Migrating your organization’s computing environment to the cloud is a major decision. While cloud migration offers some tremendous benefits, it’s also an activity best done methodically.
You see, if you rush into such a move haphazardly, you typically won’t enjoy the same benefits as if you prepared in advance.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most important steps your company can take when considering a cloud migration.
Define Your Business Objectives
Before considering a cloud migration, make sure you clearly define your goals. Every cloud migration should be performed to address specific business objectives and requirements.
Although the cloud presents numerous potential benefits, setting objective goals and reasons ensures you’re making the move for the right reasons.
Some of the most common business objectives that cloud computing addresses are:
- Cost-savings, by using cloud resources and eliminating hardware purchases;
- Flexibility and scalability that can’t be matched with an on-premises computing environment;
- Access to cutting-edge technology;
- Addressing the remote data access needs of a mobile workforce.
Though cloud migration makes a lot of sense for many businesses, you won’t truly reap the maximum rewards unless you set forth your goals, first.
Determine the Scope of Your Cloud Migration
After you define your company’s objectives, you’ll need to determine the scope of your cloud migration.
First, a subset of the environment should be selected to initiate the migration. You’ll want to do this even if your goal is to eventually migrate your entire infrastructure to the cloud. Certain applications may present easy targets, while others have dependencies that complicate the move.
In some cases, you may find that providing additional capacity to business-critical systems is necessary for company growth. If that’s the case for you, then you might consider upgrading your technology by implementing new cloud services to replace legacy tools.
Carefully selecting the systems you want to migrate will give your project a much greater probability of success.
Choose a Migration Approach
Once you choose your systems or applications for cloud migration, the next step is choosing the right approach.
Each system may demand a different methodology for a successful migration to the cloud.
The basic choices consist of:
- Rehosting – Also called lift and shift, this approach simply redeploys existing systems to the cloud without making modifications. It’s a fast method, but does not work well with all applications.
- Refactoring – This method makes small code modifications to optimize performance and reliability in the cloud.
- Revising – In this approach, extensive modifications are made to a workload. This allows it to make use of native cloud services. It retains the basic features and functionality of the original system or application.
- Rebuilding – This method recreates the workload to make the most efficient use of the cloud provider’s services and environment. Although it’s a complex approach, when executed correctly, it may provide the most valuable benefits of cloud migration.
- Replacing – In some cases, your best approach is to retire a legacy solution and migrate to a cloud-based third-party application. This is often a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering that easily replaces an on-premises system, as well as providing some cloud computing benefits.
Select an Experienced Cloud Partner
After you finalize your business objectives, scope, and migration approach, it’s time for you to select a cloud partner. Because the move can easily become more involved than originally planned, it’s not usually something businesses choose to do on their own.
Fortunately, making that decision can be easier than you think.
Ideal Integrations, along with the support of our cybersecurity division, Blue Bastion, can help.
Our team of experienced professionals can help you with design and cloud hosting services that give your company a competitive edge – all without breaking your IT budget.
We offer a wide range of cloud services including:
- Public cloud services;
- Hybrid cloud services;
- Desktop as a Service (DaaS) to facilitate flexibility and a mobile workforce;
- Co-location services to assist in your migration;
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) to address specific application requirements.
Simply contact us today at 412-349-6680, or fill out the form below, and our security and IT experts will gladly outline your options and best solutions.
Get in touch with us today and discover how cloud migration can benefit your business!