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Many organisations treat cloud migration as an endpoint, but this article argues the true value lies in what happens after go-live. It introduces a lifecycle-based modernisation approach that aligns IT budgets, legacy de-risking and business outcomes, rather than simply shifting workloads.Arun Kumar Manoharan, Global Head of Strategy Enablement at UBDS Digital, contributes insight into how mature organisations treat transformation as an iterative journey. He highlights how firms that tie modernisation to measurable KPIs - such as business resilience, cost-efficiency and readiness for AI or ESG goals - see far more enduring impact, pointing to examples such as simplified legacy consolidation delivering 99.93% service continuity for priority services.If you’re still labelling your cloud move as “migration,” this article challenges you to rethink: modernisation is not about moving everything to the cloud. It’s about moving the organisation forward.

As SMBs continue to embrace cloud services, Paul Collins cautions that adoption alone does not guarantee value. Too many organisations move quickly to the cloud without the governance, cost controls and security foundations required to operate sustainably at scale.Paul argues that the role of the channel must shift from enabling access to cloud platforms to guiding customers through informed architectural decisions, ensuring environments are right-sized, secure by design and aligned to real business needs. For SMBs with limited internal IT capability, unmanaged cloud growth can quickly erode cost predictability and increase risk.According to Paul, the most successful outcomes come when partners take ownership of ongoing optimisation, visibility and accountability, helping SMBs treat cloud as a strategic capability rather than a short-term fix.

This Computer Weekly feature explores how UBDS Digital is redefining digital transformation through a lifecycle-centric approach, moving beyond one-off projects to long-term partnerships that help organisations modernise continuously in a world of rapid technological change. The interview discusses why traditional transformation efforts often fall short and how a lifecycle perspective helps clients innovate consistently rather than repeatedly rebuilding every few years.Diptesh Patel, CEO at UBDS Digital, argues that the industry must shift from traditional digital transformation to a digital lifecycle partnership where value is realised over time, not just at the point of implementation. He explains that many transformation projects become outdated within a few years because they lack a framework for continuous improvement. By embracing lifecycle thinking, organisations can modernise infrastructure, integrate emerging technologies like AI and even prepare for future innovations such as quantum computing, all while maintaining strategic momentum rather than entering endless catch-up cycles.Patel emphasises that this ongoing innovation loop supported by dedicated roles like continuous improvement managers helps clients avoid the disruption and cost of repetitive, standalone projects and instead build adaptable, future-ready environments.Read more about Diptesh’s view and how the digital lifecycle model is shaping transformation strategies in the full article.