Migrate To The Cloud With Ease
Keeping up with IT innovations can be challenging. Developers are always coming up with tools and programs that firms can use to pursue their organizational goals. You may need to upgrade or replace your infrastructure to enjoy these inventions.
Clients always ask Pure IT about cloud migrations. Pure IT is a leading provider of innovative IT services for organizations in the Calgary area. This article will teach you the essential aspects of cloud migration.
What Is Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration refers to moving applications, data, or other business components to a cloud computing environment. Gartner notes that more than half of organizations using the cloud will have an all-in cloud strategy in 2021.
Organizations migrate to the cloud for various reasons. These entities often want to free their in-house IT team from having to manage uptime. Leveraging cloud services like Microsoft 365 and Azure is the right step as your company grows.
There are some limits to what you may move to the cloud. Legacy apps or workloads that need low latency or higher control and security may remain in the premises or migrate to a private cloud.
Types of Cloud Migrations
An organization can do different types of cloud migrations.
- Cloud-to-Cloud Migration: involves moving applications or data from one cloud to another for instance migrating from other cloud services to Microsoft cloud.
- Migrating to a Public Cloud: involves moving applications or data from a local, on-premise data center to a public cloud.
- Reverse Cloud Migration: you move applications or data from the cloud to a local data center. You may also refer to it as cloud exit or cloud repatriation.
Reasons Why You May Want to Migrate to the Cloud
Organizations transfer their applications and data to the cloud for various reasons.
- You may want to improve customer experience by providing tailored solutions and ensuring customers can access information.
- You want the cloud to be a catalyst for growth by enabling applications that remove barriers to generating additional revenue, cutting costs, and getting more prospects.
- You wish to have improved security by ensuring backups are off-premise.
- You want more flexibility to support remote access by personnel and scalability.
What is the Cloud Computing Stack?
Cloud computing stack comprises services that make cloud computing. It includes these elements.
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): users mainly interact with software on the cloud and not the infrastructure or platform on which it runs.
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): comprises the infrastructure and hardware that supports the cloud.
- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): allows users to develop and deploy applications.
How You Can Plan For A Successful Cloud Migration
You need to plan your cloud migration. The transfer is a complex mix of technology, resource, and management challenges. These considerations can make the switch a smooth process.
Applications
Establish your goals and reasons for moving specific applications to Microsoft 365. Figure out the amount of data to transfer, the speed to migrate them, and how to shift them. Apps with high throughput, those that are essential for operations, have strict geographical stewardship, or those that require low latency may remain in the organization’s internal servers.
Cloud Migration Types
Identify the right cloud environment. Providers offer different packages for you to choose the ones you need.
Public clouds allow multiple users to access computer resources through dedicated or internet connections. Private clouds keep your data within the data center and have a proprietary architecture. You may also choose the hybrid cloud model, which is a mix of private and public models. The hybrid option supports the transfer of data between private and public clouds.
The cloud option you choose should have an adequate bandwidth for optimal performance of your applications. The app’s dependencies should also not complicate the migration. You should also not move historical data to the cloud as it will cause inconveniences.
Platforms such as Microsoft Azure offer many benefits that may make the migration a success.
Staff Considerations
Your IT team is still a critical part of your organization, even as you migrate. They will need new skills to cope with the switch. Train and sensitize them about cloud migration. Aspects such as security may need to change with transferring data or applications to the cloud. Ensure your employees are conversant with the new roles or requirements.
What’s The Cloud Migration Process Like?
Cloud migration has processes that ensure it is a success. The exact steps vary, but the procedures have these common elements.
- A company evaluates its security and performance requirements.
- The organization chooses a cloud service provider like Microsoft 365.
- A company calculates the costs of cloud migration.
- The company reorganizes itself to suit the transfer.
What Challenges Are You Likely to Encounter During Cloud Migration?
Migrating to the cloud may have some challenges.
- Aligning Business Objectives with the Cloud Migration Strategy: Cloud computing services have many benefits that an organization can enjoy. The company needs to ensure its business goals are in line with cloud services to maximize the benefits.
- Upgrading Processes and Reskilling People: The organization will need to train its employees to handle the shift to the cloud. Your staff will require new techniques to access data and use apps in the cloud. You may also need to change your processes to support the transfer.
- Changing or Updating Specific Software Applications: Legacy applications use different third-party software components. You may need to install the pieces as you migrate to the cloud. Some of them may become obsolete because of the switch. Finding the right applications to support your move to the cloud can be challenging.
- Overcoming OS Incompatibility: Cloud platforms often support the latest versions of operating systems. If your organization has not been updating your OS, it may be a challenge during the switch. You may have to upgrade the OS to complete the migration.
- Keeping Cloud Apps and Legacy Systems Interoperable: Many legacy applications are not ready for the cloud. Your organization may struggle to integrate them with the apps in the cloud. You may have to create a hybrid cloud environment to ensure you get services and software.
- Redesigning the On-Premise Infrastructure: You may require time and resources to redesign your infrastructure to support the migration to the cloud. These changes may delay the transfer or hinder its benefits.
How Can Pure IT Help You with Cloud Migration?
Pure IT is a reliable provider of innovative IT services for organizations in the Calgary area. Our commitment and experience ensure that our services exceed your expectations. We offer various IT services that small and medium-sized companies can use to pursue their goals.
Pure IT is a Microsoft partner and provides Microsoft 365 cloud services. Our staff can analyze your existing setup, make recommendations regarding cloud migration, and ensure that the switch is a success. We will also support your company as you adapt to the new infrastructure.
Are You Ready to Move to the Cloud?
Migrating to the cloud has many benefits that your company may enjoy. Many businesses are leveraging the cloud computing environment to achieve their objectives. Firms that do not have the technology are lagging as their competitors thrive.
Pure IT can help your firm migrate to the cloud and glean its benefits with ease. We are a Microsoft partner and leading provider of IT solutions for companies in the Calgary area. Reach out today and let us help you leverage cloud computing to achieve your goals.