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The cloud is not a destination, it’s a freedom engine.
For many IT leaders, cloud migration feels like a massive, expensive project with a finish line somewhere in the distant future. This view often paralyzes organizations, keeping them anchored to legacy systems that stifle growth.
But what if we shifted our thinking?
What if we saw the cloud not as a final destination, but as a continuous engine of freedom?
This mindset change is the key to unlocking true agility and innovation.
The cloud frees your IT team from the heavy burden of manual tasks, allowing them to focus on more strategic, value-driven initiatives. It’s a strategic shift from project to enabler, and leaders from Google, JumpCloud, and Bloomreach have a lot to say on the matter.
This post contains highlights from their recent event Transform the Way You Work with Google Workspace & JumpCloud and will offer you a roadmap to build that engine.
The Obstacles That Hold Us Back
Before we build, we need to understand what’s holding us back. Two major roadblocks prevent IT leaders from embracing the cloud’s full potential: legacy vendor lock-in and the fear of complexity.
Relying on a single, monolithic vendor creates a dangerous dependency. It limits your ability to adopt best-of-breed tools and innovate at the pace your business demands. As Frank Gallotti, Global Director of IT at Bloomreach, explains, this was a major source of frustration in his previous environment.
“The prior solutions didn’t communicate well… Active Directory couldn’t do it and the providers that we had that could do it were not communicating well.”
Frank Gallotti, Global Director of IT at Bloomreach
This leads to the second obstacle: fear.
IT leaders often worry about the perceived risks of migration, such as increased complexity and security vulnerabilities. But the truth is, staying with legacy systems is often the riskier choice.
These unmanaged, on-premises systems are often outdated, lack proper security measures, and are difficult to maintain. As a result, they frequently become vulnerable to cyber threats and create more problems than they solve. Organizations may face increased downtime, higher maintenance costs, and reduced efficiency in operations due to these inherent security flaws on top of what they already have to deal with.
What the “Freedom Engine” Actually Delivers
Moving to the cloud delivers far more than just technical upgrades. It gives your IT team back its most valuable resource: time.
Think about the hours spent on manual maintenance, like the dreaded “Patch Tuesday.” A modern, cloud-native stack automates these time-consuming tasks. This frees up your team to focus on strategic projects that drive the business forward, like integrating new AI tools or shepherding others through the process. Our most recent IT Trends data report found that AI readiness is the top strategic priority for 46% of IT professionals. Driving successful outcomes in a novel initiative like AI adoption, management, and governance takes time and attention, which too many teams are lacking.
This freedom also extends to your entire workforce. A cloud-native Zero Trust security model, a core principle of platforms like JumpCloud, empowers employees to work securely from anywhere, on any device.
As Andy Wen, Senior Director of Product Management for Google Workspace, noted, “By making your development, deployment, scaling, and maintenance more agile and efficient… cloud-native technologies create an environment where new innovations can be introduced, tested, and adopted across your enterprise at a much faster pace.”
Your Roadmap for Building the Engine
Ready to build your own freedom engine?
Here’s a high-level roadmap to get you started:
The first step is realizing your old system might be causing more problems than it’s solving.
Take a good, honest look—does your current tech actually give you an edge, or are you just sticking with it because it’s what you’re used to? To really understand what’s not working, get input from different voices—host some group chats or send out anonymous surveys.
This way, everyone’s frustrations are out in the open. Once your team sees they’re all dealing with the same issues, they’ll feel more ready to tackle the problem together and focus on finding solutions.
Don’t swap one outdated system for another.
Build your new stack with top-notch tools that prioritize openness, flexibility, and choice. For example, pair Google Workspace for collaboration with JumpCloud for identity and device management, and easily add other tools as you go.
This way, you’ll have the freedom to pick the best tools for your needs—now and down the road.
No need to move everything all at once.
Start small with a low-risk strategy—pick one project, show its value, and build from there. It keeps things simple and lets you see results fast. As one webinar speaker said, this helps you break free from legacy systems and “choose the best tools, like Google and JumpCloud, that really work for you.”
The biggest challenge with this approach is usually the fear of change and thinking a new system will be too complicated.
That’s why it’s essential to explain how your solution will be designed with simplicity and security in mind. Use real-world examples, like Bloomreach, to show that making the switch isn’t just doable—it comes with big wins like saving time and improving security.
The message should be clear: upgrading to a modern stack isn’t some risky leap. It’s a smart step toward a more flexible, secure, and efficient future.
Success Spotlight: The Bloomreach Story
Frank Gallotti at Bloomreach provides a perfect example of this roadmap in action.
His team struggled with a “heritage Active Directory” environment that was unmanaged and insecure. This patchwork of legacy systems and multiple Mobile Device Management (MDM) providers created constant friction.
By migrating to a unified stack with JumpCloud and Google Workspace, Bloomreach centralized identity and device management. “JumpCloud really has solved all of those problems,” Frank said. “The integration with the Google backend just makes life seamless.”
This move freed the IT team from firefighting and allowed them to focus on strategic AI initiatives. IT transformed from a bottleneck into a true business enabler. Frank emphasized the role of partnership in this success:
“The partnerships have been very effective and we wouldn’t be here without… the help and the assistance getting us to where we’re at.”
Frank Gallotti, Global Director of IT at Bloomreach
Your Opportunity for Leadership
Cloud migration is not just another IT project; it’s an opportunity to fundamentally change how your business operates. Building this “engine of freedom” is what allows IT to break through and become a strategic leader within the organization.
It’s your chance to move beyond maintenance and start driving innovation. Don’t let legacy systems hold you back any longer.
To get the full picture and start your journey, view the on-demand webinar featuring leaders from Google Workspace, JumpCloud, and Bloomreach.
