5 Considerations for Small and Mid-Size Businesses Planning for Cloud Migration

A most discussed topic today by businesses and technical heads of leading organizations is moving workloads to the Cloud. It requires meticulous planning and defined approach to deciding on when or whether to migrate to this next-generation platform.

As every CEO knows deciding on migrating to the Cloud can be daunting, we’ve compiled 5 considerations to ease your decision on the Cloud migration without any hassle.

According to a leading research study group, the enterprises shifting the workloads to Cloud has remarkably increased 13-17% for public Cloud and 22-31% for private Cloud. The reason for the steep increase in the Cloud adoption rate is because Cloud users look out for simple, seamless and faster data access and businesses have no other choice but to shift workloads to this emerging platform for ensuring better growth.

Here are the 5 considerations every small and mid-size business owner must focus on before getting started with Cloud migration initiative.

1. Deciding on Public, Private or Hybrid Cloud

A primary yet critical decision every decision maker should make even before planning for a Cloud program is deciding on the type or Cloud services they would like to migrate their workloads.

There are 3 types of Cloud platforms available.

• Public

Public Cloud is nothing but internet. Companies use this platform for storing app resources and data accessible for public users. Some top examples for Public Cloud will be Windows Azure Services Platform, Google AppEngine, etc.

Pros: economical, inexpensive set-up, application and bandwidth cost managed by service provider, pay-per-use model.

         Cons: limited configuration, less security, not ideal for handling sensitive data.

• Private

         Exclusive architecture for a single company.

Pros: highly flexible, scalable, allows for automation and monitoring.

Cons: expensive, concerns on security and compliance, not suitable for small-medium businesses.

• Hybrid

In a nut shell, it’s a combination of Public and Private Cloud platforms. Companies will have a complete control over the Private Cloud while utilizing assets from Public Cloud at the same time.

         Pros: beneficial during emergency situations like hurricane warnings, maintenance, blackouts.

         Cons: expensive

Each type has its unique challenges and advantages and it all depends on the business type and decision makers to utilize the right one that works for them. Even few companies prefer migration from one Cloud to other as well.

Remember, migrating to Cloud without expert approach can be detrimental to your business growth and ROI.

2. Licensing
Cloud platforms come up with bewildering array of licensing options like: (1) Subscription License, (2) Pay-as-You-Go License, and (3) Pay-by-Instance License.

Partnering with a right Cloud service provider is the best way to pick the right licensing that suits your business model.

3. Analyzing existing mechanisms
So, if you’re considering migration to any type of Cloud platform, it is a quintessence to analyze how your existing users are accessing the apps and how it will impact the accessibility post migration. It is extremely important to analyze the user experience post-migration; and, planning to perfection is the best way to avoid weird experiences that hurt customers.

Preparing your users before the migration would help your business deliver better customer experience. Only a right partner can help you mitigate the challenges on managing existing mechanism while including advancements when moving to or upgrading within Cloud.

4. Checking out operating systems compatibility
Ensure all your operating systems are compatible and updated to-date before handing them over to your Cloud partner. Migrating phased out operating systems/end-of-life operating systems will no longer help you or your end customers when it comes to accessing the Cloud data. Same applies to database and middleware as well.

Expert Cloud service provider with years of experience can help you out with checking out on the compatibility of operating systems when moving to Cloud to ensure your Cloud program works perfectly for your customers.

5. Examining backup policy and disaster recovery policies by CSPs
Most critical element every small business owner must focus on is back up and disaster recovery policy offered by the CSP. Every vendor has a unique level of back up and disaster recovery policy and it’s up to you as a business owner to consider the right level of policy that matches with your business requirements.

Failing to focus on the policy standards could create potential roadblock to your business. Cloud service providers with relevant experience and expertise in the Cloud technology can help your business zero in on the right backup and disaster recovery policy that matches your business needs.

We believe the aforementioned information provided helps small and medium size businesses to decide on before planning for a successful Cloud migration.

Planning to migrate your business data to Cloud or within Cloud? Don’t know how to get started? Our experts can help-