How should we perform the migration process to the cloud

Working in the cloud is more and more topical. Right now, we are going through a series of changes that are transforming the way we work. Workers must adapt to telecommuting and companies must equip them with the resources to do so with a particular interest in working in the cloud. In this sense, we have to be very careful during the process of migrating to the cloud if we do not want to have any problems later.

Also, it should be noted that many private users and also companies use this type of cloud services for:

• Share files.
• Create backup copies.
• Host documents of all kinds.

However, we can also run into issues if we don't plan the transition properly. For this reason, in this tutorial, we are going to talk about the questions we need to ask ourselves during the process of migrating to the cloud. Organizations face significant challenges in the years to come and they know they need to accelerate their digital strategy .

The Flexera report on technology and business challenges

Flexera is a company dedicated to optimizing IT assets (hardware, networks and any physical part owned by a company) from its facilities to the cloud. It aims for companies to gain visibility, optimize technology spend and achieve business agility. According to his investigation report on the state of investment in technology , Flexera says the top three IT investments businesses should make, regardless of size, are:

1. Digital transformation.
2. Cyber ​​security.
3. The process of migrating to the cloud.

Here we have a chart showing these three investments and a few more:

Two more that we could add are improving customer experience and big data analytics. In addition, the global cloud computing market is expected to experience substantial growth in the coming years. We have come across several reasons why companies are considering and prioritizing adoption of cloud working. The main one could be cost optimization, but it is not the only one that offers more benefits.

Organizations face significant challenges in the years to come, and they know they need to accelerate their digital strategy so as not to fall behind the competition. The move to working in the cloud will give them elasticity, agility, flexibility and security.

Another factor that has accelerated the process of moving to the cloud is the coronavirus pandemic. This situation has shown that we must learn to work remotely and safely.

The first steps in moving to the cloud

The first problem businesses face when deciding to work in the cloud is not knowing when or where to start. A first step is to understand that there is no one right way to start. There are several ways we can perform the cloud migration process well.

A thing very important is define what you want to achieve with this change. Additionally, because the cloud seems inexpensive and there is pressure to work in it, organizations sometimes make the wrong decisions. A very common solution is to spend money on a lot of functions that you never use. In this sense, good planning, being clear about what you want to achieve and clearly defining the necessary resources, is a good policy to follow.

Cloud migration process implementation models

Companies that want to start working in the cloud often don't know where to start, one of the first things they need to decide is what model they are going to use to implement working in the cloud. One of them would be to use a public cloud , here the companies share the server space. Most IT services are based on it, it is more secure than the Internet and cheaper. Here is a third party in charge of operating the cloud infrastructure. So, by working in this way, we achieve easy maintenance, fast scalability and high availability.

On the other hand, we have the private cloud , which is designed to be used only by a business. The data center for this type of model can be located on your premises or offsite. It should be noted that companies use it to host highly confidential information, and it is expensive as well.

The third avenue available is the hybrid cloud which is a combination of the cloud and local models. In this case, organizations often use their local facilities to store their research, development or confidential data. Then apart, they store other apps and data for the external audience in the cloud. It is a relatively cheaper model than a private cloud. Indeed, part of the resources belong to the company and are located in its facilities.

What services can I hire to work in the cloud

The services we can use in the cloud migration process are IaaS, PaaS and SaaS which we will describe below.

A infrastructure as a service (IaaS) involves the migration of physical infrastructure to the cloud. The best example of this model is virtual machines (VMs). It is often chosen by organizations with specific security concerns and high customization.

La platform as service (PaaS) provides an environment to support a web application without having to create servers, networks and manage databases. Companies frequently use PaaS to deliver their custom applications to their end customers.

Le software as service (SaaS) allows users to easily use cloud-based applications hosted by the provider. This model eliminates the need for businesses to maintain software on their premises. In return, they can use software managed by cloud providers at an affordable price.

Strategies and approaches to consider

One of the first things we need to do is determine what workloads need to be migrated to the cloud and why . In this sense, we have to ask ourselves if everything is compatible and should be in the cloud. You should also decide on the maintenance strategy for data and applications that do not migrate to the cloud.

The next thing we need to determine is to know how we want to go through the process of migrating to the cloud . Here, for example, we have to decide whether we want a public, private or hybrid cloud.

If we choose a supplier to work in the cloud, we must take our time to choose the right one . In that sense, he must be the one who understands the size and organization of our business. In addition, you have to check that it has a good grade. Join must have consider what we don't need . Earlier, we talked about how organizations were wasting resources paying for features they didn't need.

Finally, think about what would happen in the event of an information leak . For this reason, you should be prepared to record, monitor, and analyze a security incident. It should be detected as early as possible and corrected. An event like this can cause our business a bad reputation, from which it can take a long time to recover.

Migration does not happen overnight

One very important thing to keep in mind is that an unplanned cloud migration process always fails. The main reason for failure is the organization's lack of planning. If we do not devote the time necessary to study the situation and choose the right approach, the migration can be unsuccessful. Also, trying to go too far and go too fast can be another big mistake. We should also not underestimate the human factor or ignore security concerns. So, a good cloud migration process involves choosing a good partner / suitable company to help you avoid these mistakes.