IT Leaders Needed for Cloud Modernization Project Insights

Five years ago, our “cloud strategy” was… network folders on old servers. Sure, we were using O365, but we weren’t *using* O365. Five years later, we’ve ditched most of the servers, automated identity and device management, and even printers went serverless. Modernizing works best when the right people, the right plan, and the right timing come together. When I arrived, our Microsoft hybrid environment wasn’t fully leveraging what was available: Data still on old physical file servers SharePoint 2010 barely surviving Teams underutilized, OneDrive ignored Azure/Entra, Intune, AutoPilot underperforming or ignored I had a long conversation with my director about why and how we should fully embrace the cloud. He was receptive, and we committed to the transformation. It’s taken a bit longer than planned but… Five years later: AutoPilot running and Azure/Entra performing reasonably well 10+ on-prem servers/VMs decommissioned and archived Conditional Access and MFA enforced company-wide 3 of 5 DCs retired; the remaining 2 nearly gone Six file servers migrated to SharePoint Online; SharePoint 2010 ready for decommission Printer fleet reduced by over 50%; all print servers replaced with cloud-based serverless printing VPN use nearly eliminated The modernization has also delivered real business value: Lower electricity consumption from fewer servers running 24/7 No hardware support agreements on aging equipment Reduced maintenance and replacement costs Onboarding/offboarding for users and devices now takes roughly one-third of the time it used to Looking ahead, we expect to be fully cloud-based within 6–12 months, completing the transformation and positioning the organization for secure, scalable operations. If you’ve been involved in a modernization project, at any level: What changes made the biggest impact? How did the project go? I want to hear about the highs, the lows, and the ridiculous. #CloudComputing #Azure #Microsoft365 #ITModernization #ZeroTrust #OperationalExcellence #Automation