Migrating to the cloud: pilot or Big Bang?
Posted by Philippe Creytens at 23:06 on August 3, 2010
I recently had a discussion about the best approach for going to the cloud. Is the best approach doing a pilot or a Big Bang?
I keep repeating myself over and over: people don’t like change. Even if it turns out to be a positive experience over time.
Michael Sampson, Sharepoint specialist, summarizes this as follows: what is the biggest complaint about collaborative solutions? No one uses them!
Does doing a pilot prevent this, or not?
If you opt for Microsoft Exchange Online, going to the cloud will be hardly noticed by end users. The only thing they will notice is the extra ’sign-on’ application that downloads the settings for the Microsoft hosted Exchange servers. Whether the Exchange server is located in the cellar, their data center or Microsoft’s will remain unnoticed by them.
Little prevents you from taking a Big Bang approach.
Migrating to Google Apps is more manifest. Especially if you chose not to soften the (change) pains by using Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook and went for browser-only.
We often get asked to do a pilot. But to what purpose? To learn if users can deal with change without any kind of guidance or training? To see if functionalities such as sending emails or planning meetings in a calendar works (sic)? Or to know how to rollback to the old situation without too much work?
In many cases a pilot is seen as a ‘trial’ without any real commitment to a rollout. It is sort of trying to become half pregnant.
In our opinion a far better approach is to use the budget intended for the pilot to get guidance for the transition to the cloud. To have the time and means for what Mike Riversdale calls ‘serious handholding‘ and deal with the change in the organization. With expert support.
And here is the magical word again: change. Preparing for the upcoming change is key.
If the organization does not buy into the reasons for changes in the business context, i.e. being able to communicate and collaborate in a faster and more efficient way, than a pilot is destined to go bad.
Because cloud computing is all about continuous change. Whatever functionality that today might not be available, is possibly released tomorrow.
I like to use the metaphor of going on a long trip. We agree that we want to see a certain country or continent. But we also agree that during the course of our travels we will have to face unexpected events. But with our goal in mind and with the necessary motivation and creativity, we will reach our destination.
With this philosophy in mind there is not much that prevents you from rolling out Google Apps with a Big Bang.
Or do have another opinion?
