How to Use This Assessment

Score your organization on a 1–5 scale for each dimension using the rubrics below. A score of 1 indicates critical gaps; 5 indicates full readiness. Sum scores for a total out of 35.

Complete this assessment with input from application owners, infrastructure teams, security, finance, and business leadership. Single-perspective assessments consistently miss gaps in areas outside the respondent's expertise.

Dimension 1: Application Portfolio

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — Unknown: No application inventory. Dependencies unknown. No assessment of cloud suitability.
• 2 — Partial: Partial application inventory. Some dependencies mapped. Limited cloud suitability assessment.
• 3 — Assessed: Complete application inventory. Dependencies mapped for key applications. Cloud suitability assessed for migration candidates.
• 4 — Prioritized: Full dependency mapping. 6R strategy assigned to each application. Migration waves planned.
• 5 — Ready: Complete assessment with TCO analysis. Migration roadmap approved. Quick wins identified for early waves.

Key Questions

• Do you have a complete inventory of all applications?
• Are application dependencies mapped?
• Have you assessed each application's cloud suitability?
• Have you assigned a migration strategy (6R) to each application?
• Have you identified applications that should be retired or replaced?

Dimension 2: Data Architecture

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — Unmanaged: No data inventory. Data locations unknown. No data governance.
• 2 — Basic: Partial data inventory. Some data classified. Basic data governance.
• 3 — Managed: Data inventory complete. Data classified by sensitivity. Data governance policies defined.
• 4 — Advanced: Full data lineage. Cloud-compatible data architecture. Data migration plan developed.
• 5 — Ready: Data architecture optimized for cloud. Migration tools selected. Egress costs modeled.

Key Questions

• Do you know where all your data is and how sensitive it is?
• Are there regulatory requirements that restrict where data can be processed?
• How much data needs to be migrated, and how long will it take?
• Have you modeled data egress costs for your cloud architecture?

Dimension 3: Network Infrastructure

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — Not ready: No cloud connectivity. Internet-only access. Insufficient bandwidth for cloud workloads.
• 2 — Basic: VPN connectivity available. Bandwidth adequate for limited cloud use.
• 3 — Functional: VPN or dedicated connectivity. Adequate bandwidth for planned migrations. DNS architecture designed.
• 4 — Advanced: Dedicated connectivity (Direct Connect/ExpressRoute). Redundant connections. Network architecture designed for hybrid cloud.
• 5 — Ready: Optimized hybrid network. Redundant dedicated connections. SD-WAN or equivalent. Full network monitoring.

Dimension 4: Security & Compliance

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — Not ready: No cloud security policies. Compliance requirements for cloud unknown. No identity federation.
• 2 — Developing: Cloud security policies in development. Compliance requirements identified. Identity federation planned.
• 3 — Functional: Cloud security policies defined. Compliance requirements addressed. Identity federation implemented.
• 4 — Advanced: Cloud landing zone with security controls. CSPM deployed. Zero-trust architecture in progress.
• 5 — Ready: Comprehensive cloud security program. CSPM across all environments. Zero-trust implemented. Regular security assessments.

Dimension 5: Organizational Capability

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — No capability: No cloud skills. No cloud operations experience. No training program.
• 2 — Emerging: Some cloud certifications. Limited cloud operations experience. Training in progress.
• 3 — Developing: Cloud-certified team members. Some cloud operations experience. Cloud Center of Excellence forming.
• 4 — Capable: Certified cloud architects and engineers. Cloud operations experience. Cloud CoE active.
• 5 — Ready: Deep cloud expertise across multiple providers. Mature cloud operations. Cloud-first culture.

Dimension 6: Financial Readiness

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — Not ready: No cloud budget. No TCO analysis. No FinOps capability.
• 2 — Basic: Cloud budget allocated. Basic TCO analysis completed. Cost tracking in place.
• 3 — Functional: Detailed TCO analysis. Cloud budget with contingency. Basic FinOps practices.
• 4 — Advanced: Comprehensive TCO model. Reserved capacity strategy. FinOps team or role established.
• 5 — Ready: Mature FinOps program. Chargeback/showback implemented. Continuous cost optimization.

Dimension 7: Governance Maturity

Scoring Rubric

• 1 — No governance: No cloud governance policies. No account structure. No tagging standards.
• 2 — Basic: Basic cloud governance policies. Account structure defined. Tagging standards defined.
• 3 — Functional: Cloud governance policies enforced. Account structure implemented. Tagging enforced by policy.
• 4 — Advanced: Policy-as-code enforcement. Compliance monitoring. Change management for cloud.
• 5 — Ready: Mature cloud governance. Automated compliance. Continuous governance improvement.

Scoring & Next Steps

Any dimension scoring 1 is a critical gap that should be addressed before migration, regardless of total score. Security and governance gaps at score 1 create compliance risk that is expensive to remediate after migration.

DCS Global's Cloud Readiness Assessment provides a detailed evaluation of your environment with specific migration recommendations, TCO analysis, and a phased migration roadmap. Contact our cloud architects to schedule an assessment.