The journey to the cloud

A guide to navigation on your cloud migration

Across every sector, the cloud has moved from a distant aspiration to a defining force. Yet as organisations hurry to modernise, many discover that the path is far from linear. You may recognise the tension: promise on one side, uncertainty on the other. In our work at Scott Logic, we’ve seen how crucial it is to cut through the noise by challenging assumptions, reframing expectations and grounding decisions in clarity rather than hype.

The journey to the cloud begins there, at the intersection of ambition and realism. It explores what cloud adoption really demands of an organisation: not just technical capabilities, but the culture, processes and shared understanding that allow those capabilities to thrive.

What this white paper offers

In The journey to the cloud, we trace the full arc of cloud adoption, from the early misconceptions that derail progress, through to the structural and cultural changes required to make the transition succeed. We reflect on the traps of both top‑down and bottom‑up approaches, and why a well‑supported Centre of Excellence often becomes the turning point for meaningful, sustained transformation.

The paper also examines the cloud providers’ guiding frameworks, showing how organisations can prepare people, processes and workloads for migration. And once the shift is made, we consider what true optimisation looks like: the operational, architectural and cultural changes that allow the cloud to deliver lasting value rather than short‑term gains.

If you’re navigating cloud adoption, or preparing to, The journey to the cloud offers a measured, practical perspective shaped by our experience supporting organisations through complex change. It’s a clear, confident companion for leaders who want to move beyond the hype and make well‑informed decisions that stand the test of time.