The business landscape changes often, and with the rise of cloud-based technology solutions, many companies are seeing value in the cloud. With that being said, in order to leverage it, you need to move your data and tools into the appropriate environment. Cloud migrations are the process of moving IT solutions to the cloud – complex undertakings that require careful planning and execution to get right.
Luckily, there are several best practices companies can take on to increase the chances of a successful cloud migration. From assessing current infrastructure to researching cloud service providers, the following tips will help you prepare for a successful transition that results in an efficient IT environment powered by cloud solutions.
1. Determine your goals for migrating to the cloud
Before you start the migration process, it is important to determine why your business wants to leverage a cloud platform. In other words, you need to outline your goals and how they contribute to your business strategy.
For cloud migrations, your goals could include the following:
- Reduce costs
- Increase efficiency
- Improve scalability
- Greater disaster recovery plans and solutions
It may be a good idea to involve all stakeholders in this process, including employees from across your business (regardless if they have an IT background or not). Cloud environments support the operations of entire organisations, not just the processes of a specific department. Consequently, asking for people’s opinions and wants pertaining to cloud solutions will help you settle on relevant objectives that prioritise your company’s needs.
2. Assess your current infrastructure
Assessing your IT infrastructure involves taking stock of your existing hardware, software, and network solutions. You should be identifying crucial details that could complicate the migration process. For example, if your IT ecosystem utilises legacy technologies.
Your assessment should also take into account the data your business uses, so you can refresh yourself on the existing security and compliance requirements that affect your organisation. Examining your organisation’s IT environment gives you a stronger idea of what technology solutions need to be migrated, effectively informing your overall cloud migration strategy.
3. Develop a comprehensive cloud migration plan
A cloud migration plan acts as a detailed roadmap that outlines the steps your business will take to move its present IT solutions and data to a cloud infrastructure. A high-quality plan should include your goals, any cloud migration tools, the cloud service provider you want to work with, the type of cloud model you want (e.g., a public cloud), workload priorities, and more.
Cloud migrations can be carried out with different approaches, such as lift and shift or replatform migrations. When building your migration plan, it may be a good idea to use one of these IT and data migration strategies as a framework. That way, you and your team will have a stronger idea of what cloud computing solutions you want to leverage and how to integrate them with your technology solutions.
You should also communicate the plan to all stakeholders and get buy-in from everyone involved. This will help make sure that everyone knows what is required of them to ensure cloud migration success.
4. Research cloud service providers
Cloud service providers (for example, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services) provide companies with all the cloud solutions and resources they need to enhance their efficiency. But, as with all technology solutions and their vendors, one may not offer you as much value as the other. To avoid partnering with the wrong service provider, you need to conduct in-depth research.
During your investigation, you should look at the following:
- Service costs.
- The provider's off-premises data centres (in terms of location, security, etc.).
- Overall security measures.
- The selection of cloud solutions available.
- The provider's reputation.
As a rule of thumb for cloud-based technology solutions, the more information you have on the service provider, the easier it will be for you to determine if their offerings will support your migration goals and long-term objectives.
5. Backup all data
Backing up all data is a crucial step in preparing for a cloud migration. This involves duplicating your company’s sensitive data and storing it in a secure location. Moving your data from one location to another comes with an increased risk of data loss.
In the chance that you do lose information during a migration, it can set your organisation back and lead to other issues. Backups will ensure your business still has access to the data it needs, no matter what happens during the migration process.
Take advantage of cloud solutions with help from migration specialists
Migrating to the cloud can be a stressful time for businesses. But with a solid strategy and careful preparation, the whole experience can be made seamless.
The cloud migration experts at Platform 24 can help you prepare for a secure move to the cloud. No matter if you need help managing cloud deployments or you want to find ways to reduce cloud costs, contact the team at Platform 24 to see how they can guide you through the entire migration process so your organisation can become more efficient and agile.
