6 Tips for Effectively Migrating to the Cloud

Spending on public cloud services is predicted to exceed $480 billion in 2023.

Gartner says and will account for more than 45% of enterprise IT spending by 2026, up from less than 17% in 2021.

Executive teams seem confident, too; McKinsey says that by 2030, the cloud will have an estimated $1 trillion in business value.

Top 6 Tips for Seamless Cloud Migration

The decision to go cloud-first or move your entire infrastructure to the cloud is no small feat. As with any major shift in business strategy, it’s certainly not an overnight process. No business should jump in without thinking about the relative costs and benefits of a full migration vs an AWS hybrid solution. Companies are looking for guidance with cloud migration as they try to figure out how to migrate their applications from on-premises environments to modern cloud architectures without disrupting business operations and services. To help you navigate this transition better, we’ve put together 6 proven and effective tips for migrating your company’s applications and data from on-premises environments into a cloud environment capable of handling your current and evolving future needs. For advanced guidance on cloud migration for your local business, consider reaching out to the cloud migration specialists at Cloud migration solution. 

Let your business strategy dictate your cloud strategy 

For example, if you want your employees to access data-intensive applications on mobile devices from anywhere in the world, then it would make sense to use a native mobile app framework such as Xamarin or NativeScript rather than building an HTML5 application using Cordova with limited access to native APIs such as Bluetooth LE or NFC for security purposes (like Apple Pay). On the other hand, if one of your primary objectives is compliance with GDPR regulations, then selecting a vendor who offers local data centers within each European country is preferable. Consider if hybrid cloud services are something that you need to offer your employees in order to effectively work around shifting workloads and be able to scale systems when needed with the help of public infrastructure that is appropriate for the task you are working on.

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Assess different types of risks

When setting a cloud strategy, enterprise architects and information and operations (I&O) leaders must consider five types of risk: agility, availability, security, supplier quality and compliance. They must weigh the possible risks against the potential benefits in a balanced and compliant manner. Risk management is integral to any cloud strategy process—formulating specific exit strategies before committing to any project or vendor is a key step in reaching balanced deployment decisions.

Don’t migrate to the cloud only for cost savings

We understand that the huge Cloud cost optimization benefit enabled by cloud migration can be tempting for companies. But cost reduction should not be your sole consideration or even the primary driver for cloud adoption. It’s important to have a good business case for moving to the cloud, and that includes understanding how you’re going to use your resources more effectively after you go live with your new platform.

Cloud adoption is not just about cost reduction; it’s about improving customer experience, making better use of IT resources, and being able to deliver new products quickly. If these are the things that you’re interested in getting out of your cloud migration project, then you should definitely not focus on cost reduction as the main motivator. You could also refer to Cloud cost management for guidance. 

Approach cloud migration with the shared responsibility model in mind

Cloud computing introduces a shared responsibility model, in which customers use the cloud provider’s capabilities to get the desired result. The shared responsibility model is a risk management framework used to manage the risks associated with cloud computing. For example, if a customer wants to build an app and run it in the cloud, he or she must understand what will be provided by the provider (for example, storage space) and what responsibilities are his or her (for example, selecting server capacity and performance). Cloud providers should provide training to their customers so they can take full advantage of their services.

Adopt different approaches for different areas of enterprise adoption

Gartner has identified three categories for cloud adoption: Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud Infrastructure Platforms (CIP), and the migration of current and legacy applications. When formulating a cloud strategy, enterprise architects and IT leaders should take a holistic view that addresses the trade-offs they must make between operational control and management. The approach should be evaluated for each application deployed to the cloud.

Embrace the changing role of the IT department

As cloud services become more important to business departments, the IT department may develop a role comparable to human resources. The IT department could help business departments select and leverage the right cloud services. Regardless of what cloud strategy enterprise architects and leaders decide on, the strategy will involve a changing role for their internal IT organization. Typically, this leads an organization to appoint a cloud architect, establish a cloud center of excellence and set up a cloud service broker group that liaises between business stakeholders and cloud service providers.

About Ben Ferguson:

 Ben Ferguson is the Vice President and Senior Network Architect at Shamrock Consulting Group, an industry leader in digital transformation solutions. Since his departure from Biochemical research in 2004, Ben has built core competencies around cloud direct connects and cloud migration solutions, SD-WAN providers, enterprise-wide area network architecture, high-density data center deployments, cybersecurity, and VOIP telephony. Ben has designed hundreds of complex networks for some of the largest companies in the world and he’s helped Shamrock become a top partner of the 3 largest public cloud platforms for AWS, Azure and GCP consulting. Stay connected at LinkedIn.

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