I agree with most cloud migration advice, but many checklists skip the expensive parts people feel after go-live.
This ZDNet article covers useful ground. I want to add the points I repeatedly see in real projects.
Training cost
When I managed Oracle Maintenance Wizard, one recurring executive complaint was not technical debt. It was retraining cost.
Even small UI changes in Oracle E-Business Suite created user friction and data-entry mistakes. If a core screen shifts, productivity drops immediately. Cloud transitions often include workflow and UI changes, which means you are buying training time and temporary throughput loss whether you budgeted for it or not.
Organization Skillset
Cloud migration is a capability shift, not a hosting shift.
Who owns the migration plan? Who can operate cloud-native systems after launch? Who updates DevOps, security, finance, and support processes? If those answers are unclear, migration risk is already high.
Other considerations
The article also highlights points that are still critical:
- Legacy entanglements - Some legacy systems cannot be moved without major redesign.
- Cloud sticker shock - Long-term efficiency gains can be real, but transition cost is front-loaded.
- Security - Your risk posture changes and needs new controls, not just new tools.
- Need for speed - Data gravity is real. Large, data-heavy workloads still depend on physical proximity and network design.