The Ascension of Cloud Migration
Recently in The Wall Street Journal’s Morning Download, Steve Rosenbush reported that companies are getting ever-more serious about shifting their applications, data and IT infrastructure to the cloud. He noted, “The adoption of public cloud, even among financial services and health-care companies, has picked up in the last six to nine months, industry experts have told CIO Journal repeatedly in recent weeks.”
WSJ also reported that an IDC survey last month found that 58% of companies planned to use Web-based, on-demand computing services, including both public services such as Amazon Web Services and private cloud facilities, for more than two applications, up from 24% just 14 months earlier. Additionally, Jay Greene with WSJ stated, “But shifting databases to the cloud can be an ordeal. Immense files can hog so much network bandwidth that companies often copy databases to massive storage devices to be shipped physically to cloud data centers. Often, companies must rewrite the software that analyzes their data to work with a cloud service. Then they need to test that work before rolling it out.”
We couldn’t agree more. Organizations across sectors have obviously embraced the cloud over the past few years, but IT structures vary greatly from one company to the next, requiring a different outlook on migration according to each firm’s specific needs. For most decision-makers, the question comes down to the type of cloud implementation they want to pursue — private, public or hybrid. Private cloud setups are typically reserved for large-cap corporations with a surplus of resources and technical expertise, while the public cloud offers fast and easy storage for a better price. However, organizations typically seek to incorporate elements from both styles of services and create their own hybrid cloud solutions that better fit their computing requirements and long-term goals.
A smooth migration to a cloud environment is essential to gaining the maximum value from a company’s cloud investment, whereas a messy move can prove costly. And among the most important traits that all successful cloud migration efforts share is a comprehensive strategy. Our own Chris Bateman does a nice job at highlighting components of a successful strategy as:
Assessment — the first component of any effective, comprehensive cloud migration is the assessment. This assessment must take into account the likely impact migration will have on every affected aspect of the organization. In the majority of cases, this will include the entirety of the company’s existing infrastructure, all of which must be audited, inventoried and analyzed.
Planning — once this assessment is complete, it’s essential to plan out the migration in detail so as to minimize complications and ensure that security and compliance standards are maintained at all times. This is where expertise and experience prove essential. Every organization’s cloud migration is unique, and failing to address these distinctions will inevitably cause problems throughout the migration process. Yet actually designing a migration strategy that accounts for these differences in the most productive, efficient fashion is really only possible with the benefit of tremendous experience in these specific matters.
Oversight — finally, it’s key to keep a close eye on the effectiveness of the migration strategy, both during the actual migration itself as well as in the immediate aftermath. Considering the complexity of cloud deployments, there’s always the potential for issues to arise. With keen oversight, though, these problems will likely prove minimal and can be handled before they cause any significant delays or inefficiencies.
As cloud adoption continues to rise, migrations will continue to increase in complexity. Here are some of our favorite reads on how to navigate this complex process:
Cloud migration efforts must be comprehensive
Cloud Migration: Five Pitfalls and Considerations
Making smart decisions in your cloud migration
Hybrid cloud migration: Planning and execution
How to Ensure a Smooth Data Center Migration
Cloud Migration — Consolidating IT Infrastructure to Drive Efficiency
