Migrating your business information and processes to cloud platforms can benefit you, including more secure data backup, increased collaboration and more effective communication. However, this process has some downsides, so researching the topic before starting is a good idea. You should consider the benefits your company will receive from the migration, potential risks, and how your current hardware and software solutions will handle the change.
Migration Purpose
Knowing the end goal for your cloud migration will make it easier to find the right solutions for your company. For instance, if your purpose is to facilitate collaboration across remote teams, your cloud platform must have robust communications capabilities. If your goal is to have an integrated dashboard to see metrics from multiple physical locations, then your solutions will need to include integrating inventories, points-of-sale and much more.
Access Management
One of the most significant benefits and worries about cloud migration is the promise of increased security offered by a decentralized storage and work system. For instance, if your primary headquarters loses power, your cloud-based teams can still work because their platforms, data storage, and communications are on different servers. Still, the ability to access your data from remote locations can open up your systems to malicious actors, so you will need to invest in access management tools. Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management solutions can help you monitor and set data access permissions in the complex structure of cloud platforms. These CIEM solutions are designed to help you manage people and items connected to your data and ensure fewer unnoticed breaches.
Current Resources
Not every problem will be able to be fixed by cloud migration. Still, your cloud capabilities can solve many company bottlenecks with the right automation and integration. Be sure to look at your current resources, hardware, software solutions and personnel to see what is working and not working with your current system. This will show you where improvements need to be made and help you migrate the procedures that need the most help.
Connection and Bandwidth
Before you consider migrating to the cloud, you must ensure that your current internet connection and bandwidth can handle the increased demand a new system will require. This can mean working with your telecommunications partners to upgrade your physical systems or restructure your plans and payments.
License and Software Compatibility
It is crucial to work within the software licensing you currently have for your business solutions, and not all of these licenses are compatible with cloud migration. These can involve legal and technical considerations, as not every software can communicate with all cloud-based platforms. Checking for any software on your devices with licenses specifying not for use with the cloud is a critical first step in ensuring compatibility and compliance.
Hardware Lifecycle
Every piece of hardware will have a lifecycle associated with it, and your servers, business computers and routers are no exceptions. Knowing where your hardware is in the expected life will give you a good idea of whether it can handle the migration to the cloud or if you will need to upgrade it first. Optimally, you will want to time your migration to when your hardware will need to be replaced anyway to ensure that any purchases you make will work with your new system. Moving your data storage from on-site servers to the cloud within a year of upgrading your hardware can render your new servers obsolete.
Migrating your company’s data to the cloud can provide many benefits, such as decentralized storage and backups, increased collaboration between remote workers and improved communications with employees and business partners. For instance, timing a move with your hardware’s lifecycle and the software’s licensing term can save you money by ensuring you can purchase or renew the best ones for your new system. This process can also be expensive and time-consuming, so it is essential to know the potential pitfalls ahead and consider how to minimize them.
