You’ve probably heard all about “the cloud” by now. It’s this almost floating body that takes all of your data, ranging from photos and documents to videos and apps, putting them in a virtual environment that affords you easier access. But what about those items that aren’t already available on your smartphone to place in your cloud technology? That’s where cloud migration comes into play.
Understanding Cloud Migration
Moving everything from physical to virtual can be taxing, so migration of these items is beneficial to all users, including in the business realm. So, what is cloud migration? It’s the process of moving on-premises business data and infrastructure to the cloud. The cloud, public or private, makes computing resources available on-demand, without requiring active management by the user that employs it. This type of migration is considered a safety net in the shape of a new platform that allows for backup in the event sensitive data cannot be found in a physical database.
Cloud technology has created a new benchmark for modern IT operations. Accessing cloud services shifts computing costs, as organizations no longer need to buy and host a litany of servers that could go unused. These computing resources save companies tons on data centers while also affording more storage based on your cloud vendor and the amount of space you need. In addition to a lower cost, a public cloud or private cloud is far more accessible to a wider audience. You can even expand your cloud as more data comes forward through your operating systems.
Achieving Migration
Cloud migration is a process that is truly based on the business user. Some companies may prepare to move all systems and data onto the cloud while others may choose to keep some form of on-premises infrastructure for large volumes of data. Many applications can be migrated to the cloud while others have to be reengineered to fit the environment. This transfer of data does have certain challenges, but there is quite an expanse of types of data that can address the scalability and specific needs of any-size business.
Analysts believe there are essentially five ways to achieve cloud migration, otherwise known as the five R’s. The rehost option is the quick way to industrialize applications and exploit cloud capabilities through shared infrastructure. The refactor option extends rehost by leveraging native cloud services from a cloud provider. The revise method reorganizes applications and services so they exhibit characteristics like elastic scalability. The re-architect option restructures self-service on-demand computing to adopt a platform-as-a-service. Finally, there is the rebuild option that rebuilds and rewrites applications to fit your new services.
Benefits of Cloud Migration
Cloud deployment and expansion is considered an upgrade from physical servers, affording security while allowing for modifications as necessary. One of the greatest cloud migration benefits is reduced IT costs, saving on management and maintenance of data and setup. There’s also the scalability aspect, saving on operating costs by reducing downtime and handling spikes in workload. And then there’s the benefit of business continuity, limiting any loss of productivity thanks to a secure data backup to boost analytics and business decisions.
Cloud migration also affords users the ability to communicate and collaborate while keeping data security paramount with any adjustments that may come down the line. With enhanced security, a cloud service provider will ensure that your private data and services stay private. With the right cloud provider, you’ll have continuous support from initiation to deployment and beyond, making sure that your cloud migration success is their success as well. Cloud migration could be key to keeping your company ahead in this digital transformation.
