Migrating your business data from on-premise to the cloud is a big decision. With the advent of cloud computing, more and more companies are making the switch. But what does that mean for you?
It means you need to have your company’s entire system in order before you register a company and getting started. Of course, you might not be able to do everything yourself, but we hope to provide you with the information you need.
We want to take some time and discuss how to start migrating your company data from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud. This will include all high-level strategies and challenges you might face.
How To Start Your On-Premise to Cloud Migration?
The process depends on a lot of factors, and there’s no one size fits all solution. However, we listed some of the most important steps that might help you get started:
Define your business goals and objectives
It’s important to understand your goals before you start your on-premise to cloud migration process. For example, do you want to reduce costs? Improve performance? Gain flexibility? Once you know your goals, you can better understand what type of cloud solution will work best for you.
Evaluate your current on-premise infrastructure
You need to take an inventory of everything you have and what needs to be migrated. This includes applications, data, workloads, and more. Once you have a clear understanding of what you have, you can begin to consider how you would like it to be migrated.
Assess your options for cloud computing strategies
Not all clouds are created equal — you need to evaluate your options and find the one that best meets your needs. You might want to consider cost, security, performance, and more.
There are six cloud models to choose from:
1- Rehost (Lift And Shift):
Rehosting, or the lift and shift migration strategy, simply means moving your on-premises applications and data to the cloud with little or no changes to the infrastructure, operating model, or business processes.
Rehosting is often the most common approach for businesses switching to the cloud. It can be an effective way to get started, especially if you’re looking to take advantage of the cloud’s scalability, elasticity, and pay-as-you-go pricing model.
However, it can also be a way to delay making more significant changes to your IT environment. Rehosting your applications to a public sector like AWS and Azure, for example, can be difficult to manage. It can be expensive and time-consuming if you don’t have the in-house expertise or native public cloud services.
Therefore, rehosting is not recommended for small or mid-size businesses that do not have the time or IT resources to manage the move to the cloud.
2- Replatform:
The second approach is re-platforming, which differs from “lift and shift” because it entails performing application optimizations during the on-premise to cloud migration step, which needs some programming input and experience.
For example, you may decide to switch from your relational database system to a turnkey managed RDS on a cloud provider — the same underlying technology, a new business model with built-in cloud resiliency.
3- Repurchase:
Also known as “drop and shop,” this model refers to a decision to switch to a different product. This might imply terminating existing license agreements and repurposing services to other platforms or services.
Examples of this are a CRM software or an industry-specific application that isn’t meant to function on cloud infrastructures.
This isn’t always a bespoke application; it may simply not have a contemporary application code or can’t be moved from one provider to another. However, this strategy is frequently used when switching from a proprietary database platform or product to anything else.
4- Refactor:
The fourth technique, refactoring, transforms an application’s design to take advantage of cloud-native capabilities. A common use case is to decouple an application into microservices to be more easily containerized and then deployed using a DevOps methodology.
In addition, horizontal scaling becomes much simpler when an application is designed in this way. As with the re-platforming method, some code changes and rewrites may be necessary.
5- Retain:
This option keeps things as they are — on-premises. This doesn’t make sense for every organization, but sometimes it’s the best decision. For example, if you have a highly sensitive data set that you can’t store in the public cloud for compliance reasons, you may need to keep it on-premises.
6- Retire:
This technique entails finding assets and services that may be shut off, allowing the company to concentrate on those that are extensively used and provide immediate benefit. This is an intriguing approach because you may begin to see your apps in a new light.
For instance, you can begin to see these significant changes as opportunities and consider restructuring or rehosting. It’s an exciting start, but it will require technical teams to ensure that everything is done correctly, as with some of the other methods.
Determine your timeline and budget
Before you initiate your on-premise to cloud migration, be sure to have a clear understanding of both the upfront and ongoing costs. This includes considering both the time commitment and budget required for a successful migration.
Having a realistic timeline and budget will help ensure a smooth transition to the cloud.
Execute the plan and track your progress
Once you have your plan, it’s time to execute it. Start by moving your development and testing environments to the cloud. This will give you a feel of how things work in the cloud and allow you to test your applications before you move them into production.
Monitor your progress and track your costs as you go. Be sure to keep an eye on both so that you can make adjustments if necessary.
Manage your cloud infrastructure and applications
Now that you’re running in the cloud, you need to manage your infrastructure and applications. This includes tasks like monitoring, patching, and backups.
You also need to ensure that your applications are performing well and meeting your SLAs. If they’re not, you may need to make changes to how they’re designed or deployed.
In addition, you need to keep an eye on your costs when using the cloud. Although you only pay for what you use, your costs can quickly get out of control if you’re not careful. Make sure you have the right tools and processes in place to manage your cloud infrastructure and applications.
Monitor and optimize performance
The last step in your on-premise to cloud migration is monitoring and optimizing performance. This includes monitoring your applications for errors, your database for slow queries, and your infrastructure for capacity issues.
It’s also important to optimize your application for the cloud. This may include scaling your application horizontally or vertically, caching data in the cloud, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
Challenges You Will Face
No matter your reasons for moving to the cloud, there are some inherent challenges in making the transition. These can result in several problems that need to be addressed before, during, and after migration. Here are some of the most common issues you’ll face:
1- Inadequate on-premise to cloud migration preparation and analysis
Organizations often underestimate the effort required for on-premise to cloud migration. To avoid this, you need to thoroughly assess your current environment before starting your transition. This will help you understand what needs to be done and how much work is involved.
You also need to have a clear understanding of your application landscape. This includes identifying all of your applications, understanding how they work, and determining which ones can be migrated to the cloud.
2- Lack of cloud skills and expertise
Another common challenge is the lack of cloud skills and expertise within the organization. To overcome this, you need to identify the skill gaps and then train your team members on how to use the cloud.
3- Inability to accurately forecast costs
One of the biggest challenges when migrating to the cloud is forecasting your costs. The cloud is a pay-as-you-go model, so it can be challenging to predict how much you’ll end up spending each month. To overcome this, you need to understand your usage patterns and be sure to adjust your plans as needed.
4- Lack of governance and control
Another challenge you’ll face is the lack of data governance and control in the cloud. This is because the cloud is a shared responsibility model, which means that you’re responsible for securing your data and applications.
You can overcome this challenge by implementing proper controls and processes, including security policies and procedures, user access control, and auditing your environment.
5- Downtime during on-premise to cloud migration
Migrating from on-premises to the cloud can be a challenge, especially due to the need for downtime. This is because you need to take your applications offline while they’re being migrated.
To avoid this, you need to have a well-planned strategy for on-premise to cloud migration that considers your applications’ downtime. This means planning for potential interruptions in service and ensuring that you have a backup plan in place.
DaaS vs VDI
DaaS is short for Desktop as a Service, a cloud-based desktop infrastructure that delivers virtual desktops and applications to users. It’s often compared to VDI, or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, which serves a similar purpose. However, there are some key differences between the two.
First, VDI requires configuring and managing virtual infrastructure, including servers, storage, and networking. With DaaS, however, the provider handles all of that for you, offering a significant advantage for businesses without the expertise to manage VDI deployments in-house.
Second, DaaS is often more cost-effective than VDI. In the latter option, you must pay for the infrastructure and the software licenses. When you use DaaS, you only pay for the services you use. Software licenses are not required.
Finally, DaaS is often more flexible than VDI. With VDI, you have to pre-configure all of your desktops and applications before you can deploy them. With DaaS, you can add and remove users and applications on-the-fly, making it an excellent option for businesses growing or changing fast.
Why Choose V2 Cloud?
V2 Cloud is an excellent option for those seeking a provider that can assist with their on-premise to cloud migration. V2 Cloud’s FTP servers make it easy to transfer data to your Virtual Machine (VM) in the cloud. Additionally, their secure storage and easy accessibility make them an excellent choice for those who want to keep their data safe and accessible.
Final Words: On-Premise To Cloud Migration
The key to a successful on-premise to cloud migration is understanding your current environment and planning for the changes that need to be made. This includes ensuring that your applications are cloud-ready. You also need to have a good process to monitor performance and optimize your applications.
Migrating to the cloud can be a daunting task, but with careful planning and execution, you can successfully make the move with minimal downtime and disruption.
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) providers like V2 Cloud simplify on-premise to cloud migration by managing the entire process. This includes assessing your current environment, designing a migration plan, and executing the actual migration.
We also offer 24/7 support and monitoring, so you can be sure that your transition is successful.
Costs are a important factor, learn how to predict your cloud migration costs in 2022 by reading this article.
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