There is so much chatter about ‘cloud migration’ lately. Towards the end of 2019, 60% of all IT workloads were running on the cloud. That’s an eyebrow-raising statistic. This not just proves that the cloud is safe, but also indicates how much work is yet to be done among the remaining 10% of IT companies who are either oblivious or too slow.
But what is cloud migration? And why should any company migrate to the cloud? Cloud migration is the systematic process of moving applications, data and other business-related elements to a cloud computing environment.
Cloud migration moves digital business operations to a cloud. It is similar to moving an office from a smaller to a larger one, but instead of furniture, it is data that is being moved. Cloud migration requires preparation and advance work. The term ‘legacy infrastructure’ is usually associated with cloud migration.
Any outdated computing software or hardware which is still in use is termed ‘legacy’. They are considered insecure or inefficient solutions. Businesses running legacy systems are prone to data breaches. A simple example is companies running Windows XP on their systems as their designated OS.
This is the main reason why companies are migrating towards the cloud to maintain their data stored in an outdated system. But are its robust benefits good enough to mask over its supposed challenges and risks?
The confusing cloud migration parameters
The confusion stems from the fact that there are so many cloud migrations platforms and unending lists of cloud migrating tasks to accomplish. The ideal way to do this is by following a working cloud migrating checklist that is adapted by any IT company as per its operational capacity.
The checklist entails legacy applications and workloads with low latency or high security. When such workloads require added resources to maintain a certain level of performance, it’s cost-to-run goes high. Migrating to a cloud environment ensures workload flexibility.
There is also the question of a public cloud or private cloud. Which would fit best for an enterprise IT company? While the public cloud provides enhanced scalability through its pay-per-usage model, private clouds lean towards added security and control.
There is a hybrid cloud model as well that delivers the best of both but could suffer in connectivity and performance. Finally, there’s choosing the right cloud provider. A provider that offers services that run on all types of workloads, provides tools for easy movement of apps, is compliant, secure, and fits the company’s budget.
Canalys.com ranked Amazon as the world’s leading cloud solution provider.
Cloud migration risks cast a shadow of a doubt
The benefits of migrating to cloud far outweigh the risks. This is because cost optimization and a distributed multi-cloud approach are set to take over cloud migration from 2020.The potential risks of migrating to cloud consist of sensitive data storage and its irretrievability. Also, some companies wonder why change the status quo when scaling, maintenance and availability are already fine – right? Also, what happens to proprietary technology that some organizations have already adopted? Is it smart to deploy that over the cloud?
Cloud migration could lead to added latency, especially when cloud applications run over the internet. This is also possible if any hardware is controlled by an external party. Performance issues are bound to pop up. Distributed cloud architectures are new and may require a certain level of modification before being migrated. Cloud platform vendor lock-ins are complex and once tied up with is hard for companies to retreat.
There will be a lack of autonomy when running cloud applications. The processing and its logic are hosted on another server. A hit to this server can compromise sensitive data that can sink applications. That is why the best-managed cloud migration service provider – Nordic Intent, relies on secure cloud servers to get the job done.
Not just security, but API vulnerabilities, sharing of cloud services, improper user privileges, vendor monopoly, overworked IT staff, and data loss, are risks that keep enterprise IT solutions from taking the step towards cloud migration.
All of the above-mentioned risks are mitigated. How? By choosing a cloud solution provider that delivers security, reduced latency, 24×7 technical support, affordable pricing, and hassle-free migration.
Cloud migration benefits that outweigh risks
Companies are apprehensive about cloud migration. The above-mentioned risks hamper their overall vision. Cloud migration, when done right by a reputed cloud migration service provider, results in scaling resources that are meeting increased demand. The effectiveness of IT processes needs a fillip, also reducing operational costs. Cloud migration fixes that.
Clients demand rapid application implementation and deployment. Infrastructure overheads need reduction, business needs a geographical expanse, and the human error needs stalling. Cloud migration provides all these benefits to ensure client retention.
It’s getting difficult to keep up with growing storage needs. Every IT business/service must be focussed on building a widely distributed development team. During times of crisis, such as these, cloud computing environments let remote employees access applications through the internet.
Setting up a system for an entire data storage facility can double the cost. Cloud migration mitigates this cost by storing data over the web. Cloud disaster recovery systems prevent any physical damage to data storage servers present at the premises.
Tracking server software and upgrading it is time-consuming. This is a periodic process that needs constant attention. A cloud migration solution checks on this automatically. Cloud migrating also handles administrative tasks such as software upgrades, maintenance and database backup.
Start-ups can opt for cloud migration and save on IT expenditure completely. The end-result of cloud migration is to host data or applications in the most effective IT environment, factoring performance, security, and cost. The benefits of cloud migration far outweigh its challenges and risks. The companies not jumping aboard the cloud migration bandwagon are set to miss a lot soon.