Switching tools, apps, and data over to the cloud can bring big money savings and flexibility benefits. But migrating from old on-site systems often trips companies up. Issues like technical compatibility, security risks, and business disruptions are common.
The good news? With smart planning and getting help from migration pros, organizations can steer around these obstacles to fully leverage the cloud. This article will look at ways companies can tackle the most common challenges that come with moving to the cloud.
Table of Contents
Before jumping into the migration challenges, let’s quickly recap what’s driving companies to the cloud:
Lower Costs – No huge upfront investments required in on-site data centers. You pay only for the cloud resources used each month.
Flexibility to Scale – Cloud storage and computing expands instantly to meet your needs, avoiding overprovisioning costs.
Improved Resilience – Vital data stays protected through the cloud’s built-in backup across regions. If one region fails, apps and data failover to another automatically.
New Capabilities – Emerging technologies like IoT sensors, AI, serverless computing become easily accessible to build competitive advantage.
According to IDC, over 90% of companies now use some form of cloud services. This momentum keeps accelerating as the benefits become clearer.
While the cloud offers advantages, getting there involves overcoming hurdles like:
Old Incompatible Systems – Legacy on-site systems with technical constraints are tough to migrate to newer cloud architectures.
Integrating Existing Tools – Carefully connecting new cloud apps or infrastructure with current on-site systems is complex but critical.
Preserving Security and Compliance – Making sure protections and compliance controls stay consistent before, during, and after migration.
Preventing Data Loss – Failures during migration can corrupt datasets or cause data to go missing altogether.
Minimizing Disruption – Downtime and issues during migration can directly hurt business operations and revenue. Not good.
Controlling Cloud Costs – Suboptimal use of cloud resources or leaving unused assets running quickly drives expenses up.
Using strategies like the following, organizations can steer around migration obstacles:
For many companies, getting help from managed service providers (MSPs) or professional migration services makes good sense when:
Here are a few trends impacting upcoming migration best practices:
Adopting Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Setups – Migrations will need to span both on-site and multiple cloud vendors’ environments.
Automation to Simplify Migrations – New tools will help automate migration testing, data transfers, workload portability and more.
Outsourcing to Migration Specialists – Allowing managed service partners to handle migrations for you will become more common.
The key is recognizing common migration pitfalls but knowing proven strategies and help from experts can get you past them.
Migrating systems to the cloud enables accessing new technologies but also involves challenges. Knowing what to expect and getting help smooths the ride. Top takeaways:
With open eyes, proper planning, and expert guidance, companies can steer around obstacles to seize the cloud’s potential. The benefits are worth it!
No assessment of legacy systems. Lacking security review. No analysis of potential downtime impact. Minimal testing.
Anywhere from weeks for small apps to potentially years for major enterprise-wide migrations.
Disruptions should be minimal with careful cutover planning. Some adjustment period will be required as users get up to speed.
Reversing major migrations is extremely difficult and costly. Comprehensive testing and gradual rollouts reduce the need to reverse course.
Costs vary a lot based on scope, complexity, environment size, and provider. But the costs are often outweighed by long-term cloud benefits.
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