Leading firms use a mix of service providers to build their future fit strategies. Forrester data shows that in 2021, 46% of APAC infrastructure decision-makers whose organizations are adopting cloud said they want to use managed services from cloud service providers. Firms in the region are increasingly turning to partners that can help orchestrate the end-to-end journey to the cloud, not only as traditional outsourced providers but also as value-aligned partners.

Cloud migration and managed services (CMMS) customers in Asia Pacific should look for providers that:

  • Offer a broad scope of cloud platforms, services, and capabilities. Firms are evolving their cloud architecture to adopt hybrid cloud strategies. Many expect external support that can cover multiple public cloud platforms and private cloud solutions from a single partner. While some engagements may initially focus on infrastructure operations services, this focus will move up the stack as enterprises become more comfortable with containers, platform as a service, and function as a service. Leading providers have broad support for major hyperscalers and offer strong service capabilities from advisory to operations across the entire cloud stack, including emerging cloud-native solutions.
  • Have talent engines that support emerging technology trends. Successful providers have strategic partnerships with major hyperscalers; many are establishing hyperscaler-specific business units. To keep track of hyperscalers’ development and delivery services with best practices, CMMS partners must continuously build up their talent pool and acquire and maintain the relevant certifications needed today and to meet future needs and emerging technologies. The most effective providers have set up internal communities of practice and effectively transfer knowledge to share experiences and expand the capabilities of delivery teams. Leading providers integrate these same practices when customers require in-house talent enablement or onsite support.
  • Use software solutions as enablers to enhance delivery quality. Software assets accelerate delivery, reduce risk, and boost efficiency of cloud advisory, migration, build, and management services. Providers differentiate by making substantive investments in homegrown software assets and capabilities to leverage third-party tools and hyperscalers’ native tools. Leading providers have capabilities to build modern operations for customers to support DevOps and AIOps and simplify cloud adoption and administration via a thoughtfully curated suite of cloud planning, management, and optimization.

Forrester Wave™ Evaluations For Cloud Migration And Managed Service Partners

We recently published two Forrester Wave™ evaluations to help organizations make the appropriate decision when choosing a vendor, both in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China) and focused solely on China. All vendors were evaluated across 27 different criteria:

Forrester clients can read the full report on the Forrester website. Download the Excel spreadsheet to see the specific criteria in order to understand why a vendor received a specific score — and to customize your results.

If you’d like to discuss these findings or the cloud migration and managed service partners landscape in Asia and China, please schedule an inquiry.