To generate value from cloud,
organizations don’t need to create
whole new processes; but they
do need to commit to, and
institutionalize, process automation.
If you are a sailor, there is probably nothing more enticing than taking your boat out to
a far-off, exotic port.
Picture the scene. Your boat is a beauty – a 70-foot, two-mast Oyster yacht with all the
latest electronics. Everything is automated. You take it out on the open seas and cruise
into port. That is when things start to go wrong. The port is not equipped with any elec-
tronics to speak of. It handles all communications using a paper-based system. So you
cannot exchange data. Your stay in the port is denied.
For companies looking to drive value through their cloud operations, this scenario is all
too familiar. They spend infinite amounts of time, energy and money automating tech-
nologies on one end of the operation, but fail to automate processes down the line, to
ensure they are getting the right amount of value out of their cloud investments.
These organizations figuratively own the ships and the ports. Their ships clip along
unencumbered – until they reach unautomated, inhospitable ports.
Needless to say, this kind of misalignment can have significant ramifications for an
enterprise conducting a cloud transformation. The company is trying to get feature-rich
services out into the market faster, because customers are demanding them. But the
organization may not be mature enough to withstand a release once a week if it is used
to releasing once a quarter or once a year. Technologists get frustrated because their
projects get held up. Others in the organization get angry because they do not want to
automate tasks and processes they are comfortable handling themselves.
WINTER 2019 | THE DOPPLER | 25