How do you migrate to the Cloud?
If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that technology—when leveraged correctly—can help elevate your business to the next level. And it doesn't just start and stop at business processes, efficiencies and cost-savings. It also impacts your employees and their work-life balance.
Cast your mind back a few years to the pandemic (bear with us on this; it'll be quick!), when most of us spent a year or so working from home—a practice that has remained for many—and then compare it to the years that led up to 2020.
The idea of sending your morning 'good morning' message from your sofa in pyjama pants and a T-shirt would've been alien, and now it's probably a stark reality for many of us—even now.
Remote working was made possible by the power of the Cloud, and other benefits can be tapped into if you take the leap, so in this blog, we'll explore more about how you migrate.
The Cloud
Cloud computing was - and continues to be - a revolution for businesses in virtually any sector. In previous blogs, we have assessed how secure the Cloud is and the six common triggers for migration.
Much was made of how the pandemic accelerated digital transformation strategies. But, for those yet to move into the Cloud, where do you begin?
Should I migrate to the Cloud?
As the timeless adage goes, if you're not fast, you're last. If no other positives emerged from COVID, at least it showed the world how fast-moving companies could capitalise on challenging conditions to stand out in their respective markets. I mean, how many of us had held board meetings or delivered a sales pitch over Zoom before 2020? Fast forward four years or so, and it's second nature to us all now.
Leaping into the Cloud can offer your organisation several opportunities and benefits, but don't take our word alone.
AWS had the following to say, "Cloud has become the new normal as companies of every size have realised the benefits of the Cloud. For most organisations, the question isn't 'if' anymore; it's 'how fast can we move?' and 'what are we moving first?'"
Can I migrate to the Cloud without any help?
Cloud migration, like any complex IT project, should not be taken lightly. We strongly recommend that anyone embarking on a Cloud journey seek the help of managed service providers and experts to ensure a smooth transition.
In a Forbes article, they asked a simple question: 'Can a Cloud managed service provider turn your digital transformation dream into a reality?'
The answer, in short, is that unless you have a large internal IT team and a lot of resources, you should consider working with the experts and getting a trusted managed service provider who can oversee the move.
The alternative is a botched, half-done migration, which can lead to many issues. These problems could range from costly, time-consuming fixes to opening the door and exposing your critical data to malicious outsiders.
If you have recently migrated, an external audit can help illuminate any potential vulnerabilities or areas of concern caused by your transition.
How do I migrate to the Cloud?
Thorough preparation is required to transition from keeping data, applications, and processes on-premise into the Cloud. Every vendor and Cloud migration expert offers a similar version of the steps.
Web performance and security company Cloudflare lists five steps for migration from on-premise to the Cloud included here:
Establish your goals for the move, helping determine if the migration was successful.
Cloud cyber security requires a different approach than on-premise security, so you must create a security strategy.
Select a Cloud provider, replicate existing databases and copy over data continually throughout the migration process.
Move business intelligence: This could involve refactoring or rewriting code.
Switch production from on-premises to the Cloud: Go live.
Additionally, Microsoft Azure offers a handy three-point checklist that can help you track the progress of your migration.
The benefits of Cloud migrations
Interest in cloud-based storage and hosting services has skyrocketed as businesses become increasingly aware of the value of leveraging the many benefits of cloud-centric IT services. So, what benefits can the Cloud offer you?
According to AWS, organisations that migrated to their platform saw a 43% reduction in time to market for new features and savings of up to 66% on infrastructure costs.
The Cloud can offer a massive boost to organisations, with the sky being the limit (pardon the pun) regarding the benefits of a successful migration. Alongside reduced downtime and greater security, other benefits of a Cloud migration include:
Increased agility and flexibility
The option of scalability
Reduction in costs
Simplified IT processes
The Cloud has transformed countless organisations in recent years. How long before you're next?
The Last Word
At Fifosys, we've long believed in the Cloud. Our dedicated team of experts is available 24/7/365 to ensure your migration goes smoothly.
Contact us today to see how you could benefit from over 20 years' worth of IT experience.