The cloud is an on-demand service that provides access to computer services over the internet. Hence, it comes with data centres at various locations around the world instead of conventional infrastructure. And, cloud migration refers to the moving of data, tools, etc from an on-premise facility to the cloud. It also cites shifting from one cloud to another. However, cloud migration is not as simple as it sounds. There are significant steps to consider in the migration process, and the time required depends on the nature of your current setting. Besides, there are different strategies followed for the migration process. The procedure and approaches are as follows.
The Steps Of Cloud Migration
Planning
Prior to initiating the migration process, you must be aware of the reasons why you are migrating. Moreover, it is crucial to plan what to move, when and how. If an application cannot be moved as it is, a rework may be essential, and a suitable tool to make the migration simpler is to be selected. Besides, a proper assessment of your current environment is vital to know your requirements and only buy what you need.
Choosing a cloud
The next step involves choosing the right cloud that serves your purposes. Types of clouds consist of public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multicloud. A public cloud can be used by anyone and provides free or pay-per-use service based on the users’ requirements. Meanwhile, a private cloud’s access is limited to specific users and offers maximum control and customization to its users. Further, a hybrid cloud incorporates the features of public and private cloud. It allows the user to switch their resources between the two for various operations. And, multicloud uses service from multiple providers, public or private, to not rely on a single provider.
Apps and data migration
While migrating, it is recommended to start with applications or tools that are not critical to your business. Furthermore, consider a backup and recovery plan for a safe and smooth transfer. The process follows different strategies ranging from the quickest to the complex ones. Yet, the approaches have pros and cons accordingly.
Performance verification
After migration, the performance of the applications needs to be verified to ensure it performs as expected. Further, the differences between the functioning before and after migrating to the cloud gives an insight into the benefits of cloud migration.
The Cloud Migration Strategies
Rehosting: Also known as lift and shift, it is a quick process that requires minimal refactoring. Rehosting involves lifting the stack and shifting it to the cloud from your current premises.
Replatforming: This approach migrates the apps and data to the cloud after a few optimizations without changing the core architecture. Replatforming improves performance and suits conventional organizations.
Repurchasing: As a cost-effective strategy, it involves moving from a legacy environment to a different one, typically a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform.
Refactoring: It is also called Re-architecting and involves rebuilding applications to make them cloud-native. Refactoring is time-consuming and expensive, but it is the most beneficial.
Retiring: While planning for cloud migration, you might find applications that are no longer useful. Retiring allows to turn them off and helps migrate the essential applications.
Retaining: It generally involves staying in the current environment due to the inability of taking data off-premises and considering cloud migration anytime later. However, you can migrate applications that can improve your business.
To conclude, cloud migration is a process that requires proper planning and execution using the most appropriate strategies. And, the benefits of migrating to the cloud include cost-effectiveness, agility, improved scalability, enhanced security, and disaster recovery, to mention a few.
