To ensure compliance, security, governance and operational readiness, turn to (or build) an enterprise-grade foundation that acts as a virtual data center in the cloud. To enable cloud at scale, manage the platform through automation. Also, use the same authentication and security policies as the existing on-premise or hosted data centers. Using the everything-ascode approach described earlier allows for configuration and maintenance automation. This eliminates human involvement – and the risk of human error.

This virtual data center provides a foundation for migrating to the cloud – from a single workload to 10, and from 10 to 100 and beyond. Plan and launch the data center with scale in mind. Success requires that the center's operational capabilities mature and evolve alongside the cloud platform.