6 Steps to a Successful Cloud Migration

Migrating your IT infrastructure or files to the cloud can have many benefits. Cloud migration allows you to increase your performance and ease of task execution, as well as optimize costs. However, you will need to take every precaution to secure and fully preserve your data, not only during, but also after the migration. Indeed, if your cloud migration is not well prepared, due to a lack of method or reflection, you will encounter many obstacles that will make this process a real nightmare.

So, you will need to ask yourself the right questions in advance in order to find the most suitable and relevant answers based on your request. Every business and every migration is unique, so you'll need to choose the plan that works best for you. Here, we will try to provide key answers and detail each step of a successful cloud migration.

What is the cloud ?

The cloud is a collection of computer servers accessible through a network and used to store or process data. In other words, it uses computers stored in data centers. The spaces made available on the servers are rented by each user. The main services offered are Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Why perform a cloud migration?

First, you need to understand why migrating to the cloud is relevant for you. Indeed, migrating to the cloud can be a long and sometimes complex process, but it has many advantages that you should be aware of.

Indeed, migrating to the cloud allows you to optimize your budget, as it avoids the purchase of additional applications, hardware, and technical support  to manage all of your data. The Cloud makes the necessary hosting, hardware, and applications accessible at a cost that is often low.

Additionally, your work will be improved. The cloud prevents hardware failures and poor internal data management, allowing you to focus solely on the quality of your work.

Additionally, thanks to the cloud, you can access your data regardless of location or time. In fact, most cloud applications can be accessed from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection.

Finally, migrating to the cloud is a guarantee of security for your data. Indeed, contrary to what one might spontaneously believe, a well-executed cloud migration allows for the implementation of automatic data backup. Cloud applications are designed to protect data against most risks and cyberattacks .

And now: what are the key steps to carry out your cloud migration in the best possible way?

Step 1: Cloud Migration Goals

Before you undertake a cloud migration, it's important to clearly understand your reasons for doing so. Having clear migration goals will help you choose the right options and make the right choices.

You'll need to know whether the transfer should be complete or partial, and be able to justify it. Are you choosing to migrate to optimize costs, to be more agile, or to strengthen the security of your files?

Step 2: Assess the current environment you are in

Once the migration objectives have been set, you will need to assess the environment, that is, evaluate external constraints, such as regulations, financial and administrative constraints.

To fully understand the environment, you also need to check your company's current infrastructure and therefore have a clear idea of ​​the scope of the migration. To do this, you'll need to check your storage level, the volume of data you want to transfer, the databases you use, etc.

Then it will certainly be necessary to prioritize the applications to be migrated, starting with the easiest to manage applications, the "cloud native" ones, then processing the files in order of importance.

Step 3: Choose the right partner

Since cloud migration is a complex process, it is recommended to carry out this migration with the support of a company specializing in these services.

To choose the right partner, you can inquire about their certifications, past experience assisting with migrations, and the types of clients they've worked with. Consulting an IT consultant can be a good place to start.

Step 4: Determine the characteristics of the cloud

There are different types of clouds. Depending on your situation and established environment (step 2), you will need to choose the most suitable cloud. These include public, private, and hybrid clouds.

The public cloud offers great ease of use, as well as a more flexible and agile information system. The private cloud is more complex, but it has the advantage of being very stable and secure. Finally, the hybrid cloud is characterized by great flexibility and represents an intermediate solution.

Finally, it is important to determine the characteristics of the cloud in advance to know if the available bandwidth will be sufficient to support the expected load, or to know what computing power or what type of databases you will need.

Step 5: Plan the cloud migration implementation

Once all the data is gathered and your cloud type has been chosen, you'll need to move on to planning the migration itself. This will involve choosing your final migration candidates—that is, choosing which applications will be ported to the cloud.

This choice is made according to your own criteria, in particular if the application requires significant specific development or if it will contribute to your current and future needs.

Step 6: Perform Cloud Migration

You have now reached the final step of the migration: running it! To do this, you will first have to proceed in stages to avoid the risk of a big bang. Indeed, defining deadlines and proceeding gradually is essential to correctly execute the migration. It starts with backing up and updating your data, files and applications.

Then you can start migrating them, according to the pre-established order. Finally, you will need to validate and adjust the production environment for each one, verifying that all data is present, undamaged and secure. A final test can be performed to ensure that the applications are accessible and operational, and your cloud migration will be a complete success!

Migrating your IT infrastructure or files to the cloud can have many benefits. Cloud migration allows you to increase your performance and ease of task execution, as well as optimize costs. However, you will need to take every precaution to secure and fully preserve your data, not only during, but also after the migration.

Indeed, if your cloud migration is not well prepared, due to a lack of method or reflection, you will encounter many obstacles that will make this process a real nightmare. So, you will need to ask yourself the right questions in advance in order to find the most suitable and relevant answers based on your request. Every business and every migration is unique, so you'll need to choose the plan that works best for you.

Here, we will try to provide key answers and detail each step of a successful cloud migration.

What is the cloud ?

The cloud is a collection of computer servers accessible through a network and used to store or process data. In other words, it uses computers stored in data centers.

The spaces made available on the servers are rented by each user. The main services offered are Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Why perform a cloud migration?

First, you need to understand why migrating to the cloud is relevant for you. Indeed, migrating to the cloud can be a long and sometimes complex process, but it has many advantages that you should be aware of.

Indeed, migrating to the cloud allows you to optimize your budget, as it avoids the purchase of additional applications, hardware, and technical support  to manage all of your data. The Cloud makes the necessary hosting, hardware, and applications accessible at a cost that is often low.

Additionally, your work will be improved. The cloud prevents hardware failures and poor internal data management, allowing you to focus solely on the quality of your work.

Additionally, thanks to the cloud, you can access your data regardless of location or time. In fact, most cloud applications can be accessed from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection.

Finally, migrating to the cloud is a guarantee of security for your data. Indeed, contrary to what one might spontaneously believe, a well-executed cloud migration allows for the implementation of automatic data backup. Cloud applications are designed to protect data against most risks and cyberattacks .

And now: what are the key steps to carry out your cloud migration in the best possible way?

Step 1: Cloud Migration Goals

Before you undertake a cloud migration, it's important to clearly understand your reasons for doing so. Having clear migration goals will help you choose the right options and make the right choices.

You'll need to know whether the transfer should be complete or partial, and be able to justify it. Are you choosing to migrate to optimize costs, to be more agile, or to strengthen the security of your files?

Step 2: Assess the current environment you are in

Once the migration objectives have been set, you will need to assess the environment, that is, evaluate external constraints, such as regulations, financial and administrative constraints.

To fully understand the environment, you also need to check your company's current infrastructure and therefore have a clear idea of ​​the scope of the migration. To do this, you'll need to check your storage level, the volume of data you want to transfer, the databases you use, etc.

Then it will certainly be necessary to prioritize the applications to be migrated, starting with the easiest to manage applications, the "cloud native" ones, then processing the files in order of importance.

Step 3: Choose the right partner

Since cloud migration is a complex process, it is recommended to carry out this migration with the support of a company specializing in these services.

To choose the right partner, you can inquire about their certifications, past experience assisting with migrations, and the types of clients they've worked with. Consulting an IT consultant can be a good place to start.

Step 4: Determine the characteristics of the cloud

There are different types of clouds. Depending on your situation and established environment (step 2), you will need to choose the most suitable cloud. These include public, private, and hybrid clouds.

The public cloud offers great ease of use, as well as a more flexible and agile information system. The private cloud is more complex, but it has the advantage of being very stable and secure. Finally, the hybrid cloud is characterized by great flexibility and represents an intermediate solution.

Finally, it is important to determine the characteristics of the cloud in advance to know if the available bandwidth will be sufficient to support the expected load, or to know what computing power or what type of databases you will need.

Step 5: Plan the cloud migration implementation

Once all the data is gathered and your cloud type has been chosen, you'll need to move on to planning the migration itself.
This will involve choosing your final migration candidates—that is, choosing which applications will be ported to the cloud.

This choice is made according to your own criteria, in particular if the application requires significant specific development or if it will contribute to your current and future needs.

Step 6: Perform Cloud Migration

You have now reached the final step of the migration: running it! To do this, you will first have to proceed in stages to avoid the risk of a big bang. Indeed, defining deadlines and proceeding gradually is essential to correctly execute the migration. It starts with backing up and updating your data, files and applications.

Then you can start migrating them, according to the pre-established order. Finally, you will need to validate and adjust the production environment for each one, verifying that all data is present, undamaged and secure. A final test can be performed to ensure that the applications are accessible and operational, and your cloud migration will be a complete success!

About Nexxo

Nexxo Solutions informatique is a company specializing in providing IT and technology services to Quebec businesses. Its mission is to offer Quebec companies IT services tailored to their needs. Acting as an external IT department, it handles all of a company's IT tasks, allowing it to focus on its business activities. It achieves this by collaborating closely with its clients and putting their interests at the center of its concerns.