10 Key Considerations for Cloud Migrations
Many companies with on-premises infrastructures are hesitant to migrate to the cloud. This worry is entirely unfounded. The benefits of a cloud migration outweigh its difficulties.
Take for example a recent Gartner report that suggests 75% of many companies’ IT budgets went to maintaining internal systems. This issue is no longer a problem after a cloud migration.
Further, cloud systems have proven time and again to be safe, as well, with high-profile government agencies like the CIA and NASA making the shift.
Still, relinquishing in-house control of data and privacy to a cloud system shouldn’t be handled lightly. It should be planned with care and long-term outcomes in mind. So, here are 10 tips for a successful migration for peace of mind and understanding about the process.
1. Create a clear cloud strategic plan.
Obviously, outsourcing your infrastructure will change the duties of many of your team members. This doesn’t have to be a problem; they can use their extra time to be more productive in other, now-neglected channels. Be wary, though – cloud migrations can make your colleagues uncomfortable without specific, clear strategy outlining their new responsibilities. Ambiguity can lead to a lack of interest from colleagues who may otherwise be supportive of your plans.
2. Develop an integrated approach for multiple services.
A benefit of a cloud migration can be streamlining multi-channel services into one streamlined service. Integrating these channels into one can be a cost-effective and efficiency-boosting decision. However, you may have to argue your case to different departments that want to keep these services siloed.
3. Consider the type of cloud (public, private, hybrid) to which you want to migrate.
There are many types of cloud systems that you need to consider in your migration. For example, a hybrid cloud model lets you keep some of your systems in-house, while reaping benefits of agility and scalability offered by the cloud. In a public cloud, you don’t monitor any of your data stored on the cloud, while in a private cloud, your data is housed in a hosted data center, behind a firewall.
4. Think about your scalability needs.
One of the benefits of a cloud migration is its increased potential for scalability. No longer must you worry about too much traffic creating server overflow, to name one benefit. Still, it’s important to consider your scalability needs pre-migration. Specifically, you want to consider your potential scalability needs and price considerations.
5. Empower your team to appreciate the cloud with effective training.
Just like in preparing a clear cloud strategic plan, you can also excite your team for a cloud migration by training them early and regularly. The earlier you train your team about how to use new cloud services and their benefits, the more likely you’ll have colleagues on your side who can then discuss the benefits with other members of your team.
6. Prepare yourself to be flexible.
Cloud migrations don’t happen overnight. Instead, mitigate downtime and migration issues by migrating small user groups, slowly and methodically working your way across the organization. This way, you will not have so many disruptions and can fix problems as they go. A one-shot migration has been proven time and again to be a recipe for trouble.
At the same time, your plan for migration and its real-world equivalent will not be the same. Instead, prepare yourself to redesign parts of your plan, while remaining flexible enough that you can continue operations.
7. Plan for testing time.
Migrating to the cloud isn’t always simple, and like in any operations, there will be difficulties. Prepare to test all the workloads and applications you migrate to the cloud – each one of them. Consistent, regular testing is imperative as part of an effective migration. Your colleagues can also get a better sense of operations, too, when they’re assigned to monitor parts of the larger process.
8. Determine which processes can be automated and which ones can’t be.
Another major benefit of a cloud migration is its increased potential for automated tools. Planning a cloud migration is also the ideal time to reconsider which processes you could automate. Of course, not all processes can be automated, so it’s important to be realistic about which processes can and can’t change.
9. Deploy cloud-monitoring tools.
After a migration, it is essential to continue monitoring insights on all your applications. This means choosing the tools that offer the kind of information you need to know. Specifically, choose tools that offer you clear data points that you can use to make decisions.
10. Partner with a dedicated team.
A knowledgeable, flexible cloud migration-management team can simplify the migration-to-the-cloud process. Specifically, having a team on your side ensures that you don’t have to make these decisions without consulting with those who already understand the process.
That’s where TrnDigital can help. Offering a variety of cloud types, version updates, and platform consolidation options, TrnDigital can minimize the hassle – and the difficult decisions – that often come with a cloud migration. Thus, a partnership ensures that you’ll reap only the benefits of a cloud migration, and incur few of the expensive, inefficient troubles.
Learn all you need to know and key factors you must consider for a successful migration.
The prospect of a cloud migration may be nerve-wracking, but that fact doesn’t have to make you reconsider your plans. Instead, heed some of these best practices, and find a dynamic partner to streamline your migration.
