Whether you are considering migrating to the cloud to increase your network speed, increase your productivity, or to lower your ongoing infrastructure costs – your decision requires research and thoughtful analysis. Here are some steps you may wish to read through to decide if cloud based services may be right for you.
Steps for Migrating to the Cloud
- It will take a commitment of both time and resource to move your computer network to the cloud. Meet with your key employees and decide why this move may be beneficial, and how it will be advantageous to your company. In order for this to be a successful move, you also need to understand the possible drawbacks, risks and costs, so that you can make the best decision for your company. It is important to have buy-in across your management team after a full analysis.
- You will then want to perform an analysis of your technology and your applications. Not all software applications are a good match for migrating to the cloud, and may be best suited to remaining on your local servers. Once you have identified which processes and applications are appropriate for migration, you need to assess how much processing power they require, and how much it is costing you to support them locally. This will help you to determine if you can save money by eliminating the physical infrastructure needed to support them and continue moving to the cloud.
- Depending on the expertise you have on your IT staff, now might be a good time to find the right partner for your cloud migration. If your own personnel do not have the necessary knowledge and skills, a managed services company can give you the help and guidance you need to navigate through this process. They can review your assessment to date, helped you to evaluate your options, and strategize with you as to how to most effectively perform the migration with the least disruption to your company. Look for a partner who specializes in cloud migration services.
- Next, you’ll need to decide which cloud infrastructure makes sense for your organization. There is the public cloud, which offers scalability, flexibility and convenience – but can pose security risks and be unreliable. A private cloud offers more control and is specific to your company; but may also cost more and require you to enlist additional IT support. Because both have drawbacks for many organizations, a hybrid cloud – which incorporates the best features of each infrastructure – is often the best solution. Once you determine the best arrangement for your company, you’ll need to find a cloud provider which will meet your needs.
- You’ll need to plan your migration to the cloud, working towards minimal disruption time for your company. You’ll have to understand which order your applications can be moved, how to track the success of the migration, and how to train personnel on the new procedures.
It cannot be stressed enough that you need to do a full backup of your entire network and all your applications before migrating to the cloud. If anything goes wrong, you want to be able to bring your entire enterprise back up quickly. It is important to continually monitor the progress of your implementation, according to the metrics you determined with your team.
At Alliance IT, we understand that the decision to migrate to the cloud is a complex one, and orchestrating the move is even more complex. Don’t attempt this project without a team of professionals on your side. Call us today and let us discuss your options with you.
