5 Lessons That Will Help You Kick Start Journey to Cloud Migration

We need not mention that we are now moving toward cloud computing where almost all giant firms and small businesses have switched to a cloud-based system due to the numerous benefits it offers. Secured data storage and better IT infrastructure management are some of the cloud solutions that add to its popularity. Furthermore, companies - be it retail & ecommerce, banking & finance, etc. can recover from unforeseen disasters smoothly without hampering business functions even during the worst situations. Employees can assess assets via a centralized hub, hence, evaluating the position of the company in the market. The greatest advantage of cloud is that it is not restricted to IT infrastructure but also boosts business efficiency which is a significant aspect for any organization. 

The primary aim of organizations for migrating to the cloud is to cut the cost, scale their business and integrate core functions. Employees can work and evaluate it even from home or while away from the desk which enhances productivity and performance. However, amidst so much to accomplish and focus on change in technology, most companies overlook the most important point which is cultural change. With years of our venture in cloud computing and migration, we have become adept at cloud computing. We have understood the fact that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy here and every company has to follow the strategy according to its unique considerations. However, there are still some lessons that are relevant and helpful across a wide spectrum of businesses. 

Today, we have compiled such lessons that you must learn before you start your journey of cloud migration. Hopefully, this will prepare you for the big change that you will witness and make the transition smoother for you.

Have a look:

Defining the goal is the most critical step

Yes, cloud migration has evolved in the past few years and adapting it in an organization is a tempting step. However, you simply cannot move toward it without realizing the right motive and reason behind it. You must have the answers to a few important questions and make decisions before you take any step in the direction of migration. The two key questions that you should answer are:

•      What is your vision?
•      What is your plan to achieve it?

The first question will give you the correct intention and motivation to work. Now, that you are aware of the goal, you can focus on it and decide everything based on it. The second answer will provide you with the right direction and guide you throughout the migration process. You can start by interacting with the experts and leaders who will play a crucial role in this journey of cloud migration and also talk to your cloud computing service providers. They will help you know how much you can push your vision and bring everyone involved on the same page, hence, giving one great direction and ensuring deliberate action. 

A well-planned strategy will take you a long way

Every developer or coder needs to know the problem that he is trying to solve and cloud migration is no exception. It is significant to know the cloud migration strategy, issues that need to be addressed, the purpose behind migration - is it to reduce cost, increase developer agility or anything else. This will assist you to analyze the requirements and adopt the right approach in your organization. You can understand whether a transformative approach is appropriate for you or a ‘lift and shift’ one. For example, for agility, you must leverage better services which include a Database-as-a-Service feature, AWS’s RDS, a petabyte-scale Data-Warehouse as a Service, Azure’s Cortana Intelligence Suite, etc. To consolidate data, a ‘lift and shift’ is perfect while for greater scalability, app modernization is the ideal solution.

With the right strategy at your disposal, you can shape the key activities that cloud service providers like Microsoft, Amazon do and the changes that you will see in your company. 

Never say ‘no’ to learning from past experiences

You can seek assistance from cloud migration companies that have served numerous clients and have years of experience. Discuss with them and experts can recommend the best solutions by sharing their past experiences, thus, increasing the chances of successful cloud migration. To start with:

Convey your vision: Begin with setting your cloud vision along with key stakeholders. Share it with your team and your service provider. As you will have a goal to attain, you can measure your success and hold yourself accountable.

Find the right resources: Simply having an objective is not enough. You need to get skilled professionals on board who can help you with your quest. Also, you must know where you can find the people with such capabilities and how they can add value to your project. Let’s say that you want to make a data and AI-led company, you must hire data scientists and experts with machine learning skills in your organization to march toward that aim. Whether you outsource them or create an in-house team, these proficient can prove to be a great help and make things convenient for you. 

Divide responsibilities: You cannot take control of every task and keep an eye on each step during the cloud migration process. There will be a lot to handle and you will need a trusted team to have your back. Maintain the right balance between the people who will work under central control and the team that will be answerable to different departments. Also, the solution that is the best for one industry or company may not work for another, so you have to structure it carefully according to your company and its environment. 

Now, it’s time to fill the final gap by separating the tech and non-tech skills that you required for the migration process. Needless to say that you will face a hard time building a technical team that can collaborate with you and work toward innovation and agility for your company. 

Your business should be right for the cloud

Here is a reality check- Cloud Migration is not something that suits all companies and industries. Simply because established brands and your peers have migrated to cloud, doesn’t mean that you need to follow the league too. There are a lot of factors that contribute toward this decision, from the type of your business to the reliability & speed of the connectivity and other variables. You must consider all of them to finally conclude if the cloud is profitable for you or is it a bane. Before, you avail of cloud migration services, make sure that it doesn’t harm your company in the long-term but gives a higher return on the investment. It is suitable for you if your company is dealing with a large pile of files, including videos, prints, CAD, pdfs because to process these documents and files, you need a reliable connection that can provide you with required information instantly and take off any risk that your business is facing. 

The performance of the app is everything

When you shift toward cloud-based storage, you inculcate business applications, such as document sharing, voice sharing, and collaboration tools in your company. Of course, these platforms are meant to make your tasks faster and easier. They are reliable and guarantee to provide high-quality service and solutions than the previous system. Moreover, there will be incremental improvements with digital storage and data back-up. However, in case of slow app or hindrance during a conference call, things can turn against your business which is certainly not acceptable. It must be able to deal with peaks and prioritize traffic of critical applications which is possible through multi-service segregation. 

Conclusion

Considering the benefits of cost reduction, agility and innovation, businesses are incorporating cloud computing into their systems. However, before you also make the same move, it is essential that you are clear about your strategy, analyze if your office culture and apps are ready for the change, the responsibilities that you will share with your service provider and also the financial load. Apart from this, these 5 lessons will also make the transformation easier for you and ensure that cloud migration is a beneficial step rather than a curse. Do your research, take the right step and ascertain that your cloud initiative starts on the right note. 

A3logics will help you with this journey with its Cloud Computing and Migration services. Rest assured that you will get the service that is reliable and result-oriented, serving your business goal. Connect with us now and witness the change that you have always dreamed of.