Cloud Workload Portability Analysis and Survey Results

This technical report presents an analysis of cloud workload portability, focusing on its significance for organizations seeking cloud optimization. It outlines the benefits of workload portability, including enhanced operational flexibility, resilience against downtime, and opportunities for cost and performance optimization. The report also discusses the challenges hindering adoption, such as the lack of standardized practices, data security concerns, and vendor lock-in issues. A survey conducted by Techstrong Research in the summer of 2023 reveals the primary drivers for workload portability, which include business continuity, cost savings, and resilience. The report details the most common approaches organizations are adopting to facilitate portability, such as containers, microservices, and infrastructure-as-code. Additionally, it highlights the technical challenges faced by organizations, including data migration costs and skills gaps. The report concludes by emphasizing the growing importance of cloud-native technologies in overcoming these challenges and enabling greater workload portability in the future.