Migration to Cloud: is it worth it?

Migration to a cloud, whether private or as a service (run by third parties), is a company development strategy which is as worthwhile as it is delicate. Transferring data to an online platform can in fact offer many advantages, but only providing that careful and informed planning takes place during the initial phase.

The steps to take before, during and after the transition, determine the benefits the company can obtain. Although it is an advantageous strategy for company development, it is a decision which cannot and must not be taken lightly, as it involves numerous issues which must be dealt with.

Private or public Cloud?

When a company decides to migrate to a cloud, it must establish whether it prefers to opt for:

• A private cloud, where the company IT department will manage, construct and control the cloud infrastructure and all that regards it (generally with the use of company servers located on company premises);
• Or a public cloud which means entrusting it to third party infrastructures, managed and configured entirely by the host, who is also responsible for supplying one or more modular services.

As there are pros and cons with both solutions, company requirements should be carefully considered when making this decision. The private cloud, for example, enables a wider range of customisation options, greater control of resources, increased security levels and (usually) better operational continuity.

On the other hand, a public cloud frees the company from the task of finding and/or training experts in this kind of technology and ensures that platforms are constantly updated (both hard- and software), guaranteeing assistance and skills which are difficult for companies to develop internally.

How to organise migration to cloud effectively

Regardless of the company director’s decision, migration to cloud requires some specific steps, in order to avoid difficulties during the more delicate phases. Among these is the important task of succeeding in involving and convincing any managers or IT staff of the service’s worthiness.

Problems can also arise due to the fact that some of these members of staff may be reluctant to accept the idea of losing some control over network resources or because they do not feel they have the necessary skills to administer a local cloud efficiently. Establishing leadership which is strong, competent and determined, is therefore the first and most important point to bear in mind.

In order of priorities, next is the need to form a detailed, strategic plan, which will help administrators to distribute workloads properly. This should include aspects such as:

• Company objectives;
• The optimisation of TCO (Total Cost Ownership);
• The chance to increase scalability and agility;
• The reduction of time to market;
• The decentralisation of the IT department;
• The consideration of the real benefits of an as a service

Subsequently, the size of the company’s IT budget and how it should be spent can be determined.

Experts in this field also advise that everything that takes place during the cloud migration procedure should be listed and documented. It is in fact important to draw up a list of systems, applications, skills and every aspect of IT resources.

The costs of the different types of cloud must also be considered. The private one for example, requires significant initial investment in order to overcome certain critical moments of the transition, while the public one is more flexible in this regard and therefore less expensive.

Translated by Joanne Beckwith