As of June 2023, over 94% of enterprises used some form of cloud services. You, like this overwhelming majority of business owners, may find the increased flexibility, scalability, and security attractive, but moving to the cloud is no simple task. Having clear steps and the help of an IT provider are essential for a successful transfer.
Whether you're hoping to increase your cloud usage or you're adopting a cloud infrastructure for the first time, this cloud migration checklist will help make your move seamless and low-stress.
Define Clear Goals
Before diving into the cloud migration process, take a minute to contextualize the transfer in terms of your business as a whole. Review current goals for your business at large, and think about how moving to the cloud will support these aims.
From there, you can make goals specific to the cloud, such as when you'll migrate, what operations you hope to streamline with the cloud, what issues will be addressed by moving to the cloud, etc. Keep these objectives in mind as you plan your migration to ensure that the project moves your organization in the right direction.
Assess Your Current Infrastructure
The next item on the cloud migration checklist is conducting a comprehensive inventory of your existing hardware, software, and network resources. Evaluate the current capacity and performance of each of these components and consider how they would work in a cloud environment.
Try asking questions like these: Are current systems compatible with the cloud? Would they work as well once they were transferred? What legacy (i.e., existing) systems could be transferred straight to the cloud, which ones would require updates, and which ones should be replaced? This evaluation will help you understand the scale of your project.
Make a Plan
This is the most complex and time-intensive step in your cloud migration checklist, and it's also one of the most important, so let's break it down a little further.
Select Key Elements
This phase of cloud migration involves a lot of decision-making. Use your goals, understanding of current systems, and the expertise of IT professionals to make the following choices about your cloud set-up.
- Provider: Pick a hosting platform that will be most compatible with your needs.
- Type: Decide whether you'll use a public or private cloud or a hybrid arrangement.
- Applications: Make a list of what applications you'll need and compare them to your current applications. Determine which ones can be transferred straight over, which will need updates, and which you'll need to get new.
- Size: Choose a cloud size that can house all of your necessary resources with some room for scalability but that isn't so large that you're paying for space you don't need.
- Organization: Establish an organizational method that will best support daily operations.
Once you've made all of these base decisions, you're ready to move on to the next step.
Select a Migration Method
There are a lot of different ways to move your systems to the cloud, and which one you choose depends on your goals and your current systems. Let's take a look at three of the most common methods:
- Rehosting (aka lift and shift): Move your current software straight to the cloud, using only the infrastructure of the cloud and not new applications.
- Replatforming: Make small changes to your current software as you transfer to take full advantage of the cloud.
- Refactoring: Make large changes or perform complete redesigns on applications in order to make them as compatible as possible with the cloud.
IT specialists who work in migration can help you determine which method you should use.
Outline Standard Procedures
Depending on how many old applications are being transferred during your migration, some of your daily operations may need adjustments. Determine how you'll update procedures to align with the new cloud structure so employees can work efficiently.
Develop a DRP
With a different arrangement of software and hardware, your current disaster recovery plan will likely need to be tweaked. Review your previous DRP and make any necessary adjustments so you'll be prepared for cyberattacks, outages, natural disasters, etc.
Educate Employees
A frequently forgotten item on the cloud migration checklist is deciding how you'll teach your employees how to use the new set-up, including how to log in, what security practices to follow, and any changes to daily operations. Find or create materials, mark a training time, and develop a plan for helping employees practice with the new system.
Test Before Launching
On your cloud migration checklist, the item right before putting the actual migration into motion should be testing. Running drills minimizes the risk of losing or corrupting data and systems. Along with evaluating the general performance of your cloud infrastructure, be sure to check the following processes:
- Try out your backup procedures to make sure you can retrieve data from the backup source and that it maintains its integrity.
- Double-check the security and access control systems—confirm that the people who should get into your cloud, can and that those who shouldn't, can't.
Take the Plunge and Migrate!
With successful test results and your detailed plan in hand, it's time to execute the migration. Work with your IT team to carefully follow the steps you've laid out on your cloud migration checklist and get your business officially on the cloud.
Optimize Post-Migration
Once the dust has settled and your systems are moved over, it's time to add the finishing touches. This can include adjusting the size of your infrastructure, implementing automatic scaling software, and making sure processes align with the new setup.
Continue Maintenance
The crucial final (but never-ending) item on your cloud migration checklist is continuous management. Cloud features and functionalities, government regulations, cybersecurity threats, and your own business’s needs will change over time, and it's important that your cloud infrastructure keeps up with these developments.
Run frequent audits and vulnerability assessments and update security procedures to fill in any gaps you identify. Revisit your network and storage needs on a regular basis to ensure that your cloud structure still meets all of your needs in the most cost effective way. You may need to up or downsize, add new features, or run updates to maximize your cloud use.
Remove the Stress of Cloud Migration with Velocity IT
Migrating to the cloud can be a complex and overwhelming process, but it doesn’t have to be. With Velocity IT, we ensure a seamless transition that minimizes downtime and disruption to your business.
With a quick message to Velocity IT, you can connect with one of our migration specialists and begin your transfer ASAP. Just fill in your information here, and let's tackle your cloud migration.
