Migrating to the cloud is a daunting task. It is understandable that if you look at everything that needs to be done for a successful migration, it could put you off. However, the benefits can be huge. Cloud migration can help you to save money, increase security, increase scalability, increase productivity and so much more. Nutbourne are here to tell you what cloud migration is, how complex cloud migration is and what the benefits are.
Since the pandemic began, seemingly forever ago now, companies have been migrating to the cloud in their droves. Businesses re-evaluated how they operate, becoming more agile and innovative with a scattered workforce. The cloud is the perfect solution for companies during these times as they enter the new, transformative, digital era. It has enabled businesses to remain open and protect themselves for the future.
What is Cloud Migration?
To use the best strategies and to get the most benefits out of this process, you must first understand what cloud migration is. To put it simply, cloud migration is the process in which all of a businesses’ digital infrastructure is moved into the cloud. This can include applications, databases, files, folders and more. Essentially, anything that is digital can be moved to the cloud.
Does migrating to the cloud bring benefits to a business?
Of course. There are many benefits of migrating to the cloud. For starters, operating through the cloud offers you easy and manageable scalabilty. The nature of the cloud is that it is malleable. You can adapt it to whatever you need. The cloud offers almost unlimited scalability, so as your business grows, operations change or whatever else your business goes through, you can always add more users. More space will be available for data storage.
Another benefit to using the cloud is accessibility and flexibility. Having the ability to use applications and access data when you are not at your work machine, working from home, out and about in meetings, etc. is incredibly beneficial. It means that users don’t have to find a workaround to carry on working. They can access everything they would usually need to operate as usual. Removing this barrier to work helps you and your employees.
Businesses are also a lot more efficient when they migrate to the cloud. This has already been covered slightly as it is obviously a lot more efficient if people can work wherever they are. However, this isn’t where the efficiency ends. The cloud can also take some of the processing load from work machines, making them work faster than usual. Businesses save a lot of time every day, just by not having to sit around waiting for machines to function properly.
This also means that overhead costs will end up being a lot lower. You will not have to replace hardware nearly as often. Server maintenance can be non-existent. Downtime can dramatically decrease, which is one of the biggest money-savers any business can have.
Is the cloud secure?
Inherently, opening up and having access to the cloud can leave a lot of gaps open that wouldn’t be there with a closed network and you would be quite right to be concerned with how secure the cloud is. As part of the planning process of migrating to the cloud you will want to ensure this is a top priority. You can’t compromise on security just to achieve these other benefits.
Luckily, cloud providers do have their own security measures in place. They often also provide extra measures such as 2-factor authentication and multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorised access. This isn’t always enough though, so there are cloud-based security software packages available to keep you worry-free whilst enjoying all of the added benefits of migrating to the cloud.
How difficult is migrating to the cloud?
We won’t lie. This can be a difficult process, especially for larger organisations that have a lot of data, users, applications and more to consider before making the move. However, just because something can be difficult, it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing. In fact, it quite often means the opposite. “No pain, no gain” is a saying for a reason!
To make the process as easy as possible, here are the steps to follow for a smooth transition:
1. Define what you want to achieve from migrating to the cloud
It is imperative to make decisions based on objectives. For example, if your main objective is to improve efficiency, you may want to completely reconsider all of your software and applications based on the move to the cloud. Many cloud applications offer compatibility with other applications. Salesforce, for example, has integrations with Slack, Mailchimp, LinkedIn, Quickbooks, G Suite and much more. If your current applications don’t offer these benefits, it could be time to let them go.
2. Assess and plan
Do a full assessment of what applications are currently used across your organisation. Don’t be afraid to research user requirements too. Asking employees what they feel could be more efficient will be invaluable in your plans. From this research you will be able to create a plan to make the migration as smooth as possible.
You will often end up with a plan that is a mixture of cloud and on-premise software to suit your business requirements and to keep costs manageable. This plan should include timings for when you will actually start the migration and an onboarding process for users.
3. Start moving to the cloud
This step could take a long time depending on your requirements. For example, if software needs to be modernised to make it cloud-compatible, this could potentially take developers months to complete. Moving to cloud-native applications can help to speed up the process.
This is also when you will have to start changing your infrastructure to support the cloud. Ideally you want to cause as little disruption as possible, creating a switch-over that happens basically overnight. This will reduce downtime and make the change as smooth as possible on the day. IT technicians should be on hand throughout the day to help with the onboarding process, ensuring people know how to use potentially new technology and software.
Contact Us
For the best results and a worry-free cloud migration, it is important to work with professionals. People that have handled businesses migrating to the cloud before. With the steps we have outlined, there is a lot within them to consider. From conducting the research to creating and implementing a plan; there is a lot that it is imperative to get right.
If you have any questions about how Nutbourne can help in this process, we’d love to hear from you. Whatever you need, just give us a call.
If you’d like to find out more about migrating to the cloud with Nutbourne, or any of our other IT services, then get in touch! Contact Nutbourne today on +44 (0) 203 7273 or by filling out an enquiry form on our website.