According to the industry’s largest cloud computing survey results, 90% of companies report using some form of cloud strategy within their company. The same article goes on to indicate that just under 50% of the companies had either a cloud-first or cloud-only strategy in place.

If you are not utilizing the cloud in any manner, you may want to reconsider. In order to fully comprehend the benefits, you must also understand the risks and best practices for simplifying and expediting the migration process prior to starting.

Is Moving to the Cloud Necessary?

Although it is not mandated, moving to the cloud can provide a business with a variety of benefits. The effects of the globalization of technology create immense transformations in the way that companies function entirely — this includes: how companies organize production, trade, invest, develop, and various other processes. Cloud-based migration offers a relatively new, exciting way to improve how your business functions within the globalization of technology.

Advantages of Moving to the Cloud

There are numerous reasons for and benefits associated with cloud migration. Although the idea of migration may seem critical and complex, it is worth making the switch to enjoy advantages such as:

• Greater mobility for employees: Employees may require mobile access to various components of the company at different times. The cloud allows for uninterrupted, reliable access to necessary documents or other various content. Since the cloud runs on a global network, users can get access to information immediately.
• Improved scalability: As you grow, it can become increasingly difficult to scale resources at a moment’s notice and to meet increasing demand. Cloud migration improves scalability with upscaling and downscaling as needed.
• Efficient disaster recovery: The cloud has a recovery feature that makes a complete backup and restored copy of any electronic records saved on the cloud. This is not something that occurs automatically, so it is important to implement a cloud disaster recovery plan.
• Enhanced security control: The cloud has features that protect data and information stored in the infrastructure. The information, network, and computer securities protect from data leakage, theft, manipulation, and deletion;
• Reduced Costs: When scalability is improved, operational costs can lessen and become less of a stressor. When security and disaster recovery programs are implemented, the money lost from downtime significantly decreases.
• Access to New Managed Services: Any major business or operational decision requires close monitoring and evaluation of ROI. Once they start operating in the cloud, companies have the opportunity to leverage managed service providers specializing in cloud computing functions most important to their goals. This investment in expertise can help organizations stay focused while moving toward better return on the migration.

Challenges & Risks in Cloud Migration

Just like any venture, there are potential challenges and risks associated with cloud migration. Even when best practices are followed, there is always a chance the following obstacles may occur in cloud migration:

• Security vulnerabilities: There are security practices in place to ensure your data is safe, but the cloud is not impenetrable. If you store all of your information in one area, that information can become accessed by cybercriminals.
• Compliance issues: Extremely sensitive data cannot always legally be stored in the cloud. There is also the chance that compliance issues arise with your current IT provider when migrating to the cloud.
• Latency issues: When you work with outside sources, there is a period of delay between a consumer and a provider. Cloud migration can potentially increase delay times because there is another link in the chain of operations.
• Compatibility: If your current technology is proprietary there is a chance that you cannot legally migrate to the cloud. This situation can add additional steps towards migrating towards the clouds, and more moving parts create more complexities.
• De-bugging: When your system is working improperly you need to be able to have the cloud provider troubleshoot the issues effectively in a timely manner. This collaboration can take some time, potentially resulting in a delay in your workflow.

In most cases, the array of advantages that cloud migration possesses far outweighs the various potential risks.

5 Tips for Successful Cloud Migration

In order to mitigate the potential risks associated with cloud migration, users need to understand tips and best practices. Understanding why a cloud adoption framework is critical to migration success can help eliminate any possible risks and ensure a smooth transition.

1. Make a Migration Plan

You will want to start creating a plan to map out the various areas that will need to be migrated. This migration plan should be thorough, and comprehensive. Go step by step, listing out your migration material, migration tools, what you plan to do, and how you are going to execute those actions. Migration considerations include data design and integration complexity as well as network capacity. Those choosing to migrate to the cloud will also want plans in place for code changes, performance issues, compliance regulations, as well as any downtime that may arise.

2. Select the Right Migration Tools

When you are migrating to the cloud, you want to utilize the right migration tools. Choosing the right tools can ensure that your cloud migration is smooth and covers all of your various needs. Take the time to analyze the following when you are selecting a migration platform, provider, or program:

• Design/presentation
• Price
• Performance
• Support
• Online reviews
• Security measures

3. Secure Your Data in Advance

When you migrate your data to the cloud, your information becomes temporarily more vulnerable in the process. Security and compliance are sometimes overlooked, so prior to migrating to the cloud, you will want to make sure that your data is secured. In doing so you can guarantee data protection before, during, and after cloud migration.

4. Migrate Step-by-Step

Avoid trying to migrate all of your data — documents, applications, programs, inventory, etc. — at the same time. When you focus on one area at a time you can reduce the chance of error, and not have to worry about the potential vulnerabilities of your various data.

5. Evaluate & Update

After you begin operating in the cloud you will want to go through the initial plan to ensure that the intent is working. If things are not going according to plan you will need to make updates and changes as issues arise.

Work alongside your provider to come up with viable amendments to your current process to achieve the best possible outcome.

Ready to learn more? See how Quisitive can help migrate you to the cloud, no matter where you are in your journey.