As the grey overcast of winter gives way to the fine sunshine of spring, the one cloud that remains constant throughout any season has little to do with the weather. A recent survey revealed fears of complexity and a lack of in-house tech skills as deterrents to many businesses considering a migration of their operations to the cloud. Read on as we break down the cloud stigma and detail the rewards of a cloud migration.
When we speak of “cloud” computing, we’re really talking about computing based on the internet. Where in years past, users would run programs or applications from software downloaded on a physical computer or server in their building, cloud computing allows users access to the same kinds of applications through the internet. If you own a business or simply work in an IT department, you more than likely utilize cloud computing on a daily basis.
According to ZDNet, nearly nine out of ten companies are now using cloud-hosted applications or services, a number that has steadily risen in recent years. Compare that to a few years ago, when only a fraction were using such services. A recent study from the Cloud Industry Forum indicted that, while some companies were moving their operations entirely to the cloud, many more remain cautious, wary of a technology they don’t fully understand.
Although a vast majority of those organizations surveyed are currently using cloud technologies such as web hosting and productivity packages tools like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Docs, many remain cautious about moving their core business systems into the cloud. This thought to be largely due to the widespread perception that moving applications to the cloud remains far from painless.
To that end, the report found that complexity was the biggest concern listed, followed by a lack of in-house skills and questions about the cloud’s dependency on the internet. For three-quarters of the survey’s respondents, these migration-related difficulties led to serious delays in product and service development and even revenue losses.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the following factors are essential when considering a cloud migration:
Understand Your Applications
Applications are often considered the core logical construct in cloud migration, so a good understanding of your application portfolio is critical. By possessing a solid working knowledge of your internal applications and their respective functions, your be able to make your migration process far less stressful.
Choose An Operating Model
Successful cloud migration programs share many common traits with other large-scale IT transformation initiatives. A strong cloud business and operations team can help the migration by focusing on delivering a consistent and positive user experience. In terms of finance, it’s important to put controls in place to oversee cloud budgets, verify the accuracy of invoices and ensure timely payments during the transition period.
Customize
The right migration strategy depends largely on the potential benefits and risks. Migrations are not one-size-fits-all; in some cases, applications can be migrated as is, while in others they need to be transformed first. Custom applications are all different and need attention, but their underlying technologies can help map them to the appropriate migration method and create a repeatable, scalable approach.
If your core competency isn’t in the IT field, you may be overwhelmed with the variety of choices available and end up with a solution that is less than perfect. Should you decide to take your work to the cloud, MDL Technology is the perfect choice for both migrating and hosting your data. Our team of dedicated professionals will work to guarantee that your data is safely and efficiently migrated to a customized managed solution of your choosing, the first time.
