Cloud Computing
How to Build a Successful Cloud Migration Strategy?
Cloud computing has taken the
organizations to a new height. This technology has brought a widespread change
by providing access to applications via the internet. Adoption of cloud
computing offers an organization the opportunity of improving its flexibility,
reducing costs, and focus on its core competencies. However, migrating your old
data to the cloud can be a tedious task and if not done efficiently, you may
end up losing both your money and the data.
As per the surveys, 69% of
businesses are already using cloud computing
solutions in one way or the other, and 18% are planning to implement
this technology at some point. Organizations now are planning to migrate their
operations and applications to the cloud servers. However, this isn’t a
one-and-done proposition. Cloud migration is the process of moving the data,
infrastructure, applications to a cloud computing environment, and this is a
lengthy process that takes time.
Cloud migration is of three
types, one includes moving of data and applications to the public cloud.
Another one is moving data, applications from one cloud to another, and the
third type of migration is a reverse migration in which the data or application
is moved off to the cloud or the local drive. In doing any of these a lot of
precision and expertise is required and it is always better to reach out to a
company that offers product
engineering services as they usually have experts who can migrate your
data to the cloud quite efficiently.
Benefits of Cloud Migration
Scalability
Cloud migration helps in scaling
the business upwards or downwards based on its necessities. Small business can
grow up their process into new territories, while large scale business gets the
opportunity to expand their business to the international audience with the
help of cloud migration. Businesses can avail of the benefits of cloud
computing with the help of cloud migration without investing in any specific
hardware or software.
Enhance Data Security
Data security is one of the
major concerns of the organizations working these days. People get worried
about the data getting transferred to the cloud. But migrating the data to the
cloud enhances the security as it permits only the authorized person to access
the data stored in the cloud over the internet. Several studies have proven
that the data stored on the cloud servers, is more secure than the data stored
on-site.
Also Read: Overcoming
the Data Security Challenges in the Cloud
Remote collaboration
The cloud environment allows
organizations to work remotely. Cloud services allow access to documents and
databases from anywhere with the help of the internet. Traditionally when
sending documents, files were inefficient and time-consuming, with the help of
the cloud environment it has resulted in reducing the time and labor involved
in file sharing.
Cost-effective
88% of companies have shared
their experience with reduced costs when using cloud computing solutions. On-site
servers take maintenance and support costs along with salaried IT staff. Cloud
computing does not require expensive systems and equipment for leveraging
resources. And this is one of the major reasons why there is a rise in the
demand for cloud
migration services in the market.
How to Plan your Successful Cloud Migration Strategy
Migration towards cloud services
embarks a major technology shift to your business. To succeed, it requires
careful analysis, planning, and a detailed strategic implementation that sets
your business up for lasting success. Businesses need to prioritize
applications and systems to migrate while remaining compliant with data
regulations. There are many IT consulting companies out there in the market
that are providing professional services for this purpose. However, the
following are tips to create and execute a successful cloud migration strategy.
Get migration right
Migrating to the cloud is
crucial. The enterprises need to allow time for internal processes to adapt the
cloud scenarios. It is important to get ready for your staff and train them for
the coming change in advance. Also, cloud computing is directly associated with
internet connectivity. Downtime due to the internet means downtime of business
in the cloud computing world. Hence, arrangement for redundant low-latency
connections with high bandwidth is vital before you migrate. Along with it ensure
backup alternatives in place when a migration fails.
Choose the right deployment model
There are four types of cloud computing
deployment models available to pick from: public, private, hybrid, and
community. It is important to choose the right deployment model that is best
suited for your organization.
Here is a brief about
them:
Public Cloud
This environment can be used by
the general public including individuals, corporations, and other types of
organizations. Public clouds are administered by third parties or vendors over
the internet and services reoffered on a pay-per-use basis. It consists of
users from all over the world wherein a user can simply purchase resources on
an hourly basis and work with such resources which are available in cloud
provider’s premises. The cons related to this type of cloud are the risk of
compliance and data security.
Private Cloud
This cloud computing environment
resides within the boundaries of an organization and is used exclusively for
the organization’s benefits. As the name suggests it is particularly used by
one company. Hence, there is the least chance of data being leaked. It is one
of the most adopted cloud types, as along with flexibility and scalability, it
offers high security and reliability.
Hybrid Cloud
As the name suggests, this cloud
provides the environment with a combination of both public and private clouds.
Thus, benefits the business with multiple deployment models at
once.
Community Cloud
It is a cloud infrastructure that
is majorly used by the business sharing common domain or interests. It is quite
similar to the public cloud with few differences. It provides greater
flexibility by moving workloads between cloud solutions as per the needs.
Also Read: 7
Reasons Why You Should Choose Cloud Computing Services for Your Business
Pay Attention to Security
It is quintessential to take care
of the security aspects while migrating the data and application to the cloud
environment. Business deals with sensitive and confidential information, thus
ensure to evaluate the service agreement of your CSP. Discuss all the
compliance and security measurements with the chosen cloud service provider
before moving.
Build Strong Management and Governance Structures
It is important to the backing of
management and developers from start, as while the team will work together,
they can give you alternative points of view and with the best solutions. Also
engaging the leadership and efficient governance helps in avoiding risks and
unnecessary spending of money.
Create a Future-Proof Top-Level Strategy
It is essential to build a top-level cloud strategy to meet both current and future requirements. For this, the internal team and stakeholders need to collaborate effectively to scale the infrastructure to cope with future growth and market challenges.
Test, review, and make adjustments as needed
After checking with all the
connections, it is important to migrate a few components and check by running
tests to compare results with pre-defined KPIs. This helps in ensuring that
your app architecture runs smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Going through the above-mentioned
strategies before migrating to a cloud environment is beneficial. Ignoring
these may lead to the issues which can slow down the migration or even ruin the
whole purpose of cloud migration. Cloud migration can be a lengthy process but
it can help in the long-term for your organization by delivering products,
services, and systems more efficiently to users.
If you have decided upon the
migration of your business to cloud services, do your prep work, create a
transition plan, and communicate with your entire team for a smooth migration.
It is better to go for an experienced cloud
computing service provider that can help you in planning out
everything smoothly.
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