Enterprises often fall prey to implementing a cloud strategy that overrides their existing strategic efforts. A successful cloud strategy will coexist with an enterprise's current strategic efforts – it doesn't "try to redo them," according to Gartner VP Analyst Marco Meinardi.

The analyst firm defines cloud strategy as a single, concise perspective on cloud computing's role in an organization. A solid cloud strategy should be a short, consumable, 10- to 20-page document or slide deck, and it should be driven by the broader business strategy.

For as simple as it sounds, IT and business leaders consistently make the same mistakes when designing a cloud strategy, according to Gartner. To that point, the firm identified the top cloud strategy mishaps it sees organizations encounter.

Siloing Cloud Strategy Within IT

The first major stumble Gartner aims to correct is the assumption that cloud strategy only relates to and impacts those in IT, but cloud computing isn't just about technology. Non-IT business leaders also carry skills and knowledge that's crucial to successful cloud efforts, Gartner said.

IT and business leaders should collaborate as "equal partners" in designing the organization's cloud strategy to "avoid the mistake of devising an IT-centric strategy and then trying to 'sell it' to the rest of the business," Meinardi explained.

...What Exit Strategy?

Another major issue Gartner observes within cloud strategies is the lack of an exit strategy from cloud providers. It's difficult to devise, which is why Gartner posits many leaders ignore this step of the process.

Maybe organizations believe they don't expect to bring anything back from the cloud, so they wouldn't need an exit strategy. However, it's a significant piece of successful cloud strategies. "It’s like having an insurance policy in your drawer that you hopefully will never need to use," Meinardi said.

Cloud Strategy Vs. Cloud Implementation Plan

While these two terms are strikingly similar, they are quite different in reality, the analyst firm noted. The cloud strategy must come first because it's the decision phase where both business and IT leaders determine the role cloud will play in the enterprise.

Cloud implementation plans, which put the cloud strategy into action, should be designed and deployed after the strategy is finalized.

It's Never Too Late

Some enterprises may feel far too behind in today's world of cloud-native technologies and cloud modernization, but Meinardi argued it's never too late to start developing a collaborative cloud strategy.

Driving cloud adoption without a strategy "will ultimately cause resistance from individuals who are not aligned on the strategy’s key drivers and principles," and "this resistance will slow down cloud adoption and potentially jeopardize the entire cloud project," he explained.

Don't Just Move Everything to the Cloud

Gartner noted many organizations still assume designing a cloud strategy implies sending everything up to the cloud. This assumption turns business and IT leaders away from designing a real cloud strategy because "they think it means they’ll be forced to start using cloud computing for everything," Meinardi explained.

He suggests organizations try to "keep an open mind" and partner with a non-cloud tech expert like an enterprise architect "who can bring a broad viewpoint in the definition of your cloud strategy."