The writing’s on the (virtual) wall for on-premise data centers, with more and more businesses moving their IT infrastructure and operations to the cloud. That makes sense — an easily-scalable infrastructure combined with on demand pricing and all the add ons you need makes the cloud a great choice. Whether you want to migrate to a public, private, or hybrid cloud, you’ve got plenty of options.
In this new world of cloud infrastructure and on demand computing, it’s easy to rush in, full steam ahead. That could be a problem, as without a good strategy and plan, you will run afoul of mistakes that can cost you time, resources, and money. We’ve managed a lot of cloud migrations, so we’ve got a good idea of what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s our guide to the most common issues companies experience without proper processes and planning.
Moving to the Wrong Type of Cloud Environment
There are plenty of different cloud providers and environments to choose from. Make sure you understand the difference between public, private, and hybrid cloud environments and choose the right ones for your unique business and technology needs.
Not Choosing the Right Cloud Provider
There are plenty of cloud providers to choose from, like AWS, MS Azure, Google Cloud, HP Enterprise, IBM Cloud, VMWare, and many more. All of these providers offer different features, functionality, scalability, pricing, security measures and more. That’s why it’s vital to understand exactly what your current and future IT and business needs are and then complete due diligence with an expert who can help you choose the optimal cloud provider.
Migrating Everything to the Cloud, Straightaway
If you’ve been running on legacy or on-premise infrastructure for a while, it’s likely that many of your databases and software apps are optimized for these types of systems. You may not get the same types of integrations and interoperability if you move everything to the cloud at once. That’s why we always recommend a phased approach, where you move key IT functionality in a carefully planned way and ensure everything works before going on to the next area.
Missing Vital Technical Expertise
Moving to the cloud is complicated, and you need the right experts on your side. There can be a steep learning curve for engineers and technicians who haven’t been exposed to cloud services before. If you don’t want to hire anyone in house, we recommend working with a specialist IT consulting service who can understand your exact business needs and help you with every aspect of cloud migration.
Here at Red8, we’re experts in providing advice, choosing providers, assisting with migration, and supporting you, every step of the way. To find out what we can do, please contact us.
