better Than Full Cloud
The pressure to stay current has never been greater, with the AI hype reaching its peak in a business climate characterized by consistently high inflation and operating costs. The sense of urgency to completely restructure in the face of technological advances that are seen as competitive can increase the pressure to adopt a complete end-to-end solution.
However, a complete overhaul of IT infrastructure and core business systems carries significant risks. These include business disruption, losses on existing infrastructure investments, and regulatory and data security concerns. When considering cloud versus on-premises as an all-or-nothing decision, these uncertainties can deter consideration of the cloud.
Neal McMahon leads Avaya’s UCaaS sales efforts in the UK and Ireland.
Risks of Full Cloud Transformation
A large-scale cloud migration can be complex, requiring a full assessment of existing privacy and data configurations, including where the data is stored, whether it crosses borders, and the quality of a cloud service provider’s assurances about security and governance. This is further complicated when enterprises have customers in one part of the world, data in another, and contact center operations in a third.
Larger enterprises operating in multiple industries may see differences in security and privacy requirements depending on the area of expertise. Regulations and compliance practices that cover even a portion of the business can be seen as a barrier to large-scale migration.
Most contact centers have existing investments with certain features, particularly voice, that work fine and a rip-and-replace move to the cloud would be disruptive.
Of course, none of these challenges are insurmountable, and a full cloud transformation may still be the preferred option in some cases, but the risks are worth keeping in mind. For those not yet ready to move fully to the cloud, however, there is a middle ground: a hybrid model that gives enterprises access to innovative features without the disruption of throwing out what works.
Realizing the benefits of a hybrid model
A hybrid model allows existing investments to be augmented with new cloud capabilities at a measured pace, according to the organization’s preferences. This allows an enterprise to achieve incremental gains in a “step migration” style, accelerating time to value. It also minimizes the negative impact of change management processes. In essence, a hybrid implementation can be viewed as a migration rather than a transformation.
Hybrid deployments offer a balanced approach to addressing control, performance, and scale issues in a way that can be tailored to an enterprise’s specific situation and needs. A hybrid approach enables an enterprise to leverage new and future technology developments that have growth-related implications for employee and customer experiences. It becomes possible to future-proof without causing disruption.
Many companies invest heavily in existing on-premises processes, often developed over time at great expense. A hybrid approach allows an organization to keep what works while still experimenting with new ideas. The enterprise retains control over key systems, and resources are dedicated to the organization rather than shared among multiple companies, as in a public cloud.
Splitting capabilities between cloud and on-premises or private cloud can improve reliability by distributing services across different data centers and systems. IT teams can maximize the value of existing investments by managing technology until it legitimately reaches the end of its useful life or planning a phased transition over a longer period. On-premises systems are often customized and configured with details unique to an organization’s business situation. Hybridizing preserves these customizations in existing call flows, processes, and staff training. Existing voice infrastructure can remain in place while integrated digital channels are added to the mix. These new channels can then be tested with the customer base without fear of abandoning them if they prove ineffective.
By using the cloud to perform a proof of concept or test a new technology or process in the cloud, an enterprise avoids the capital expenditure of adding the process to an on-premises system or divesting the on-premises system entirely. It becomes possible to run a short-term campaign to test a new offer, service, or promotion where customers use voice or digital to contact the hybrid agent handling system. This flexibility also enables enterprises to use tools and technologies that have a limited lifecycle or do not meet capital expenditure requirements, such as implementing an AI chatbot or analytics applications.
The case for a gradual migration via hybrid cloud implementation
The cloud is not a monolithic entity that offers only one option. By incorporating a hybrid element, an enterprise retains control while leaving the door open for large-scale migration on its own terms and at its own pace.
A hybrid model offers the opportunity to be innovative without being disruptive. Enterprises should view it as a project to move their business forward, but at a pace that best suits their goals and culture. Keep what works, innovate where possible, and use key business objectives as critical milestones in their journey. Enterprises can migrate without having to completely transform and take advantage of the benefits of the cloud without losing existing investments.
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