The world is going through a continuous technological change in all aspects. And the current pandemic situation has forced businesses to go all-digital within a short period. Most companies are now opting for cloud computing services and migrating their applications to clouds.
But why are companies preferring cloud computing services? And how does migration to cloud storage or cloud migration take place? Keep on reading and find out all about it.
All You Need To Know About Cloud Computing:
Today, most companies are migrating their infrastructure that includes software applications, official databases, and overall IT operations to the cloud servers. The popular cloud servers include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM Cloud, Oracle, etc.
When it comes to cloud computing services, companies have to decide on strategies such as rehosting, replatforming, or refactoring applications for the cloud migration. But that is not at all, they can hire an AWS migration partner to make the process seamless.
There are three significant types of cloud computing servers:
Public Cloud:
Public clouds are owned by IT companies such as Amazon, Azure, IBM, etc., that provide cloud computing services to multiple businesses and offer different pay-per-user packages. This type of cloud is best for small to medium-sized companies with a tight financial budget.
Private Cloud:
Private clouds are owned by a specific business or end-user. This type of cloud is best suited for big companies and those seeking enhanced data security.
Hybrid Cloud:
Hybrid cloud is a culmination of public and private cloud models. Combined with the enhanced security feature of private clouds and the low-cost feature of the public cloud, the hybrid cloud type is worth trying.
Why Are Companies Migrating Applications To The Cloud?
Typically, companies own software applications built on the local servers and run on selective operating systems. Such businesses are migrating to cloud servers. As a result, they can avail themselves of a range of cloud computing benefits and have a seamless working experience.
Also, it is worth mentioning that cloud migration involves migrating application data from one cloud server to another. Companies also undergo hybrid cloud migration where they migrate the selective databases to the cloud, and the rest of the operations run on the local servers.
Here are some of the reasons why companies are opting for cloud services:
- Reduced maintenance cost
- Updation of software in less time
- Improved performance and experience for consumers and employees
- Quicker delivery of services
- Enjoy built-in security features to safeguard the company’s resources
- Helps in managing sizeable workload
- Reliable backup and recovery perks
- Increased productivity as a whole
What Is The Process Of Migrating Applications To The Cloud?
Cloud migration makes everything easier and simpler for both the company and the end-users. Now, the next question here is, how does migration take place? Here’s how it works:
1. Proper Planning And Creating A Strategy:
The first thing to kickstart the migration procedure is to review the overall quality of the software and check if it is compatible with the cloud service provider. This helps in choosing the perfect strategy for a successful migration.
Also, performance indicators are used to determine the success rate of the migration and help uncover the strengths and weak points of the software application. The common strategies for application migration practised are:
Rehost: This form of strategy follows the lift, and shift approach and involves making slight or no changes in the application for the cloud migration.
Refactor: Refactoringmeans making changes in the coding technique to get the maximum benefit of the migration.
Replatform: Replatforming involves making the operating system better suited for the cloud.
Rebuild: Rebuilding involves rewriting the application’s source code freshly while keeping the purpose and specification intact.
Retire/replace: Retirement or replacement of applications means to discard application/applications that have no use in the new cloud server due to their outdated features.
2. Mock Migration:
After careful observation and planning, performing simulated migration is necessary for a smooth process. It helps to understand if the applications to be migrated need rehosting, refactoring, re-platforming, retirement, or rebuilding as per the cloud environment.
3. Migration Deployment In Phases:
The applications are moved to or across the clouds in groups. The use of project management tools comes in handy during the migration process to keep track of the transfer. Doing so also keeps the company’s stakeholders informed about its progress and outcome.
4. Testing:
As the migration progresses, testing helps to ensure that there is no data loss. After the transfer is initiated and completed, follow-up testing helps determine a successful cloud migration. It also helps determine the application’s performance in the new cloud environment. Follow-up testing further highlights the database security of the newly migrated applications.
What Are The Challenges Involved With Cloud Migration?
Like everything else, cloud migration comes with its own form of advantages and challenges. Here are some of the commonly faced challenges i cloud migration:
- The inability of businesses to identify the requirements and purpose is one of the most common challenges in this case. Or companies that are unable to understand their business needs and what they want to achieve in the near future struggle to find the right strategy for migration.
- Lack of knowledgeable team members who will be overlooking the entire process.
- Lack of a foolproof strategy as per the company’s requirement.
- Businesses choose the wrong form of strategy that leads to a faulty migration to the cloud.
- Unable to perform the transfer within the planned budget.
- Lack of proper training of the employees for the change in the servers can eventually create chaos at work.
- Lack of proper firewall of the application that will go through the migration leading to data loss or data breach.
Conclusion
With everything going online, including office work, it is evident that cloud migration is a necessity. Companies can achieve better agility, avail advanced data security and firewalls, and deliver flawless services to consumers. Opting for cloud services also lets companies enjoy the benefit of receiving quick updates of software at minimal costs.
So, to truly dive into the world of cloud computing, in-depth knowledge of the entire process is mandatory. This way, one can tackle the challenges efficiently and reap the benefits of migrating to the cloud successfully.
