Let’s find what you’re looking for. Search our resources, blog, pages, and any other content on our website.
Let’s start out with the obvious question: What is cloud migration in the first place?
We’ve all heard of “the cloud”, a nebulous space that exists somewhere in a global network of data servers that enables users to access the same files, digital assets and applications from almost any device, anywhere in the world.
In the aftermath of the global pandemic in the first few years of this decade, more and more companies are migrating heavily to the cloud and finding ways to make it more cost effective and innovative in this new era of business. Though the concept of the cloud has been revolutionary since its birth, it is more relevant than it ever has been before given the new trend of a remote working lifestyle being the default working lifestyle.
Much like we discussed in our recent blog post on the risks of using legacy technologies, outdated infrastructures and aging servers that are no longer firing on all cylinders simply cannot deliver the performance and efficiency metrics that cloud computing can.
If you’ve already made the decision to migrate, you’re halfway there. Now, the question becomes, what do you do once you’ve made the move? How can you successfully modernize your processes and applications, and what kind of an impact can you expect?
First and foremost, the added agility gained from cloud migration means that your business can be more adaptable to the evolving needs of your consumer base. Aside from that, you’re looking at better management, improved performance, reduction in costs, and simplified IT, among other things.
Why is that? The cloud operating model is powered by analytics and AI, cutting up to 50% of the time you’re spending keeping your operation running. Not to mention, from a safety standpoint, it’s incredibly secure.
Now, before you start to make any definitive moves towards cloud migration, it’s important that you are aware of what that process will really look like. Of course, this will look different for every company – you might not need all of the capabilities that other companies would, but you still need to make sure that you have what you need to effectively execute this move.
Your first step is an obvious one: define your strategy. Understand exactly what value your business is gaining from migrating to the cloud. This decision needs to be based on potential outcomes that will shape your strategy moving forward. Essentially, you need to know what data needs to be moved, where you are moving it to, and when the move will happen.
While the improved flexibility and control that come with cloud migration are obvious perks, just like everything else, there are risks involved. Not necessarily from a security standpoint, but a performance one. For instance, can your applications continue to perform on the level your consumers expect while operating on a totally different infrastructure?
Once you’ve determined that it will be beneficial to your business to go through with the move, you have a basic internal strategy in place, and you’ve worked through troubleshooting any potential pauses in productivity due to the move, you’re ready for the hard part.
When you’re actually ready to move things to the cloud, your goal should be to create a completely new, up-to-date operating model that allows your company to be more innovative and effective in all you do. Tools exist to help automate your migration process and speed up the transfer, so you can continue to deliver the established consistency you have with your current user base. Make sure you have a management plan in place for the actual migration stage of the process, to keep your team on track.
Access One’s suite of cloud services helps companies navigate the cloud with solutions that ensure our clients get the most value out of cloud computing. From cloud migration to optimization, automation and security, we’ve got you covered.