There’s a huge amount of enthusiasm around cloud computing as more businesses take advantage of its promises of greatly improved scalability, productivity, and cost savings. But while these benefits are undeniable, particularly for small organizations, it takes time to migrate to the cloud. Doing so requires extensive planning and preparation, particularly for established organizations with complex technology environments.
Here are six important things you need to consider before migrating to the cloud:
#1. Software licensing
If you have an on-premises computing environment, your software licenses will most likely come in the form of buy-once applications licensed for use on a per-processing core basis. Standard editions of Microsoft Windows and Office 2016 can’t legally be used in virtualized environments. This means you need software licenses that are tailored for cloud-based installations and virtual desktops. Fortunately, operating systems, along with many other applications, generally come included in cloud computing packages.
#2. Integration concerns
As a distributed computing environment with apps and data hosted in a remote data center, the cloud presents a major infrastructural change over the traditional on-premises model. As such, many desktop solutions aren’t well-suited for the cloud. Integration concerns are common barriers to entry, particularly for established businesses. Fortunately, the hybrid cloud presents a viable opportunity for organizations that can’t move fully to the cloud and want to keep some of their operations in-house.
#3. Information security
It’s a common myth that cloud computing is inherently less secure than keeping everything in-house. This is driven by the idea that your data is best kept in your hands. However, the world’s major data centers, operated by technology giants Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, are some of the most secure facilities in the world. Almost all data breaches involving the cloud actually occur at the hands of end users, with mismanaged access rights presenting the most common issues. In any technology strategy, cybersecurity should always play a central role.
#4. Migration priorities
Companies migrating to the cloud from exclusive in-house environments should know what they’re getting into. While startups can use the cloud from the outset, established entities must move their operations over to the cloud in stages to ensure a smooth deployment and keep disruptions to a minimum. You can’t expect to migrate all operations over in one go, since doing so can cause enormous problems. That’s why you need a goal-driven cloud migration strategy led by experts who understand both the IT challenge and the business.
#5. Employee training
Unless you have a solid end user experience, your cloud migration is doomed to fail even before it gets off the ground. Although a cloud-hosted virtual machine should offer a similar end user experience like a desktop operating system, a lot of web-based software solutions require a degree of onboarding and training. Your cloud provider should help train your employees, while a proactive helpdesk can furnish all the information your staff needs for a smooth operation.
#6. Compliance concerns
Regulated industries, such as healthcare and legal, face additional challenges with compliance. Since these industries routinely handle sensitive information, they should protect the data they collect from clients and customers. When choosing a cloud partner, pick one with business associates connected to regulatory bodies relevant to your organization. That way, your cloud partner will help ensure that your security compliance is always up to date.
Online Computers provides managed services with no downtime. Call us today to start your migration to the cloud without problems.