5 steps to a smooth cloud migration
Insights from LogicMonitor’s Cloud Vision 2020: The Future of the Cloud Study predicted that 83% of enterprise workloads were going to be in the cloud by 2020. From this, it is clear that the cloud is here, and it’s here to stay.
Although many organisations have already made the move to the cloud, there are still a handful of businesses that still don’t want to ‘take the leap’ themselves’. This is down to a number of aspects ranging from fears of changes and losing control to data security and accessibility. Nonetheless, businesses must ensure they are moving to the cloud for the right reasons and not just because it’s what their competitors are doing.
Interested in finding out about the different clouds?
In a perfect world, cloud migrations should be relatively pain-free, with no disruption or downtime. However, without good research, clear preparation and an organised approach, this is not always the case. With that in mind, follow our five steps to help ensure you have a seamless, hassle-free migration to the cloud.
Evaluate your current situation
Before anything else, you must evaluate your current situation. Not only will doing this lay a good foundation for the project but will create a more efficient environment in the workplace. Furthermore, Additionally, it will mean you are able to identify any issues before the migration begins and prevent them from becoming larger problems.
Complete a thorough and comprehensive audit to begin. For example, think about what on-premise data and apps you need. Cloud environments are great as you often only pay for what you use. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to migrate things you do not use. You will also need to consider licensing, compatibility as well as any implications surrounding compliance and security.
After you have completed an audit, you should also think about your business goals. What are your hoping to achieve by migrating to the cloud? This will give you a clear direction of where you want your business to go with the move.
Research different cloud environments with an open mind
When businesses move to the cloud, they choose from three options of cloud environment; private, public or hybrid.
An environment that is hosted by a private organisation is called a private cloud. Organisations with high-security needs often opt for this option as resources are isolated to only them.
Public cloud environments are those that are freely available to the public via large hosting partners. Choosing this option means you can scale up an infinite rate because of the number of resources that are readily available for you.
A hybrid cloud is both private and public clouds combined. If you would like to find out more information on the different clouds, follow this link to read our blog – ‘Public, Private or Hybrid Cloud… What’s right for you?’.
With the range of options available, deciding on which cloud environment will best suit your needs can be difficult. Therefore, research is key. Ensure you have an open mind while doing this so that you can weigh up the positives and negatives of all options, compared to your current infrastructure.
Use an MSP and find the right one for you
Following on from evaluating and researching, you should then consider enlisting the help of a Managed Service Provider. MSP’s will ensure the migration runs efficiently and will save you many headaches in the long run.
When choosing an MSP, it is worth considering the following:
Are they well organised and documented?
Do they offer on-site and remote support?
Do they have a good track record?
Do they offer 24/7 support and monitoring?
Do they understand your industry?
The technology in your business ties you to your customers. Therefore, you should be sure that the MSP you choose has a proactive approach to issues and will meet your ever-changing needs.
Prepare your teams
Cloud migrations don’t just impact your IT team. You should keep all employees in the loop and make sure appropriate training is arranged for the new systems or portals. By preparing early, your business as a whole will have a better chance of adapting to the change.
Keep your customers aware
Whether or not the applications you will be migrating are going to impact your customers, it is still best practice to keep them aware and informed of what is going on. They are more likely to be understanding about any downtime occurring and will ensure the trust is still there.
And there it is, the 5 steps to make sure you have a smooth migration to the cloud. From here, all you should do is relax and enjoy the many benefits moving to the cloud can bring.
Here at Serval IT Systems, we can be your MSP, guiding you through your migration and journey to the cloud. Please get in touch for more information.