Cloud services are and have become the best choice to store your relevant data, applications and documents. You probably already know about cloud services and are using one for your personal photos and documents now. You may be considering cloud migration services for your business, too. You’ll have all your data together, easy to access from any computer or smart device, anywhere in the world.

But it’s not as easy as a simple upload procedure. Moving your business data requires extensive preparation, effort and efficiency. In the end, the efforts will produce substantial savings. 

1. Determine Your Goals

The first thing to do is to give the responsibility of this migration to a staff member who will do the research needed to not only determine what type of migration is best for your company but also how it’s going to be done. 

This is not an easy task and requires an individual who knows your infrastructure well. If you don’t have that type of person in-house, consider using a managed service provider (MSP) such as Internos to help you.

There are so many decisions and technical plans which must be made, having someone who is knowledgeable or an MSP be responsible for all aspects of the migration is critical to migration success.

2. Choose Your Level of Migration

Once you’ve outlined your goals, determine whether or not they fit well in your typical business operations.

There are several types of cloud migration including a lift-and-shift method and a deep cloud migration. Scrutinize your current IT infrastructure as well as your resources and budget. Understanding those resources and budget will give you a specific baseline to make informed decisions and comparisons, enabling you to determine the applications that you need to migrate to the cloud.

3. Carefully Analyze Your Infrastructure

Decide: 

• How much storage do you need?
• Who is going to manage your server?
• How much data needs to be generated each time?
• What are your expected SLAs (service level agreements)?

This assessment will allow you to identify how you can seamlessly migrate your apps and prepare for a cost-effective solution in terms of cloud migration services.

4. Find the Right Migration Partner

You know you can get a cloud migration partner at any time, but it would be beneficial to do it sooner rather than later. The right migration partner, such as an MSP,  can make this whole process simple, especially if you talk with them before starting any moves to migration. 

The MSP’s experts can help you prepare all the resources and required assessments without compromising your availability and productivity, giving you plenty of time to execute the migration strategy and process properly.

Their input, garnered from their thorough research, will provide you with a  cost-effective cloud migration strategy.

5. Choosing between Public, Private and Hybrid clouds

There are three choices of clouds:

• Public: Definitely the most cost-effective is a public cloud format. It’s flexible, adaptable and reliable. Think Microsoft’s OneDrive, Google’s Cloud, etc.
• Private. The most costly but also the most secure are private clouds,  which are  provided by a single client and maintained on their site or through a third-party provider. 
• Hybrid. The other choice is a hybrid cloud. These are  best for companies needing extensive security for some of their apps but not for others. If your company accepts credit cards, for example, you want that app to be absolutely secure. Hybrid gives you the efficacy of public cloud storage and the security of  private.

6. Determine the Architecture

Before moving all that data to a cloud, carefully look at your organization’s infrastructure. Study the applications you use, your available resources, budget and anything else which needs to be considered. Keep a list of the apps you need to migrate and the storage needs and computing power for an efficient procedure.

7. Select a Trusted Cloud Migration Services Provider

Once that’s done, decide what you need to accomplish and find a trusted cloud provider to meet these needs. It’s critical for you to use a provider that can fulfill all your goals. An in-house employee might have that knowledge but an MSP such as Internos will definitely have it and be able to help you through the process from identifying solutions to implementation and beyond.

8. Devise a Migration Plan

Before you actually move all that data, make a plan to accomplish the process seamlessly.  

Factors to consider:

• Which applications to move first
• Minimal disruption time
• Deadlines and critical metrics for a successful migration
• Any training necessary because of changes to end-user processes
• Potential issues you might encounter throughout the entire process and how you can overcome them

9. Execute the Migration

• All data should be backed up. Make sure your servers and data are retrievable in the event of a worst-case scenario.
• A deployment plan for your new cloud environment should be determined. This involves setting up the connections and other provisions for your cloud environment including testing all the individual and collective components.
• Migration. After deployment, the existing data integrates into the new cloud solution. It might take time for the first data to load because specific changes are needed to fit in the new cloud setup.
• Testing. The final step to cloud migration is testing and quality assurance. You want to make sure you haven’t missed anything, and that all aspects are structurally sound. It’s also the perfect time to check whether your data is correct and your environment is fully secured. End users should not come across any issues while using the app.

10. Monitor the Progress

Once the migration is complete, monitor it to recognize any recurring issues and fix them before they get out of hand. This step is particularly important in providing actionable insights right away and into the future.

Keep in mind that each cloud migration is different, which is why you need to first determine your specific goals. 

In a nutshell: Develop clear objectives on how the migration can best enhance your business operations, assess your current IT infrastructure, then start looking for a cloud migration partner that fits your needs.

Internos can help. We have worked with many of our clients to successfully perform cloud migration services.  Book a free no-obligation meeting, virtual or in person.