Server to cloud migration strategies

If there is a hot topic for companies in recent times, it is the migration of private servers to the cloud. Hybrid environments, which combine internal services with others hosted in the cloud, have more and more followers among company executives, so digital transformation has been accelerated. Let’s see, then, what strategies a company should follow to carry out this process in an easy, comfortable and, above all, safe way, since it is a project that involves some complexity.

Migrating to the Cloud: What It’s All About and Why a Strategy Is Needed

Cloud migration is the process of moving large amounts of data from a first location, typically the company’s on-premises private servers, to the servers of a third-party cloud provider. But why does a company decide to switch on-premises private servers to the cloud? Because its application entails a series of advantages, among which are the reduction of general costs of the company, the improvement of IT performance, as well as practicality and greater security. Once the decision of the digital transformation is made, the definition of the strategy comes, since it is a complex transition process in which not only databases, but also applications and workloads must be migrated.

Preparing to migrate to the cloud

Before starting the process of migrating to the cloud, the size of the project must be evaluated and this will depend directly on the complexity of the infrastructure that has to be developed according to the needs and size of the company. Therefore, before starting the real mobility process, it is necessary to make a detailed study of the scalability of the project, which is divided into four major steps:

1. Research. This first step of the project includes obtaining all the information about workers, work processes and tools used in the day to day of the company and also makes an inventory of the available infrastructure. Subsequently, both infrastructure and architecture of the available applications are analyzed and access to them is obtained. Finally, CAPEX, investment to carry out the operation, and OPEX, the operating expenses of this, are calculated.
2. Data collection. An interview is held with all the interested parties in the IT field by the client and, once the needs and the future project are known, it begins with obtaining data through a specific tool for it. In Pasiona we recommend Microsoft Azure and its various tools, since it has the support of a leading provider in the global market.
3. Data analysis. In this step you will detect the messaging flows, the existing dependencies of applications and services of Databases and you will also see how to optimize all processes through machine learning.
4. Transition readiness assessment. Finally, the migration approach will be chosen and the plan to be executed will be developed, which will include the migration schedule, a plan to minimize possible problems and risks, as well as the results of the migration.

This stage of preparing for the migration will conclude with the definition of the project costs and the ROI of the new way of working in the cloud.

Cloud Migration: Strategies

Once a detailed study of the complexity of the cloud migration project has been made, the stage comes in which the process itself will be carried out, moving all the aforementioned company data. For this, there are a variety of procedures, although all migrations include the same phases: definition of the strategy, migration plan, preparation, migration, governance and administration, the most important of all being the correct choice of strategy. This will depend on the commercial justification of the process along with the results expected by the company.

• Rehousing. It involves moving data as-is to a new environment. With this strategy, the changes in the underlying applications are the minimum so that the move to the cloud is done quickly.
• Change of platform. It includes making few changes to current applications, so the core architecture remains the same. Adopts a cloud-based database or web server system.
• Reacquisition. It typically uses a new cloud-native product known as Software as a Service (SaaS). That is, applications and workloads are moved in-house to an application entirely hosted in the cloud and managed by a third-party service provider.
• Refactoring. It involves a total redesign of applications to fit the software used in the cloud. It is the most expensive option, but the most compatible with future versions and the one that allows greater scalability in this environment.
• Retention. Applications are kept as they are because they are essential or because they need very long-term planning. It is also the best if you want to maximize the use of existing infrastructure.
• Withdrawal. Applications that are not used, rarely used, or are very expensive are removed. In short, what is truly useful for the company in the new digital environment is migrated.

In conclusion, the choice of any of the existing cloud migration strategies will be subject to the needs and more or less conservative culture of the company. Therefore, at Pasiona we advise and guide during the preparation process and help define the cloud migration strategy that will best adapt so that the transition to digitalization is as smooth as possible, drawing up a contingency plan that minimizes risks and giving outstanding support once the change is carried out. Because with the right service provider , migrating to the cloud is another step in business expansion.