The global pandemic has greatly effected how companies and their employees interact and collaborate. Employees working remotely need access to their company’s data in order to do their job anytime and anywhere.

 

Moving from a local network to the cloud brings a great deal of benefits, along with challenges. Planning your strategy to move your operation to the cloud will take time, research, and dedication, but once it’s complete, you and your employees will reap the benefits.

 

What is Cloud Migration?

Before beginning your cloud migration strategy, it’s best to know what the process entails, and how it can be properly executed.

 

There are several different procedures for moving to the cloud, the most popular are:

 

• Re-host (lift & shift)

A straightforward approach to this process. An application is shifted from your on premise host to a cloud service. The process starts with moving items that have the fewest dependencies and a small impact on your business operations. These items should also be free of regulatory constraints – an important thing to consider since you’ll move more complex items to the cloud over time.

• Re-platform

In this approach, applications are rehosted in the cloud, but with modifications so the full benefits of the cloud infrastructure can be taken advantage of. When you re-platform programs will benefit from automation and resources in the cloud can be more easily scaled and leveraged.

• Re-factor

Refactoring involves moving applications to cloud infrastructure, while at the same time re-architecting them to better suit the cloud environment. Your existing software or code base will need to be modified to take advantage of cloud-based features. This approach is more complex and time consuming due to changing application codes. Other tasks include testing the new application for any changes in functionality. It’s time consuming, but refactoring allows you to take full advantage of the cloud.

 

Planning the Plan

In order to achieve success with your cloud migration strategy, planning is key. The first question you should ask is, “Do we need to migrate to the cloud?” A simple question, but one that needs to be discussed from different vantage points, including operations, IT, accounting, and key managers.

 

Once the due diligence has been completed, and the answer is “Yes, we need to migrate,” you’re ready for the next step – a complete review of your legacy applications to gauge how they will transfer to the cloud and what parts will need to be rebuilt or completely redesigned.

 

In addition to reviewing your legacy applications, a thorough discovery has to take place to review existing infrastructure; the data and application landscape; and identifying and prioritizing the most vital applications and data that should be transferred into the cloud.

 

At this step you’ll also have to decide if you want to store your data and applications in one cloud service or multiple. There are several different choices, each with their own positives and negatives. 

 

Using one cloud service simplifies operations, but could lock you into a vendor contract with strict rules and limitations. Using two cloud services allows you to separate applications, which allows for easier management. You’ll have to make sure that each provider’s technologies and guidelines complement each other.

 

Next Steps

Now that you have completed your planning, it’s time to consider a service that has a deep level of experience with successfully executing cloud migration. Thinline Technologies offers a complete suite of IT solutions, and we will meet with you to understand your IT needs. We offer training for your employees so they’ll be familiar with the cloud technology – and as your service provider, we’ll be there to handle problems quickly and efficiently.

Contact us today and we’ll be happy to discuss your cloud migration, along with any other IT services your business needs to grow successfully.