Successful cloud migration in 5 easy steps

The cloud continues to revolutionize the way businesses around the world work and function. It allows them to take advantage of an array of benefits like scalability, mobility, and increased security.

Such advantages have made the cloud the platform of choice for large businesses, with 83% of enterprise workloads predicted to be there by 2020. So, how can your small- or mid-sized business partake of the spoils?

The first thing to do is to migrate, and here's how in 5 easy steps.

#1 Choosing the right cloud provider

The first step in successful cloud migration is to select the cloud service provider that’s right for your business. Choosing one that understands your specific needs is important, but that depends on a number of factors, including familiarity with your industry.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is still the most popular cloud service option, as they were the first to make cloud computing accessible to the average business. Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are two other popular options.

But don’t do your business a disservice by simply signing up with the market leader. Instead, you should shop around to see what other providers have to offer and then choose accordingly.

#2 Preparing to migrate

After you’ve chosen a cloud provider it's time to prepare for the migration, and planning is essential.

You need to work with your hosting partner to determine which data and applications to move first. Then you need to update specific parts of your current working system to be ready for the transition of data and applications. You also need to ascertain if the move will affect the performance of certain applications and determine if your staff is ready to implement the migration. Accurately estimating costs for moving to the cloud is also part of the planning stage.

#3 Migrating

This step should go smoothly if you've done a good job planning. To help you out, here are some items you need to account for during the actual migration process:

• How are you moving data? If the amount of data and applications isn’t too large, then sending it over an internet connection should be easy. However, you should consider compressing huge amounts of data before transitioning it over.
• Security during migration:  You’ll need to ensure that both temporary storage locations and the final destination of data and applications are secured during the migration process.
• Migrating data using the right tools and people: It’s important that your staff familiarize themselves with the proper migration tools and procedure, and test them before the process begins. It would be best to have an efficient cloud service provider by your side during this phase.
• Collect any new information from this initial migration process and learn from any failures. These can be crucial in the long run.
• Perform checks, and even re-checks, after the migration is done.

#4 Checking for a successful cloud migration

After you’ve migrated your data and applications, you’ll need to make sure everything is working right. You'll want to test and retest to see if the migration process worked well. Then determine if all data and applications made the transition properly. You also need to figure out if the right data is accessible to the right users. Make sure internal components are communicating well and all admin tools monitor the new cloud app.

If there is no automated testing strategy, you’ll have to manually carry out some necessary industry-specific checks. For example, you might need to revisit your security strategies and procedures, because the cloud is a different environment compared to your previous system.

#5 Finding a great team to help out

IT migrations of any sort are risky because so many things can go wrong. You might think it's cheaper to implement yourself to save the extra cost, but big issues can come up that will end up costing you more in the long run.

For a successful cloud migration we recommend that you have an experienced, reputable IT team by your side.  SimplyClouds offers affordable cloud services customizable for any business, and we do so with a high level of support and documentation.

In the past, you would run your applications or programs on a physical computer or server in your office building. The cloud allows access to those applications through the internet. But first, you need to choose the right cloud provider to make sure moving to the cloud is a seamless experience for you. If you need help on cloud migration, call us today for a free consultation with our experts.