From Strategy to Execution: A Practical Roadmap for SME Cloud MigrationOpen Access

Abstract

Due to the high rate of market growth, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are increasingly under pressure to modernize their IT infrastructure In 2024 the worldwide spending on cloud is estimated to reach $351.8 billion, and in 2033 the figure will increase to $1,230.8 billion. Cloud solutions provide SMEs with an economy to pay-per-use, real-time scalability, enterprise-level security, and advanced services (AI/ML, analytics), allowing them to keep up with the changing market and stay competitive in the digital economy. Poor migration planning, insufficient in-house knowledge, unexpected expenses, and regulatory burdens, however, contribute to migrations gone awry. Where migration projects cost long-term, security lapses, and operations become out of control are a point of reality. To overcome such obstacles, we present a practitioner-driven seven-step Action Framework of SME Cloud Migration: Readiness Assessment; Policy Alignment & Strategy Design; Technology Selection; Security Architecture Planning; Migration Execution; Training & Change Management; and Continuous Monitoring & Optimization. Our framework is based on best practices across industries, as well as the operational case patterns, placing smaller businesses on the path to avoiding some of the most widespread cloud pitfalls, including cost-based liftand- shift traps, vendor lock-in, and post-migration neglect, and to maintain the long-term value of cloud through the process of steady improvement.