Our IT department is moving everything to AWS and they’ve asked me to do a Gap Analysis. I’m used to analyzing business processes, not server configurations. How do I approach this from a Business Analysis perspective? I want to focus on the "Service Level Agreements" (SLAs) and "Business Continuity" gaps rather than the technical networking stuff. Is there a specific template or checklist for cloud migrations?
3 answers
Don't let the "Technical" part intimidate you. A cloud Gap Analysis is still just comparing the "As-Is" to the "To-Be." Focus on the operational impacts. For example, in your current "As-Is" on-premise setup, how long does a database restore take? Now, check what the AWS SLA provides for that same service. If there's a difference, that’s your "Gap." You should also analyze "Compliance Gaps"—does the cloud provider meet all the regulatory requirements of the jurisdictions where your customers live? Use a standard "Table" format: Feature, Current Capability, Cloud Capability, Gap Description, and Mitigation Strategy. This keeps the technical team focused on business outcomes.
Are you also looking at the "Skill Gap" for the internal staff who will have to manage these new cloud-based environments?
Use "User Journey Mapping" to see if the latency in the cloud affects the end-user experience compared to the local servers.
Absolutely, Barbara. Performance is a key requirement, and any degradation in speed is a major gap that needs to be addressed before go-live.
Thomas, that is a fantastic point that I completely missed. We have three DBAs who have never touched a cloud console. If we move the database but don't train the staff, that is a massive "Operational Gap." I’m going to add a "People and Skills" section to my analysis. I’ll recommend a training roadmap alongside the technical migration. This makes the BA role much more strategic because I’m looking at the "Organizational Readiness" for the change, not just the technology itself.