Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
As you probably know, businesses are accelerating their migration to the cloud. According to research from Gartner, 95% of data workloads will be hosted on the cloud by 2025. Compare this to 2021, when just 31% of data workloads were on the cloud.
Companies are shifting to the cloud to gain the following advantages:
- Lower long-term costs
- Enhanced cybersecurity
- Greater flexibility
- Improved scalability
- Simplified management
- And more
The caveat here is that cloud migration can be a complicated process. Mistakes can result in data loss, operational downtime, crippling bugs, and inefficiencies. For these reasons, you must avoid making the following errors during your cloud migration journey:
Error #1 Partnering with the Wrong Team
It is essential to find the right IT solutions provider to help with the cloud migration process. Take the time to pick a competent and experienced team that offers a holistic approach to cloud migration. Additionally, try to find a team of local experts that offers unparalleled around-the-clock customer service.
For example, Canadian businesses are partnering with companies like Softlanding for managed IT services in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and other parts of the country. With over 90 team members, two decades of experience, and 14 Microsoft Gold competencies, Softlanding are the type of IT professionals you need on your side.
In addition to cloud-related services, they also offer:
- Support and IT consulting
- Operational management
- Cost optimization
- Business alignment workshops
- Security and compliance consulting
Error #2 Poor Budgeting
Your business needs to analyze the cost and time requirements of cloud migration and plan for them accordingly. Additionally, you must plan for unexpected delays. Even the best-laid plans can run into speedbumps.
Error #3 Overaccelerating
Businesses migrating to the cloud may have to adopt some degree of patience. Depending on the project, the process can take anywhere from a few months to over a year. However, a top IT partner will ensure that your operations remain largely unaffected.
Without the right professional help, you may face challenges. For example, IT administrators that shift data and applications from physical infrastructure to the cloud without essential optimization to speed up the process may face frustrating inefficiencies and glitches later.
Experienced cloud migration professionals sometimes start the process with smaller datasets and less essential apps. After gaining familiarity and ensuring stability, they move on to more crucial assets.
A competent IT team can still accelerate migration with a lift-and-shift technique — but only after customising configurations and monitoring as necessary.
Error #4 Ignoring Cybersecurity
Many organizations migrate to the cloud for enhanced cybersecurity benefits and disaster recovery. However, they don’t realize that mistakes during the shift can leave them vulnerable to certain security threats. A top IT solutions provider will always set your configurations up with the best security protocols from the beginning to shield you from threat actors.
Error #5 Zero Post-Migration Strategy
Your business may need professional support with your applications and data after the migration to the cloud is complete. Ideally, your Managed IT Solutions partner should offer 24/7 support. Additionally, your staff may need training to appreciate any new responsibilities.
Although cloud migration is hugely beneficial, it’s still a major pivot for an organization. And like any major pivot, it requires a proactive rather than a reactive approach.
This content is a joint venture between our publication and our partner. We do not endorse any product or service in the article.
