As the energy sector faces mounting pressure to modernize, reduce costs, and deliver more agile, data-driven operations, the path forward is increasingly clear: cloud migration is not just a technology upgrade—it’s a strategic imperative. Yet, the journey is complex, especially for organizations with deeply entrenched legacy systems, regulatory requirements, and the need for uninterrupted operations. Fortunately, the automotive industry has already blazed a trail, offering valuable lessons that energy leaders can adapt to their own transformation journeys.
Both automotive and energy companies have historically relied on large, on-premise systems that were not designed for today’s digital demands. In the automotive sector, brands like Nissan faced high operational costs, limited scalability, and complex management due to legacy platforms. Similarly, energy companies often find themselves burdened by expensive, inflexible infrastructure that hinders innovation and agility.
Nissan’s experience is instructive: by migrating its dynamic imaging platform to the cloud, the company not only reduced costs but also unlocked new capabilities for customer engagement and operational oversight. The same principles apply in energy, where legacy data platforms can be replaced with cloud-native solutions to drive efficiency, scalability, and future-proof innovation.
A key lesson from automotive cloud migrations is the value of scalability. Cloud platforms enable organizations to scale resources up or down based on real-time demand, eliminating the need to over-invest in infrastructure sized for peak loads. For Nissan, this meant being able to deliver immersive, 3D vehicle renderings to customers worldwide without incurring unnecessary costs during off-peak periods.
In the energy sector, this elasticity is even more critical. Energy trading, supply chain management, and real-time analytics all require platforms that can handle fluctuating workloads efficiently. Migrating to cloud-native solutions allows energy companies to pay only for what they use, optimize resource allocation, and avoid the pitfalls of “lift and shift” approaches that simply move legacy inefficiencies to a new environment.
Automotive leaders have demonstrated that cloud migration is a powerful lever for cost optimization—but only when paired with platform modernization. Nissan achieved a 31% cost reduction in the first phase of optimization by converting storage types, and a further 37% by integrating a content delivery network. These savings were realized not just through migration, but through thoughtful re-architecture and the adoption of cloud-native features like autoscaling, advanced security, and real-time monitoring.
Energy companies can achieve similar results. For example, Publicis Sapient’s work with Chevron involved migrating over 200 data pipelines and 400 tables to a cloud-based platform, resulting in minimized support and disruption costs, improved scalability, and a 45% improvement in query performance. The new platform enabled self-service analytics for over 400 users, reduced operational overhead, and positioned Chevron to rapidly deploy advanced analytics and AI capabilities.
The energy sector faces unique regulatory and operational requirements, from data sovereignty to stringent uptime and security standards. Cloud migration strategies must be tailored to address these needs. Publicis Sapient’s approach emphasizes:
With deep expertise across both automotive and energy sectors, Publicis Sapient brings a proven, end-to-end methodology to cloud migration and cost optimization. Our work with Nissan, Chevron, and other industry leaders demonstrates our ability to deliver measurable business value—reducing costs, improving performance, and enabling new digital experiences. We understand the unique challenges of the energy industry and tailor our solutions to meet regulatory, operational, and strategic needs.
Ready to accelerate your cloud journey? Connect with Publicis Sapient to discover how lessons from automotive success can help your energy organization unlock efficiency, agility, and innovation through cloud migration and cost optimization.