Cloud Migration Strategy: An Overview of the Process from Preparation to Implementation

Many organizations are embracing cloud technology to gain a competitive edge. I mean, who wouldn’t? It is one of the new waves for companies to adopt since the advent of COVID-19, which has helped (or forced) most companies to become flexible for employee’s multi and simultaneous access to their digital assets.

Cloud migration can help organizations achieve their goals, and topping that list are scalability and flexibility, as well as improving data security and disaster recovery. Cloud migration is a complex process, but necessary for organizations that rely heavily on technology infrastructures. The alternative would be a cloud first strategy, where, from the start, all the organization’s applications and data are cloud-based.

Table of Contents:

1. What is Cloud Migration
2. Reasons for Cloud Migration
3. What to Watch out for before Cloud Migration
4. Cloud Migration Approach
5. Who Can Perform Cloud Migration Strategy
6. Creating a Cloud Migration Strategy Document
7. Cloud Migration Strategy for Azure and AWS
8. Conclusion

What is Cloud Migration?

Cloud migration strategy is the process of moving digital assets, such as applications, data, and IT resources, from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based infrastructure. That is, a company is moving digital assets from its own servers to a third-party cloud service provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.

The process can help organizations improve their IT infrastructure, reduce costs, and enhance data security and disaster recovery capabilities.

However, cloud migration is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution, and this guide explores everything to know about cloud migration strategy for organization’s success.

Reasons for Cloud Migration for Companies

Cost Savings: Organizations migrate their digital assets to the cloud to reduce long-term operational costs. Cloud computing offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which means that organizations only pay for the computing resources they use; that way, they are not investing in expensive on-premises hardware and software that may be unneeded.

Scalability: Cloud service providers offer flexible and scalable resources, which can be easily scaled up or down based on an organization's changing needs. Because of different business growth strategies and models, it is hard to predict when a business may have to expand its digital assets, but whenever it would be, cloud data management is readily supportive.

Agility and Innovation: Cloud computing also enables organizations to be more agile and innovative by providing access to cutting-edge technologies and tools that may not be available in on-premises environments. Hence, companies operating an Agile business model would find the process helpful.

Security and Compliance: Cloud service providers typically have robust security and compliance measures in place, which can help organizations enhance their data security and compliance capabilities.

Disaster Recovery: Disaster recovery is both an advantage and a consideration for why many people opt for data migration. CMS offers enhanced disaster recovery capabilities, as data and applications can be easily backed up and restored in the event of a disaster or outage. This is usually helpful in cases where a website is probably down or got hacked, or in instances where a new website host is needed.

Implementation: What to Watch Out for Before Cloud Migration

Before migrating to cloud, interested clients must know some points, including cost analysis, security and compliance, application, a clear migration process map, and whether in-house or outsourced teams are required.

Cost Analysis: While cloud computing offers cost savings, a prospective adopter of the program should conduct a thorough cost analysis to consider available options, and the best price offer for what is desired. And, of course, the budget of the organization is essential to such a decision.

Security and Compliance: While cloud service providers typically have robust security and compliance measures in place, organizations need to understand their own security and compliance requirements and ensure that the cloud service provider can meet them. Also, pertinent questions should be asked of the service providers (on the prospect's list) about their security protocol and the seamless integration of their service into the migrating company’s existing security framework.

Application Compatibility: Not all applications are suitable for the cloud, so organizations need to assess the compatibility of their applications with cloud infrastructure and make any necessary modifications before migrating. This may require speaking with a company’s technical personnel to ask relevant questions and compare technologies and their integrative compatibility.

Team Skills and Training: Cloud migration requires specialized skills and knowledge, so organizations need to ensure that their IT team has the necessary skills and training to execute the migration successfully.

An organization can foster team skills and training by meeting the following requirements.

• Assessment of current knowledge and skill gaps: Before initiating any training programs, it is essential to assess the current knowledge and skill level of the employees. That helps with identifying the skill gaps that need to be filled and the areas that require improvement.

• A comprehensive training program: The training program should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of cloud migration strategy. It should include both theoretical and practical training, and the employees should be given hands-on experience with cloud migration tools and technologies.

  
  

• A skilled trainer or consultant: To ensure success, it is essential to have a skilled trainer or consultant who has practical experience in cloud migration strategy. They should be able to guide and mentor the employees and provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge. For a manager who doesn't know much about a skilled trainer or consultant, asking for recommendations is the best bet.

  
  

• A training plan that aligns with business objectives: The training program should be aligned with the company's business objectives and goals. It should focus on the skills required to achieve those objectives and improve the company's overall performance.

Actionable Advice:

• [ ]Provide employees with access to relevant resources such as online training courses, documentation, and tools. That keeps them up-to-date with the latest cloud migration technologies and practices. Since this may not be a part of their initial job description, compensation is only fair for such a team.
• [ ]Encourage employees to participate in hands-on training programs and provide them with opportunities to work on real-world cloud migration projects. It will help them gain practical experience and build confidence in their skills.
• [ ]Foster a culture of continuous learning within the company by encouraging employees to share their knowledge and experiences with one another. That will create a collaborative environment that promotes learning and development.
• [ ]Set clear expectations and goals for the training program and communicate them to the employees. It will help them understand the purpose and objectives of the training program and stay motivated to learn and improve their skills.
• [ ]Measure and track the progress of the employees throughout the training program. That will help identify areas where additional support and training may be needed and provide valuable feedback for improving the training program in the future. Someone with knowledge of this process can be in charge of measuring the improvement.

Cloud Migration Approach

Lift and Shift

Rehosting, also known as "Lift and Shift" is a migration approach where an organization's existing applications and data are transferred to the cloud without making any changes to the applications themselves. This approach is typically used for applications that are not cloud-native.

Replatforming

Replatforming involves making minor modifications to an organization's applications to make them compatible with cloud infrastructure (the new destination). This approach can help organizations take advantage of cloud-native features such as scalability and resilience.

Refactoring

Refactoring is when significant modifications are made to an organization's applications to make them cloud-native. This approach can help organizations fully leverage the benefits of cloud computing, such as increased agility and innovation. It also reduces the emergence of technical glitches within the company’s architecture in the future.

Hybrid Cloud

For reasons best known to them, organizations can also choose to adopt a hybrid cloud approach, where some applications and data are kept on-premises while others are migrated to the cloud. Hybrid cloud migration approach can help organizations balance the benefits of cloud computing with their own security and compliance requirements.

Who Can Perform Cloud Migration Services?

In-House IT Team

Organizations can choose to perform cloud migration services using their in-house IT team with competency in such a capacity (considering that "IT" is such a vague term). This approach can provide greater control over the migration process, but it requires specialized skills and knowledge that may not be available within the organization.

An in-house cloud migration team is more beneficial because they are familiar with the company's goals and objectives. It is not bad to outsource data and network-related jobs, but nothing beats having a competent team of staff that can perform cloud migration strategy. Hence, they can work in a strategic direction toward that end. They are also able to optimize resources, and with knowledge of the organization's technology architecture, they are more reliable to ensure protection and security.

This team will include a cloud architect, cloud engineer, security manager, systems administrator, and compliance specialist.

So, the team should have a skill set including, but not limited to, data-oriented programming, system engineering, cybersecurity, IT infrastructure engineering, networking, web services and server technologies, DevSecOps, risk management, and software engineering.

Cloud Service Provider

Many cloud service providers offer cloud migration services as part of their offerings. This approach can provide access to specialized skills and knowledge but requires trust in the cloud service provider to execute the migration successfully.

Third-Party Service Provider

Organizations can also choose to work with third-party service providers that specialize in cloud migration services. This approach can provide access to specialized skills and knowledge, as well as greater flexibility in choosing the right provider for your organization's needs. This is a hands-off approach, as the team would bear the worry of all the things to do.

Creating a Cloud Migration Strategy Document

A cloud migration strategy document is a comprehensive plan that outlines an organization's approach to cloud migration. It is needed and should be taken seriously by every organization. A migration strategy document helps the migration team to have something to work with, especially if they’d be hiring a third-party migration team. A migration strategy document should include:

Goals and Objectives

This is the part of the strategy document that clearly defines the goals and objectives of the cloud migration to a client’s desired purpose.

Risk Management

A standard cloud migration strategy document also identifies potential risks and challenges associated with cloud migration, and outlines strategies for mitigating those risks.

Cloud Service Provider Selection

The strategy document should outline the criteria for selecting a cloud service provider, including factors such as security, reliability, accessibility, track records, and cost.

Migration Plan

The strategy document should provide a detailed plan for migrating applications and data to the cloud, including timelines, resource requirements, and testing procedures.

Governance and Compliance

The strategy document should address how the organization will maintain governance and compliance requirements in the cloud, such as data privacy and security regulations.

Cloud Migration Strategy for Azure and AWS

Two of the most popular migration strategy platforms for many organizations are Microsoft Azure Cloud and AWS Cloud. Both Azure and AWS offer a variety of cloud migration services and tools to help organizations migrate their applications and data to the cloud. Here are some key considerations for developing a cloud migration strategy on each platform:

Azure Cloud Migration Strategy

In concise steps, here is the breakdown of the Microsoft Azure Cloud Migration Strategy.

• Identify the workloads that need to be migrated and assess their compatibility with Azure.
• Determine the migration method, such as rehosting, replatforming, or refactoring.
• Choose the appropriate Azure migration tool for the workload, such as Azure Site Recovery or Azure Database Migration Service.
• Plan for post-migration testing and optimization.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

AWS Cloud Migration Strategy

The process for Amazon’s AWS migration approach is not so different in the generic sense; here is a breakdown of what is required.

• Assess the readiness of the workloads for migration to AWS using the AWS Cloud Adoption Readiness Tool (CART).
• Choose the appropriate migration method, such as lift and shift, optimize, or modernize.
• Use AWS migration services such as AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) or AWS Database Migration Service (DMS).
• Optimize the migrated workload using AWS services such as Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling or Amazon RDS.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001.

With these guidelines, organizations can prepare for a robust cloud migration strategy for their applications and data specifically on Azure and AWS.

Conclusion

Cloud migration is the right thing for accompany seeking scalability and robust network access to do. By understanding the reasons for migration, choosing the right approach, and developing a comprehensive migration strategy, organizations can successfully move their applications and data to the cloud according to their goals. Preparing a data migration strategy document is also crucial to ensure all involved parties fulfill their roles. With the right approach, cloud migration can provide significant benefits for organizations, including improved collaboration and productivity, increased security, and greater agility and innovation.