Developing a Successful Cloud Migration Strategy: Best Practices

Are you interested in cloud technology solutions for your business? If so, there’s never been a better time to move your operations to the cloud! Cloud platforms are booming in popularity, and for good reasons: They’re perfect for storing and securing data, streamlining day-to-day tasks, and sending profits soaring through the roof.

Let’s be honest, however: Developing a proper cloud migration strategy can be extremely hard. The following article with help cut through the noise with some practical information, actionable advice, and recommendations for the best cloud computing practices.

Follow These Steps When Developing Your Cloud Migration Strategy

Concerned about how to develop a cloud migration strategy? No worries — you’re about to learn best practices for developing a cloud migration strategy from the cloud computing experts at Renascence IT Consulting. You’ll learn how to maximize efficiency, speed, and security, guaranteeing a seamless move onto the cloud.

Create a Plan

Every cloud migration strategy has to start somewhere, and that somewhere is with a plan. Take note of your business’s current situation, keeping track of how much energy you use and how much data you handle daily. Before designing a new cloud-based alternative, you’ll also want to consider how your current tech infrastructure handles things.

By analyzing your current data output, you get a full and comprehensive inventory of your company’s applications and servers while learning about important metrics you can leverage to determine your migration’s size and scale. This information helps determine how much cloud storage and space you’ll need to make a move. 

Select a Cloud Environment

Before going any further, choose a cloud environment for your business. There are three main types: hybrid cloud, public cloud, and multi-cloud solutions. Hybrid clouds combine a private, user-specific cloud with one from a public vendor, while multi-cloud solutions involve several public clouds from different vendors.

Each environment has its strengths. A single public cloud might be best for smaller operations, while multi-cloud solutions effectively handle diverse, varied business models.

Pick a Data Migration Strategy

Now that you understand just how much data and technical infrastructure to account for in your cloud migration strategy, you can consider which type of migration strategy best suits your circumstances. Between rehosting, replatforming, and refactoring, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Rehosting, also known as the “lift and shift” technique, is when you mirror your current operations and transfer them to a cloud. It’s a solid choice for smaller businesses or companies that want a temporary stop-gap solution while they figure out a more robust plan. Replatforming, while similar, involves making minor changes that optimize for efficiency and scaling.

Refactoring is a bit different. It requires starting over from the beginning, building a new infrastructure using modern solutions like cloud computing and auto-scaling. It requires more time and effort but is best for businesses thinking in long-term dimensions.

Not interested in either option? You might want to try retention, which involves maintaining on-site storage for specific aspects of your business operations.

Ensure Cloud Security

You should consider cloud security once you’ve chosen a migration strategy and created a plan. After all, what’s the point of migrating to an unsafe cloud environment? Cloud adoption requires a secure migration strategy.

Make use of mathematical and technical techniques like machine learning or statistical analysis to pinpoint weak spots in your architecture. You can also set up detection software for outside attacks, like DDOS or phishing schemes.

Train Staff Ahead of Time

A lot goes into a cloud migration strategy, so you want to guarantee that each of your employees has what it takes to do their fair share. Scheduling education seminars and sessions that instruct workers on your new cloud-based architecture, its benefits, and how they can stay safe while using it makes for an excellent start, but it needs to happen ahead of time. Delegating authorities to other employees so they teach their teams will help ensure optimal efficiency and speed, giving them the toolset they need to hit the ground running once implementation is complete.

Guarantee Regulatory Compliance

Cloud environments require countless regulatory oversight measures. Given how quickly technology is evolving, state and federal governments are constantly introducing new legislation governing the use of cloud solutions. You should keep track of these developments and adjust operations accordingly to prevent civil or criminal consequences.

If you’re using third-party cloud migration services, like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud, you can double-check with them to ensure optimal compliance. Outside legal consultations can also be of use. On your business’s end, consider implementing a data-based compliance regimen that monitors for any violations.

Determine KPIs

After you’ve finished your business’s preparations for migration, you can start executing your cloud migration strategy. As you do so, monitor specific key performance indicators (KPIs). You can choose which KPIs interest you. For instance, are you keen on minimizing costs, or would you like to improve your operational flexibility?

While it’s best to establish your KPIs ahead of time, you can always adjust them on the go depending on how your migration is going.

Organization Above All Else

It doesn’t matter how detailed or ingenious your cloud migration strategy is if it’s utterly unorganized. Consider allocating employees to manage your move to the cloud, guaranteeing that your company executes every step of your cloud migration strategy to the letter. Make use of regular, periodic feedback to tweak and tailor your organization processes as the move happens, then keep streamlining things once it’s complete.

Expert Cloud Migration Strategy Solutions

Renascence IT Consulting provides high-quality, comprehensive cloud migration strategy assistance for businesses and corporations. We have countless years of experience helping companies transition to the cloud and constantly innovate our best practices. We guarantee that our approach to cloud solutions will improve your business’s operations, increasing revenues and employee satisfaction.

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of cloud computing for small businesses, contact us online or give us a call at (510) 552-6896  today.