As predicted by Gartner, companies are investing 36% of their IT spending on cloud-based services. C-level executives are eyeing digital transformation to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This has made it imperative for businesses to migrate to the cloud.

However, moving enterprise data and applications to the
cloud is no small feat. Gathering all the information from multiple sources and
migrating them to a cloud repository asks for money, tools, security,
management, talent, and many other considerations.

Why migrate?

Migrating to the cloud has numerous benefits. It gives you the flexibility of scaling up as your business grows and that too without much capital spends. With cloud, you can avoid large upfront investments in data backup and disaster recovery. As it allows you to work from anywhere, collaboration becomes easy. Moving to the cloud gives access to enterprise-class technology for everyone and gives SMBs a competitive advantage.

Things to consider before migrating to the cloud

  • Cloud environments

Ask yourself whether you want to go for a public, private, or hybrid cloud environment. Public cloud solutions are managed by third-party vendors and are better suitable for SMEs. Private cloud platforms give you more control over your environment but require you to maintain your own servers. With a hybrid environment, you get the best of both worlds.

  • Costs & ROI

One of the most important points to consider before migrating to the cloud is the costs involved and the ROI from this migration. Not all cloud migrations follow the same pay-as-you-use method. The overall costs include hardware, software, resources, support, disaster recovery, and fault tolerance. Capital expenditure would be less on the cloud as compared to on-premise. This means the ROI from cloud migration is relatively faster.

  • Business Goals

Before making any important decision, the first
consideration is what business goals would be achieved by it. So before deciding
to move to the cloud, consider its benefits and impact by carrying out a risk-benefit
analysis. This will also help you in understanding the kind of business
disruption the migration will cause so you can be prepared.

  • Security

Before deciding upon a cloud provider and a cloud deployment model, consider the security aspect. According to Forbes, 66% of IT professionals say security is their main concern in adopting a cloud computing strategy. Though cloud providers have strict security frameworks in place, moving your valuable data from your premises to cloud servers is daunting. So, check all the security measures and backup plans by your cloud provider.

  • Compliance

Different companies and/or countries have different regulations when it comes to data storage and usage. Some governments require that certain types of data are kept within their borders while some data can’t be put on the cloud at all. Hence, before making the move, know which of your data can/should be put on the cloud.

  • Backup and Disaster Recovery

To ensure your business continuity, lay out the backup and disaster
recovery plan before migrating to the cloud. What would be the strategy to face
downtime or disaster? How would you come out of the disaster crisis? It is
important to know the answers to all such questions and include them in your
Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Migrating to the cloud is a no small feat. It needs a deep analysis before choosing the cloud and the cloud provider. It is a long-term decision and has company-wide implications. This means you should take the decision with all the aforementioned aspects into consideration.

Are you looking for a cloud provider whom you can trust with significant company decisions such as cloud migration? Contact CETAS at sales@cetastech.com.