How Difficult Is It To Transition A Business From In-House To Cloud Computing?

One of the biggest concerns for business owners when it comes to cloud computing is the transition. For example, how difficult is it to carry out on-premise to cloud migration? Will it be overly disruptive to your day to day operations? Do you run the risk of losing out on business? And is there the potential to fail? In this article, we’ll take a closer look…

What is cloud migration? How will it impact your business?

Cloud migration refers to the process of moving certain operations and processes from in-house to the cloud. For example, it could be choosing cloud hosting in Australia for your website, integrating with various SaaS solutions, and switching from in-house data storage to remote, cloud-based storage solutions. 

The benefits that come with cloud computing are well-established and recognised by businesses all over the world. But, how difficult is it? And how will it impact your business? 

The process is relatively painless 

Change is frightening. We humans are hard-wired to resist the unknown and favour the certain comfort of what we fully understand. In business, this can be stifling. 

The good news is that the cloud migration process is actually relatively painless. That, and when you consider just how many amazing benefits cloud computing can bring your business, it’s entirely worth the effort. 

• Scalability 
• Reliability
• Business agility
• Cost-saving potential
• Performance
• Security.

The main thing to consider is who you are working with. You need to take your time to consider the best cloud computing providers available and then begin narrowing down your list of prospects. 

The better established the cloud provider, the easier the migration process will be. 

What are the most common cloud migration strategies? 

In order to better understand the process, you need to be aware of the various cloud migration strategies that businesses adopt: 

• Re-hosting (aka lift and shift): re-hosting, as the name suggests, refers to transferring all of your applications to a new hosting environment without making any changes to code or architecture. 

• Re-platforming: re-platforming refers to the process of making a few cloud optimisations without actually changing the architecture of your applications. If you aren’t quite ready for growth, this could be the strategy for you. 

• Re-factoring: re-factoring involves a total rewrite of your applications in order to use cloud-native features such as server-less computing and auto-scaling. Be mindful of vendor lock-in when rebuilding. 

• Re-purchasing: re-purchasing is the process of replacing all your current apps with new cloud-native SaaS platforms. In other words, having a brand-new CRM system installed. Starting from scratch has its challenges, but it’s a cost-effective cloud migration strategy and with the right employee training it shouldn’t be too difficult. 

• Retiring: retiring refers to the process of simply retiring certain apps rather than migrating them. The fact is, an app may no longer deliver value and the complicated process of migrating an app that is outdated and can’t easily be integrated is rarely worthwhile. 

• Re-visiting: it may not be viable for you to migrate all of your apps right away; some may remain in-house for the time being. That said, it’s always worth re-visiting the prospect of cloud computing again in the future. 

Conclusion 

Understandably, the process can feel overwhelming – particularly if you aren’t the most tech-savvy of individuals. This is why it’s so important to find the most reputable, high-quality cloud service provider available. That way, they can help you make the migration process as simple as possible, while offering your employees all of the relevant training they need to adapt to their new cloud-based operation without losing any productivity.