The cloud is increasingly becoming a practical solution for businesses that want to optimize their operations without the high costs of purchasing in-house hardware and software.
Once an organization’s infrastructure is hosted in the cloud, they can access their data anytime on any internet-connected device like a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. The cloud provides access to computing power, storage, and network bandwidth depending on business demands. Cloud service providers (CSPs) such as Binatech can even provide 24/7/365 support, so your files will always be available even after a disaster.
But moving to the cloud can’t be done overnight. You’ll need to do a number of things first:
#1. Analyze your current resources
Identify your existing resources to clearly understand what you need. Make an inventory of every piece of your company’s hardware such as web and application servers, databases, storage, and other components. Research on suitable cloud services that will not only replace your current infrastructure, but also cater to your business’s future needs.
For instance, you may choose to move all of your operations to a cloud-based infrastructure such as Azure or Amazon Web Server (AWS). Alternatively, you may want to still keep an in-house server and utilize the cloud for a portion of your infrastructure to offload some of the work.
#2. Check your software licenses
The apps you're currently using with in-house hardware may have provisions that prohibit them from being installed on an environment your business doesn't own. Hence, you may need to purchase costly additional licensing for use in the cloud. On the other hand, some software vendors may have usage rights that are specific to the cloud.
If cloud use is not included in some of the license of your programs, you might need to use an alternative app that can easily be used in the cloud.
#3. Identify the applications to be migrated
You have two options when migrating your software to the cloud: either do a one big push of all programs, or do a few at a time. Many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may want to start slow, so it’s a good idea to determine migration candidates.
Ask yourself the following questions when determining which apps to migrate first:
- Is the app critical to business?
- How was it developed?
- What are its specific compliance or regulatory requirements (e.g. HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc.)?
- What are the migration implications? Is it easy to move, or does it need to be rewritten?
- Does it have interdependent applications (e.g., SAP, Citrix, or in-house apps)?
Once you’ve established the answers to these questions, you’ll have a better idea of which applications to migrate to the cloud first.
#4. Determine whether you want to scale horizontally or vertically
Migrating to the cloud allows companies to scale computing resources for optimal performance, either vertically or horizontally.
Vertical scaling refers to adding more power such as RAM or storage to an existing machine. However, it is limited by the fact that you can only get as big as the size of the server. Once the server is full, additional resources can no longer be added.
In contrast, horizontal scaling allows businesses to add more machines such as servers to deal with traffic. This is a great way to achieve better productivity and efficiency since it allows businesses to add as many machines as they want without being limited by physical space, as adding more hardware to your environment requires planning and making sure you have the resources available.
#5. Train your staff
Migrating to the cloud means introducing a new working environment to all employees. Identify all the teams that need to go through cloud training sessions, and create onboarding procedures to make the adoption and transition easier for everyone. Identify each department’s needs and technical expertise, and then tailor the training sessions accordingly.
Cloud migration is never easy, but you can make it a productive experience with Binatech. Our services significantly reduce the cost of setup and IT management overhead, allowing you to take your business to greater heights. Drop us a line today to know more.
