The Cloud Partner’s Role in Migration Success

The adoption of cloud engineering services has become a crucial component of IT efficiency and organisations are increasing their cloud investments for better results. Cloud migration solutions enable organisations to become more agile, resolve inefficiency-related challenges, and improve client experiences.

In today’s environment, the requirement for flexibility and stability has become a vital aspect. Depending on the enterprise, an optimal IT infrastructure may include private cloud, public cloud, and traditional IT environments. Acquiring cloud migration solutions does not have to be a difficult proposition for businesses that fear disruptions to their operations. They can enjoy the advantages of cloud migration while continuing to operate on-premise assets.

Eventually, cloud migration process from on-prem is not merely a technical challenge but one that requires leadership support and buy-in. A key aspect of ensuring success is to follow industry best practices such as

1. Choosing the right cloud partner

2. Getting stakeholders and senior leaders aligned

3. Setting measurable goals

4. Identifying the strategy

5. Training the teams

6. Following the process

Listen to our CTO, Satish Pala speak on Cloud migration : Cloud Data Migration Demystified

Identifying the Cloud Partner

When choosing a cloud partner, people generally look for partners who are reliable, flexible, customizable, and can offer secure access. It is also essential to keep the following points in mind.(i). Security

(ii). Privacy

(iii). Compliance

(iv). Competency

(v). Experience and Expertise

(vi). Cost structure

Framework

Identify Strategy: Almost all the cloud partners are the same in the services they offer. However, the tool or console they use can vary. Let’s understand the six ‘R’ s, which help strategize or accelerate cloud migration.

Rehost: This entails migrating the application and servers from on-prem to the cloud as an automated or manual process.

Re-platform: This process uses the list and shift strategy to migrate on-prem to the cloud with some changes in the platform (like oS change) but without any change to the infrastructure.

Regroup:  In this process, existing on-prem applications migrate to the cloud by adopting a new service (SAAS) from a cloud partner and returning the existing services.

Refactor: This process would entail changing or transforming the full app functionality.

Retire: Some of the services or servers which are no more needed are retired from service.

Retain: If you don’t want to move specific modules hosted on different on-prem applications that are complex to maintain, these modules are dropped out of the migration process and marked as ‘retain.’

Make a diagram with all the above pointers and document the prerequisites in each category. Finally, test, transition, and move to production.

Learn more on cloud migration here: Cloud Migration Done Right: Don’t do it ALL in one go

Tools to Accelerate Migration

Some tools help the team migrate on-prem to the cloud effortlessly.

Migration Checklist

The handy checklist below helps sort the technical parameters required to migrate on-prem to the cloud.

Sample Data Transfer using Cloud Partner Console

Anyone can migrate data from on-prem to cloud storage using a data transfer service. Connecting all virtual machines to the data transfer pool will help to initiate the data transfer. Also, we may need to install the agents and docker to create an instance within the cloud to manage the data transfer.

Once a connection is established between the cloud storage and on-prem, we need to initiate data transfer from the source file to destination storage using a cloud partner console.

We can schedule jobs periodically by identifying all the jobs to be run as part of the migration process. After successfully transferring data, we can open the destination instance file and see the amount of data transferred from on-prem virtual machines to cloud storage. We can even go back to the bucket created by the agents and cross-check whether the data has been moved.

Indium’s expertise in cloud migration solutions: Migration & Optimization of a Real-time Microfinancing Application

Wrapping Up

Organizations should adopt cloud migration solutions by carefully evaluating which workloads and applications could help companies obtain the maximum benefits with minimal disruption to business operations. IT optimization results that include improved adoption, scalability, and cost-effectiveness should help organizations move towards digital transformation and innovation.