In times of economic uncertainty, start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are looking for ways to cut costs while increasing efficiency. One strategy is cloud migration, which means moving applications, data, and other IT assets between, or into, cloud platforms.
This can help businesses streamline their operations by using the cloud’s scalability and flexibility. Cloud platforms are available to organisations considering a shift from on premise equipment and include service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
What is Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration is the process of moving applications, data, infrastructure, and security measures to a cloud computing environment. This typically involves transferring data, applications, and IT workloads from on-site servers to public cloud providers. It can also involve moving data and applications between cloud service providers.
Once migration is done, systems may stay in their current state or be continuously improved and updated. Interestingly, data and application migration can also go in reverse, with systems and data being moved from a cloud provider back to on-premises servers.
How Does the Cloud Migration Process Work?
Cloud migration is a multi-phase journey to move an organisation’s digital assets to the cloud. This process usually includes several stages: assessment, planning, migration, and then, optimisation and modernisation. With a detailed migration programme, organisations can lower risks, manage costs, and create a clear path to cloud success.
Organisations can handle cloud migration in different ways. They might self-manage using their internal team, work directly with a public cloud vendor and use their cloud migration tools, or hire third-party specialists for technical support.
A well-structured checklist can guide organisations through the cloud migration journey smoothly. Such a checklist might include the following elements:
Assessment
- Evaluate the resources and capacity needs of applications and services.
- Compile a detailed inventory of applications, including user statistics and frequency of use.
- Identify the key stakeholders early on.
- Determine which applications are suitable for cloud deployment and cloud adoption.
- Define security and compliance standards and requirements.
Planning
- Develop a migration strategy for each application or service.
- Design the target cloud infrastructure, covering compute, networking, security, and storage.
- Determine the capabilities of workloads selected for migration.
- Create detailed migration plans for applications and datasets.
- Establish a thorough testing and validation strategy before starting the migration.
Migration
- Carry out the migration steps for each application, service, workload, and instance according to the plan.
- Migrate to the cloud in stages, validating each step within the cloud environment.
- Learn from each stage to improve the next ones.
Optimisation and Modernisation
- Continuously monitor application and cloud usage to improve performance.
- Adjust cloud spending as needed to maintain cost efficiency.
- Upgrade applications and systems to more advanced solutions, like Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS).
6 Benefits of Cloud Migration
There are numerous benefits of successful cloud migration:
1. Better Security
Cloud migration improves security using the provider’s advanced tools and services like identity and access management, data encryption, and a zero-trust setup. This move helps organisations strengthen their security measures.
2. Improved Performance
Moving to the cloud increases the performance and reliability of key systems and applications, with regular hardware updates from cloud providers. This performance boost enhances customer experience and allows internal teams to focus on strategic work.
3. Easier Infrastructure Management
Using cloud-native solutions like Kubernetes, organisations can simplify their infrastructure management. Updating workloads and modernising operations in the cloud makes management easier.
4. Faster Application Development
Cloud migration speeds up application development by improving developer efficiency and enabling quicker deployment cycles. Cloud-native applications also benefit from better reliability and less downtime.
5. Reduced Costs
Moving to the cloud shifts spending from capital expenditure to operational expenditure, simplifying cost management. Organisations can adjust resources as needed and use SaaS applications, optimising expenses based on current requirements.
6. Manage End-of-Life Cycles
The cloud’s flexible infrastructure and payment models make it easier to manage hardware and software end-of-life cycles. Organisations can adapt to new technologies without the constraints of rigid contracts.
What are Common Cloud Migration Challenges?
Cost Management
Switching to the cloud changes an organisation’s way of working, bringing in new costs. Understanding these can be tricky, making cost management a constant concern. Organisations need to get to grips with new fee structures, billing cycles, and resource use. During migration, using too many resources can lead to early overspending. Some cloud providers offer advice to help manage cloud costs better.
Lack of Strategy
Full cloud migrations are complex, multi-year projects needing a clear plan. Organisations must have clear goals and business objectives during the move. Understanding the chosen cloud setup, whether public, private, hybrid, or multicloud, is important. Deciding on the need for third-party vendors, cloud provider help, SaaS applications, and data organisation plans are key steps in tackling strategic challenges.
Vendor Lock-In
When moving to the cloud, organisations might face vendor lock-in, where reliance on a specific cloud provider limits options. To avoid this, businesses should consider multicloud plans and ensure their applications and data can work across different platforms. Developing exit plans and reviewing vendors’ terms can reduce the risks of vendor lock-in.
Data Security and Compliance
Cloud migration changes security measures, focusing on identity and access management. Organisations must adopt new security tools and best practices, like data loss prevention and zero-trust setups.
Despite strong security tools, the responsibility for data governance and compliance lies with the organisation. Understanding these responsibilities and applying solid data protection measures are important during migration.
6 Cloud Migration Strategies
There are 6 main types of cloud migration strategies:
1. Re-platform (Lift and Reshape)
Often called “lift and shift,” this approach involves moving existing applications and data from on-premise to the cloud with minimal changes. You replicate your current environment in the cloud, ensuring functions and operations remain consistent.
This requires few adjustments to the architecture, making it appealing for organisations new to cloud migration. It allows companies to get used to cloud technology while keeping operations steady. Since the differences are minor, it’s cost-effective, needing modest investment compared to more complex methods.
2. Refactor/Re-architect
This approach involves a complete redevelopment of applications to make the most of cloud environments. By redesigning applications, organisations ensure they work well within the cloud, fitting with new technologies. Though time-consuming and costly, it offers benefits by creating applications that can grow and change. Investing in re-architecting prepares applications for future developments and helps in making processes more efficient.
3. Repurchase (Drop and Shop)
The repurchase approach involves switching to a new, cloud-based product by replacing existing applications with SaaS options. This shift may need considerable adaptation, as team members will have to learn new platforms, replacing familiar applications.
Alternatively, it can involve moving existing licenses from local servers to cloud solutions, like moving a CRM system to Salesforce. While there’s an initial learning curve, repurchasing can be cost-effective, especially when migrating from customised legacy setups that may be costly or hard to scale.
4. Rehost (Lift and Shift)
Also known as “lift and shift,” the rehosting approach involves moving an application to the cloud without implementing changes to utilise cloud capabilities. This requires few adjustments, allowing companies to mirror their current setup in the cloud.
With rehosting, what works on-premise will work similarly in the cloud. It’s particularly helpful for organisations new to cloud migration, as it helps build trust in cloud solutions. The minimal differences mean this approach is relatively economical, avoiding significant financial outlays or large architectural changes.
5. Relocate (Hypervisor-Level Lift and Shift)
Relocation enables businesses to move workloads without interrupting operations, changing application code, or buying new hardware. Enterprises can transfer servers from on-premises environments to a cloud-hosted version, like managed services such as Google Kubernetes Engine or Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service.
This offers a smooth migration experience, reducing downtime and disruptions. It eliminates the need for major changes to the workload’s setup, so staff retraining and hardware upgrades aren’t needed. Thus, operational costs are reduced, and migration expenses become more predictable with defined limits.
6. Retain (Revisit)
When cloud migration isn’t immediately beneficial or feasible, companies might choose to keep their current setups and consider cloud later. This can be due to factors like data regulations or complex applications.
By opting for a hybrid cloud migration approach, businesses can maintain key applications on-premise while gradually adopting cloud solutions for other services. This ensures continuity and cost-efficiency, allowing companies to plan a future migration path without affecting current needs.
Cloud Migration Best Practices
Create a Dependency Mapping
Identify the connections between applications, servers, and other IT infrastructure components to understand how they interact and depend on each other.
Assess and Prioritise
Evaluate which applications and workloads are suitable for cloud migration by considering their complexity, dependencies, and business value. Prioritise them accordingly.
Plan and Design
Develop a detailed migration plan and design the target cloud architecture. Ensure practices like stakeholder collaboration, scalability, security, performance, and compliance are included for good results.
Target Cloud Architecture Design
Focus on creating a cloud architecture that matches the plan, ensuring it supports the scalability, security, and performance requirements of the business.
Migration Plan Development
Create a detailed plan that outlines the steps and strategies needed to successfully move applications and data to the cloud environment.
Choose the Right Provider and Services
Select a cloud provider that aligns with both technical needs and organisational goals. Consider factors like service offerings, resources, compatibility, security, compliance, pricing, and support.
Implement Security Measures
Ensure data encryption both in transit and at rest, enforce strict access controls, use multifactor authentication, and maintain network security to protect cloud resources.
Optimise Applications for The Cloud
Redesign applications to take advantage of cloud-native services like elasticity, scalability, and serverless computing, ensuring they are optimised for the cloud environment.
Assess Data Migration Strategies
Evaluate different data migration strategies such as direct transfer, backup and restore, and using provider-specific data transfer services. Consider techniques like data integrity checks, compression, encryption, and deduplication.
Implement Governance and Compliance
Establish strong governance and compliance frameworks within the cloud to manage risks, maintain data integrity, and meet regulatory requirements.
Continuously Monitor and Optimise
For ongoing success, consistently monitor the cloud’s performance, alerts, analytics, and security. Regular optimisation is important for improving performance and adapting to changes.
FAQs
What is the most common cloud migration model?
The most common cloud migration model is “lift and shift,” or rehosting. This approach moves existing on-premises applications and workloads to the cloud with few changes. It allows businesses to quickly and cost-effectively use cloud benefits without significantly changing the existing setup, making it attractive for organisations new to cloud services.
How do I decide what to migrate to cloud first?
When deciding what to move to the cloud first, conduct a thorough assessment of current workloads and applications. Identify applications that would benefit most from cloud migration in terms of performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. Prioritise systems with fewer links and lower complexity, as they tend to have a smoother transition.
Consider the business value of each application and workload, focusing on those that support important operations and customer engagement. Also, assess the risk and impact of downtime to determine which can be moved with minimal disruption to daily operations. Align the chosen candidates with business goals and technological capabilities for a strategic and efficient migration process.
What is a cloud migration roadmap?
A cloud migration roadmap is a strategic plan that outlines the steps, timeline, and resources needed to move an organisation’s IT infrastructure, applications, and data from on-premises or other environments to the cloud. The roadmap begins with a thorough assessment of the current environment, identifying links, risks, and potential challenges.
It includes setting clear migration goals, determining priorities, and selecting the appropriate cloud model and providers. The roadmap also details the design of the target structure, security protocols, and compliance measures. A well-defined roadmap ensures a smooth transition by defining key milestones, roles, and responsibilities, while incorporating ongoing evaluation and optimisation efforts to ensure success and maximise cloud benefits.
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