Implementing a modern, cloud-based analytics stack can be achieved in three steps: establishing success criteria, estimating total cost of ownership (TCO), and choosing the right tools. Firstly, understand the benefits an MDS will offer such as time and monetary savings, expanded capabilities for data teams, reduced report generation time, improved reliability, increased BI tool adoption, and new actionable metrics. Secondly, estimate TCO by comparing current workflow with available MDS technologies and considering factors like subscription costs, transformation requirements, and labor costs. Finally, choose the right tools by doing thorough research, considering compatibility and future-proofing, and testing them in a low-stakes manner before making a decision.