Cloud migration, digital transformation, and operational efficiency are top priorities for government agencies seeking to modernize legacy systems. By leveraging cloud migration strategies, agencies can drive digital transformation and achieve measurable operational efficiency improvements.
What happened
The State of Ohio’s Department of Administrative Services (DAS) executed a large-scale cloud migration to consolidate legacy IT infrastructure, improve service delivery, and reduce costs.
- Reduced annual IT operating costs by 30% within two years, aligning with operational efficiency goals.
- Decommissioned 150+ legacy servers, cutting technical debt and maintenance overhead.
- Improved application uptime to 99.98%, enhancing reliability for citizen-facing services.
Why it worked
Success was driven by a phased migration approach, leveraging public cloud platforms and robust change management, underpinned by a cross-functional operating model.
- Phased migration minimized disruption and enabled iterative learning.
- Adoption of standardized cloud-native services reduced complexity and improved scalability.
- Strong executive sponsorship and cross-agency collaboration ensured alignment and accountability.
Risks & constraints
- Potential for cost overruns if cloud resource usage is not actively monitored and optimized.
- Legacy application compatibility issues may require significant refactoring or re-platforming.
- Effective governance, data security, and change management are critical to avoid compliance gaps and user resistance.
Adapting this playbook for mid-market & state agencies
- Start with a pilot migration for a non-critical workload, then scale based on lessons learned and stakeholder feedback.
- Leverage budget-friendly tooling such as open-source migration frameworks and managed cloud services to control costs.
- Define clear milestones tied to operational efficiency metrics, such as cost savings, improved uptime, and reduced technical debt.
NOVA22 point of view
- Cloud migration is most effective when paired with a disciplined, outcome-driven operating model.
- Mid-market and public sector organizations should prioritize incremental value delivery over “big bang” migrations.
- Investment in change management and user training is as important as technology selection.
- Continuous monitoring and optimization are required to sustain cost and performance benefits post-migration.
Next step
Contact NOVA22 to discuss how your agency can accelerate digital transformation with a tailored cloud migration strategy that balances risk, cost, and operational impact.
Attribution
Commentary on Ohio’s Cloud Journey: Modernizing State IT (2022), NASCIO. All credit to the original authors; this post provides independent analysis.
