How Hard is It to Move to the Cloud?
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Moving to the cloud seems to be the recommendation these days. There are a variety of cloud hosting services out there to help you along the way. If you haven't made your move to the cloud yet, it might be something for you to consider. It's not necessarily the right fit for every business, but many people find that it is convenient and offers them a lot of flexibility in this digital age.
What's holding you back from the cloud? Maybe you are concerned about just how complicated the process is going to be. We totally understand! Migration to the cloud (or any other type of hosting service) is certainly not without its challenges. However, if you choose a quality company to guide you in the transition, things will run more smoothly.
We've put together this simple guide to fill you in on just how moving to the cloud works and how challenging it might (or might not) be.
Cloud Migration: What Does That Mean?
"Moving to the cloud." You've heard the term over and over, but what exactly does it mean? Moving to the cloud means moving any asset that is digital in nature, from their storage on site at your location to storage that is virtual. While the cloud does have physical storage locations, they are not something that you have to maintain. They are just there, and they are kept secure for you to use.
Those physical infrastructures can be incredibly expensive and challenging to maintain. Let's face it: they are also becoming outdated because there are more suitable options. Tons of businesses and software companies have transitioned (or are planning to transition) to the cloud for the cost savings as well as many other benefits. All of the signs point to cloud computing as the best option. As the virtual world continues to expand, this platform continues to become more popular.
When a business chooses to migrate to the cloud, it's not an overnight process. They are moving every digital asset, including the network, servers, IT, digital resources, data, databases, and more. This means that it requires careful planning from when you choose your cloud hosting service to when you start the migration.
The Cloud Migration Process
Let's talk a moment about the process so you know what to expect. Some parts of the process may be more challenging. This will certainly take some time and some planning, but if you choose a great host and you know how to prepare, the migration should go smoothly.
Create a Strategy
The process will run far more smoothly if you create a plan. Remember, this is going to take time and organization. The best place to start is by determining why you're making the move. You've probably chosen the move because it will benefit you in some way. Consider what you are hoping to accomplish by making this move, and incorporate those goals into your strategy.
During the planning and strategizing phase, you are going to determine what is going to move and how you want it to look as it moves. You're going to build an infrastructure for your digital assets within the cloud. This means figuring out which type of cloud pieces will go to and which pieces you might not transition at all.
Testing and Analysis
Testing your options will certainly be an important part of the process. In fact, you may want to test and analyze multiple scenarios in order to figure out what is going to work best for you. When you are testing these scenarios, consider things like cost, the goals and objectives, and how successful this approach will be to achieve your needs.
Some cloud hosting services may have demo platforms that you can model scenarios on, but that is not always a given. You should plan to work with your provider on this and see what kinds of resources they have to help you analyze and strategize for migration.
The Migration Process
The act of moving from your physical infrastructure to the cloud is really the hardest part. There are things that can go wrong or hang up during the process, and that is where the frustration occurs. The more planning you are able to do to prepare for these scenarios, the better off you will be.
You can't always plan for every snag, but you can be proactive in anticipating potential challenges.
Moving things to the cloud will most likely happen in pieces. You will have to build your applications and pieces in the move. On that note, most services will have migration tools to help with the actual migration so that you don't have to manually move every little piece. Once you get your framework established, you can simply move things through those tools.
We recommend having a dedicated team for the cloud migration process. Plan your stages and stay on track as much as possible.
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The Benefits of Moving to the Cloud
You've got a basic feel for how complicated it might be. Set your expectations for there to be challenges and then do what you can to prepare for those challenges as well.
Let's take a look at some of the benefits of cloud migration.
Automation
The cloud is really all about automation on a virtual level. It brings together AI, analytics, and things that manage themselves automatically so that you don't have to. Most companies find that they save as much as 50% on operational costs by taking advantage of the cloud.
Secure
The cloud is a secure environment and there are different levels of security that you can take advantage of as well. There are specific compliance features that are met within the cloud and the various cloud levels as well. You're placing all your critical functions and data here, so you need to know it will be safe. The good news is that it might even be safer than your current infrastructure!
Flexibility
The cloud is incredibly flexible. You have flexibility in setup, management, and even how you use it. You can still customize everything you do. You also have a better reach, so if you have multiple locations or maybe have employees working remotely, it's much easier to grant them access to the things they need within the cloud.
Professional Cloud Hosting Services
If you're considering migrating to the cloud, or perhaps even changing cloud hosts, HostforWeb can help. We have more than 20 years of experience in hosting services and offer a variety of solutions. We will be with you every step of the way! Just give us a call to get started.