Moving your IT infrastructure or key business applications to the cloud is an important business decision. With our ever-growing dependence on technology, business owners across all industries need to ensure that their use of technology is up-to-date, provides the highest levels of collaboration, and ensures data security. To do this, many businesses and upper management personnel are choosing cloud migration. If you’ve been considering moving to the cloud, it is beneficial to understand migration strategies as well as potential cloud providers.
What is Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration is a carefully planned and organized strategy that moves existing on-site workloads and data into the cloud. The most well-known public cloud-native applications include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Not all workloads are best for the cloud, which is why it is essential to develop a detailed plan that allows for testing and adjusting. When completed successfully, a transition of applications from on-site to the cloud can be done without impacting accessibility or daily operations. The cloud can provide business continuity with greater data protection and improved collaboration with your customers, vendors, and employees.
Benefits of Cloud Migration
The biggest attraction to utilizing the cloud is reliability and efficiency gains. The cloud can aid in supporting the various modernization efforts that IT is sure to experience. Therefore, you’ll have peace of mind that when technology evolves, your data and applications are ready. This provides the ability to direct more focus toward your business, trusting that a major aspect of the IT side is covered. Cloud migration helps support how your business may change. This includes providing instant scalability and anticipating fluctuations such as seasonal shifts or overall business growth.
Most cloud providers offer enhanced security capabilities compared to what small businesses can afford for their on-premise technology. A data breach can significantly impact the trust your potential and current clients put in your business. With the cloud, security is stronger than what could be achieved on-site. Cloud providers offer security analytics, block traffic, and provide enterprise-grade security options.
Another great benefit of migrating to the cloud is the increased accessibility. Remote working continues to be on the rise. With the cloud, applications and data can be accessed anywhere. This can help improve worker productivity and be a great selling point when hiring.
Finding the Right Cloud for You
There are various public cloud platforms that you can consider for your business. In general, these platforms all provide security and accessibility. It is beneficial to determine what platform will work best for your needs. The most popular options include:
- Microsoft Azure – This platform is dedicated to helping modernize and scale various businesses. It is affordable, and workloads include virtual desktops, servers, databases, and web applications.
- Amazon Web Services – AWS can help organizations of all sizes, from start-ups to well-established corporations. This platform helps with cost savings, productivity, and security.
- Google Cloud Platform – Google’s cloud platform provides everything needed to grow and scale a business. Google is the newest player in the space with excellent adoption in the education space.
Making the Transition
There are a few different ways you can approach cloud migration. You will need to first assess where your infrastructure currently stands. This helps to better understand what is already in place and what skills, time, and budget you’ll need to make a seamless transition. The most critical focus areas include tailoring applications for peak performance, ensuring your operations are maintained, and creating or hiring a team that oversees the migration process to ensure success. You will want to define your expected outcomes.
Systems Integration Can Help
The cloud can provide numerous benefits for a business, from the ease of accessibility for staff and clients to a trustworthy level of security to protect high-risk data. It is designed to stay up-to-date and evolve as technology does. Migrating to the cloud allows you to depend less on on-site hardware, saving time and money. If cloud migration sounds right for your business, we can help. Our team of professionals can develop and implement an ideal migration plan as unique as your business. Contact Systems Integration today to get started.