7 Significant Benefits Of Cloud Migration And Beyond

Do you know? According to a Microsoft report, approx. 95% of small businesses report enhanced security since cloud integration And this is just one of the many benefits of cloud migration.

The advantages of the cloud are manifold and can be utilized by businesses. All they have to do is migrate their current infrastructure to the cloud. 

There is no doubt that cloud computing is the future. It makes the processes seamless, encourages remote work, and simplifies professional life without hampering the business workflow. 

In this blog, we will explore everything about cloud migration, from the benefits of migrating to the cloud to the challenges involved. How to migrate to the cloud will also be the point of discussion, but first: 

An Overview Of 7 Key Benefits Of Cloud Migration – 

• Businesses get the flexibility to upscale and downscale per the market demands
• The cloud offers robust data recovery, which is loved by many businesses
• It reduces the necessity of investing in on-site hardware, making it a highly cost-effective option
• The cloud service provider ensures security through encryption and high-end security measures
• Cloud also offers easy accessibility across devices for improved productivity
• Off-premise storage of files eases collaboration across members, teams, and organizations
• Cloud creates sustainable solutions by replacing the traditional setup with modern architecture

Detailed Understanding Of The Top 7 Cloud Migration Benefits: 

1. Makes The System More Flexible And Scalable 

Cloud makes the system flexible enough to effortlessly adjust to the changing market requirements. This allows businesses to upscale and downscale when needed. Easy scalability saves organizations the efforts and costs of maintaining the permanent IT infrastructure. 

Unlike other IT integrations, the cloud offers an easily adaptable model to match the ever-evolving digital landscape. The cloud environment provides a versatile space that can be customized to serve diverse needs. 

Businesses can also choose the cloud service model per their preferences, which means they can go for any of the following models – IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), SaaS(Software as a Service), and PaaS (Platform as a Service). 

2. Data Can Be Easily Recovered With Cloud 

People in the business world know the importance of data and its security, along with the cost of losing it. One of the many benefits of moving to the cloud is assured data recovery. Cloud offers diverse tools and services for effective disaster management solutions.

Depending on the cloud management services provider and your requirements, different combinations of integrations can be easily added to the base cloud. In the case of technical complications, cloud can also reduce downtime.

Data stored on the cloud can be easily recovered, which drastically reduces the time taken to fix and resume the work post downtime. 

3. It Is Highly Cost Effective

No additional infrastructural expenses or unnecessary maintenance makes cloud migration a highly beneficial step for all those who seek advanced functionality but with a budget. It gives companies more control over what to integrate and to what extent. The scalability makes it easy to alter the solution per their business requirements. 

Of course, integrating the cloud can be expensive, but if done right, the initial expenses can easily be overpowered by the benefits of cloud migration. Many cloud service providers offer a pay-as-you-go model, in which organizations pay only for the services they use, making it highly cost-friendly. 

The easy scalability allows companies to integrate temporary functionalities when required and then discontinue them. This also eliminates the commitment risk, and businesses can easily change or stop a service if it is not aligning with their business model, making it a cost-friendly solution.  

4. Better Security With Cloud 

The biggest question mark comes in the form of “How secure is the solution?” whenever a new digital service is introduced in the organization. This question especially pops up with the cloud since the data is saved off-premise.   

Many features, like complete encryption, selective access, easy recovery, etc., make cloud a highly secure solution. Improved security and encrypted data are some of the many business benefits of cloud migration that can be easily capitalized on with the right cloud service provider.  

It is worth mentioning that easy access doesn’t mean it is easy to breach. Cloud simplifies the work and accessibility for employees; it does not create opportunities for hackers. The top-notch security features of the cloud makes it a highly secure solution. 

5. Saves Time With Auto-Updates 

If there is anything that hampers productivity more than anything, it is manual software updates, especially if it pops up while working on a project. This interrupts workflow, adds to the daily task list and takes up the time and energy of employees. However, this issue can be eliminated with the automated update feature of the cloud. 

There are many integrations that come with the cloud, specifically designed with custom features focusing on the different phases of the process. Some of these are configuration management tools (like Ansible and Puppet) and orchestration software (like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm). Cloud management software and scripting & automation tools can also be integrated. 

These integrations are the prominent business benefits of cloud migration, as they will supplement enhanced performance and free up employee time. Organizations can decide which integrations or combinations would best suit their needs. 

6. It Encourages Collaboration 

Among all, this is one of those benefits of migrating to the cloud that can be advantageous in multiple ways. Many businesses with legacy systems often have some critical operational concerns; these concerns revolve around the hassle of data sharing, minimizing communication gaps, and improving decision-making during collaboration. 

With the cloud, all these things can be quickly resolved. Using it, a centralized channel can be created for easy document sharing and communication of the needful, thus simplifying collaboration. So, the hassle of taking the laptops and meeting the person for effective communication is eliminated. 

Also, the real-time updates or suggestions further streamline the process, as immediate action replaces the wait time. Powered by cloud-based infrastructure, businesses can add remote resources to expand and grow with access to a talent pool from beyond their geographical location.  

7. It Is A Sustainable Solution

Today, people are aware and conscious of the impact of their activities on the environment. This is also being reflected in their decisions, so they are questioning, everything aside, what the benefits of cloud migration for the environment are. Is it sustainable or not? 

According to an Accenture report, cloud migration benefits organizations to grow in a sustainable fashion by significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions (about 60 million tons) annually, a 5.9% decrease in total IT emissions. So, cloud migration can create opportunities for sustainable digital growth. 

Cloud also eliminates the need to maintain unnecessary IT infrastructure, thus significantly reducing energy consumption. Other benefits of cloud migration that make it highly sustainable are shared resources that further reduce carbon emissions and remote work that helps with commuting-related emissions. 

Types Of Cloud Migration Approaches 

Benefits of cloud migration can be easily maximized when combined with the right type of migration method. Determining the right one is essential as it plays a huge role in assessing the overall cost and duration. 

There are a total of six different types, namely – 

• Rehosting 

This is the fastest and least expensive migration type. It involves shifting the whole on-premise infrastructure to the cloud. There is minimal to no change except for where it is being hosted, also known as the life-and-shift model.  

• Replatforming 

This is also a lift-and-shift model but better. Here, a few modern integrations are added to make the infrastructure more cloud-friendly, thus increasing the cloud migration benefits through advanced functionalities. These changes can be incorporated by improving or replacing the existing system. 

• Repurchasing 

This is a drop-and-shop approach in which the application is replaced by its upgraded version or another better product. Some key features businesses seek with these applications are improved accessibility, reduced maintenance & infrastructure costs, and better business value. 

• Refactoring 

Also known as rearchitecting an application, this approach utilizes the benefits of cloud migration to its full potential. The application’s architecture is completely modified to add agility, improve performance, and increase scalability. This is done when the infrastructure is no longer suitable to match the market demand and scale effortlessly. 

• Retaining 

One can also think of it as a hybrid migration. While businesses might be looking forward to gaining the benefits of moving to the cloud, they might need more time to be ready for a full-fledged migration. So retaining allows businesses to keep (retain) highly confidential information on-premise while migrating the rest. 

• Retiring

The final approach focuses on determining what infrastructural setup is no longer working for the business and shutting it down. This step is like decluttering the office resources so that informed decisions are made regarding what needs to be migrated and what does not. 

One or multiple cloud migration approaches can be used depending on the business model. A correct assessment is directly related to the benefits of migrating to the cloud. This is why a thorough assessment, understanding, and clarity of requirements are essential. 

Learn More About Effective Migration With These Cloud Migration Strategies

How To Migrate To The Cloud – A Step-By-Step Process

There are many benefits of moving to the cloud, and there’s no doubt that this digital transformation trend is here to stay. It will continue to disrupt the business landscape, but integrating this advanced solution into the system requires thorough planning and research. 

A well-planned approach is the key to success. Organizations can schedule and avoid any last-minute changes or expenses. Cloud migration is complicated but can be easily simplified with effective strategy and proper research. 

To ease the process further, we have divided it into three phases – before migration, during migration, and after migration. To explain them briefly: 

BEFORE MIGRATION 

Define The Objective – Answer the questions of why and what you seek to achieve from cloud migration. Is it improved efficiency? Better productivity? Enhance management? No matter what, define it and strategize based on the set requirements. 

Create A Complete Roadmap – Once the objective is clear, determine how you want to proceed. It is better to migrate the system in smaller parts for minimal work disruption. Set priorities and implement the changes accordingly. 

Prepare The Resources – Make sure that employees are equally prepared for the change. Inform them as you go through the process and provide the required training. With this, employees won’t feel overwhelmed, and the benefits of cloud migration will be maximized. 

DURING THE MIGRATION

Choose A Tech Stack And Approach – Out of an array of features offered by the cloud, go for the ones that fit your business model the best. Also, choose the method you want to use from the get-go for a fast and clear migration journey. 

Incorporate Data Governance – This is to ensure security during data migration. Clearly define the access, ownership, and responsibilities. Many data governance tools are also available to assist; use them so the data isn’t compromised. 

Integrate And Adapt – The last step is to implement the changes step-by-step. A gradual integration of advanced cloud technologies will make it easy for everyone to get used to. Also, it will provide a financial buffer, so it doesn’t get too expensive suddenly. 

POST-MIGRATION

Observe – After you migrate to the cloud, see how employees welcome the changes. If it is easy to adapt? If not, what can be improved? After giving it some time, you will get perfect results, so observe before making any decisions. 

Evaluate – Use KPIs and other metrics tools to calculate the effect of changes integrated into their performance. It will give you an idea about what is working well and what is not. Doing so will provide you with a clear picture of the major positive and negative shifts. 

Optimize – After successful evaluation, improve the integrations to align with your business goals. Optimization can also be seen as regular updates with the new functionalities being introduced. Regular updates will increase the longevity and maximize cloud migration benefits. 

Challenges Associated With Cloud Migration 

Now that we have learned about the business benefits of cloud migration and how to migrate to the cloud, let’s look at the probable hindrances. 

Some of the commonly occurring challenges that act as roadblocks in the process are: 

• Making hasty decisions and investing in the wrong cloud migration approach. This will render the whole thing useless as the anticipated benefits of cloud migration won’t be accessible. Additionally, the system would require an update again, costing double the money and resources. So, take your time, research, understand, and decide which approach is best for you.

• Another challenge, and the most important one at that, is data security. Due to negligence, the company’s sensitive data is compromised. This can cost the company their reputation and would be a nightmare to fix. Proceeding carefully or connecting with the right service provider for secure data migration is essential.

• Another challenge is legacy to cloud migration. Most of them are monolithic and built on certain hardware and operating systems. This increases their dependency on old infrastructure and makes it difficult to migrate to the cloud. The containerization can help with that, but it is a tedious process nonetheless. 

• This happens frequently; amongst all the hassle of migrating, employee training sometimes takes a back seat. This generally happens in the absence of a concrete plan, and this unintentionally creates a skill gap. Connect with your cloud app development service provider and define a timeline to plan a training schedule in advance and get the desired results.  

Concluding Remarks On The Benefits Of Cloud Migration 

Regardless of the fast-evolving business landscape, there’s no doubt that cloud migration is still a new concept. Many are skeptical about it, and others consider it a welcome pass for scammers(But it is not). However, the point that is missed in all this is how beneficial it is for business across all forms of industries and scales. 

We hope this blog has clarified what you can expect from the cloud and how it can enhance the business on so many levels. So, it is definitely worth trying. This not only improves productivity but also increases employee satisfaction, enhances customer service, and a lot more. 

The bottom line is thorough research, clarity throughout the process, and partnering with the right cloud development service provider. These things are the keys to a successful integration and improved operational efficiency. 

So, are you ready to enjoy the benefits of cloud migration?