Cloud engineering can make life easier for any business. Thanks to resources like Google Workspace and Office 365, it’s never been simpler to keep your team connected and streamline the way you work.

But proper cloud solutions don’t just descend from a clear blue sky. Buckle up for our breakdown of the biggest cloud engineering mistakes to avoid.

Mistake #1. Jumping straight in with no plan

There are many good reasons to embrace cloud engineering, but that in itself doesn’t make it right for your business.

Old habits die hard, and before you frighten the horses with a new, transformational way of working, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got a happy stable. That means it’s time to align.

Ideally, your cloud strategy shouldn’t be siloed within a close circle of IT overlords, but aligned with every relevant person in your organisation.

So, rally the troops and consider some of the following questions:

  • Why exactly are you looking for a cloud solution?
  • Do your key personnel broadly agree on the mission?
  • Do you want every task to be migrated to the cloud, or just a few silver linings?
  • How will it affect workloads?
  • Should you run a pilot first and try before you buy?
  • Do you have enough people (with the right knowledge and skills) to support your cloud tech moving forward?

Mistake #2. Getting your cloud engineering sums wrong

The best things in life are free – except cloud computing. When migrating your business to cloud infrastructure, you’ll need to factor in the cost of cloud engineering, but also some expenditure you might not have considered, such as:

  • The cost of training your team to use the cloud technology
  • The cost of disruption to your business while everyone adjusts to life in the cloud
  • The cost of updating your organisational procedures across departments.

Of course, there are many sunny upsides, but to really grow your revenue, it’s best to think about the tradeoffs before you take the plunge.

Mistake #3. Doing too much, too soon.

We get it – migrating to the cloud feels like a Herculean task and you simply want to get on with the business of running your…business. But even if you’re keen to crack on, you should resist the temptation to migrate all your data in one fell swoop.

There can be teething issues when first migrating to the cloud, so it’s wise to phase-in the transition so that if anything goes wrong – and touchwood, it won’t – your sensitive data will still be secure. It’s one thing to embrace the cloud, but another to implement your cloud engineering practices successfully.

Unless you’re Usain Bolt, slow and steady wins the race

Mistake #4. Granting too much access

The security of your business is paramount. Yes, your cloud provider has a big part to play in keeping your system safe as houses, but equally, everyone in your organisation needs to be up-to-speed on navigating the cloud responsibly.

And to state the obvious, you don’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry to have access to your cloud environment. Your permissions should be configured so that the right people only have access to tasks that are relevant to their job.

You can also block access from certain global regions if you think there’s something fishy about a ‘colleague’ logging on from Siberia rather than Southend. Throw multi-factor authentication into the mixing bowl and bob’s your uncle: you’ve got a secure (and delicious) cloud engineering cake.

Mistake #5. Choosing the wrong cloud provider

Cloud engineering has the potential to transform the way you do business, but of course, not every cloud solution will be right for you. It’s all well and good going for the cheapest option, but tread carefully – you don’t want to be left with a solution that has all the technical prowess of a Commodore 64.

Your relationship with a cloud provider can be a proper partnership. Given this is a key decision that affects your whole organisation, it’s a good idea to choose a cloud partner that’s transparent, trustworthy and transformative (alliteration, yay).

Your new cloud engineering partner

The geek shall inherit the Earth, and if you’re looking for a tech partner who knows cloud computing like the back of our hard drive, look no further than The Possibility Partnership.

We’re experts in AWS architecture, and our tech smarts and cloud engineering nous can keep your workflows as fluid as the River Nile. Get in touch today and book a free discovery call.