What to Consider When Contemplating Cloud Migration Strategies

June 26, 2018Homefield IT

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If you feel as though your company would be better off transitioning from data center technology to something a little more scalable, then you’ve undoubtedly considered cloud migration. Before your company decides to use cloud migration strategies to transfer your data and applications to the almighty cloud, you should consider a few things first.

Here are a few aspects you should ponder before opting for cloud migration.

Application or Data Type

Above all else, you should consider the type of data would send to the cloud rather than keeping in a data center or internal server. For the most part, cloud migration seems like a win-win situation, allowing for easy scalability and cost efficiency, but that isn’t always the case. Certainly it can be, but public cloud storage isn’t suitable for all types of data or applications. If you host sensitive data such as credit card information, bank account information, private records, and similar data, then storing via the public cloud isn’t ideal. However, you can opt for private cloud storage or hybrid cloud storage as part of your cloud migration strategy, which can result in greater security for your business and its clients.

Cost Considerations

Most organizations ultimately decide to migrate to the cloud for financial savings. Cloud storage essentially reduces expenses by minimizing the need for hardware and office tech help services, primarily tech services that are staffed in-house. Cloud solutions are also much more agile, and you can scale your usage up or down as needed during busy seasons. That being said, you should still treat your cloud migration like an investment. Experts can help your organization develop cloud migration strategies that cover all of your use cases and unique needs.

Plan it Out

If you’ve gone through all of the variables and everything points to the cloud, then your next step is to come up with your cloud migration strategy. One of the major challenges organizations face when migrating to the cloud is what to do with their existing hardware. There are many options, but you should find one that doesn’t result in the technology being left to collect dust. You should also consider your time frame and actual migration strategy. Would you migrate everything all at once, or would you partition the data and migrate each application one at a time? Which would be more effective? Which would present less risk? These are factors you’ll need to consider when contemplating cloud migration strategies.

There are numerous applications that can be migrated to the cloud, including traditional office functions like calendars and messaging. Even Microsoft Office 365 can be migrated to the cloud, and 20% of corporate employees use an Office 365 cloud service. So no matter what your specific needs are, you should consider cloud migration strategies suited to those needs

For more information on cloud migration, IT support, and other Office 365 options, contact Manhattan Tech Support today.