Use Expert IT Partner to Ease Business Cloud Migration Projects
More businesses are using cloud solutions. Learn how to plan for your cloud migration project to keep data safe, users informed, and business units aligned.
The majority of businesses today are using at least one cloud solution, if not several. That means firms are regularly needing to adopt cloud technologies, migrating data, apps, systems, and users to this new methodology.
According to the McAfee Cloud Adoption and Risk Report:
- 21 percent of cloud files contain sensitive data
- Organizations on average experience 12.2 threats to cloud data per month
- Sharing sensitive data over the cloud increased 23 percent from 2017 to 2019
- 80 percent of organizations face at least one compromised account per month
- Threats to Microsoft Office 365 have increased by 63 percent in the past two years
- Organizations are sharing open and publicly accessible links to sensitive data at a growing rate, rising 23 percent over the two years
Here are some of the tips to take to your next cloud migration.
Tip #1: Begin With End-to-End Assessment
Before embarking on a cloud migration, be sure to complete a comprehensive evaluation of your data and systems, including identifying your current state and desired state. It should also identify organizational readiness for migration, risks, opportunities, and expenses.
Tip #2: Identify Critical Business Use Cases
It’s one thing to identify unsanctioned Dropbox accounts. But the more comprehensive and forward-thinking your business cases are, the more progress you can make, efficiencies can be realized, and integrations can be realized. Consider things such as teamwork spaces, vendor management, and departmental collaboration when thinking about business use cases that can be transformed by cloud adoption.
Tip #3: Create a Standardized Framework
Adopt and embrace standardized solutions. Not only does standardization help with data mapping and integration, but it also helps address future needs such as audit reporting.
Tip #4: Drive Holistic Adoption
Many organizations need to address rogue units or departments that argue for exceptions to standardization and partnership. These outliers need to be aligned with the broader organizational needs from the onset. Cloud adoption needs to be communicated uniformly at all levels of the organization, with every line of business, business unit, department, or agency on board.
Tip #5: Commit to As-a-Service Models
Cloud solutions are the natural first step towards an as-a-service mindset for the organization. Starting with a cloud solution, business apps, for example, can be developed, tested, deployed, and updated faster with improved turnaround times and customer service. The as-a-service approach provides opportunities for new revenue solutions and more efficient business processes.
Tip #6: Sunset Legacy Applications and Platforms
Business users, especially employees, may be deeply committed to legacy apps and platforms stored and managed on-premises. While not every legacy system may be easily sunsetted, there should be clear business reasons for retaining these older business solutions. There may be retention requirements, regulatory obligations, or system-of-record considerations. However, it’s essential to map out business processes to see which can be migrated and which portions of legacy solutions can be retired.
Tip #7: Commit to Education and Training
Too many business migration projects have been derailed by poor communication. From c-level executives to business partners to employees, communication needs to permeate the organization before, during, and after cloud migrations. It’s critical to communicate goals, milestones, progress, challenges, and timelines.
A related component is education. There are likely to be new business processes, new inputs, new technologies, and new dependencies. Education and training need to begin as soon as possible and include time to use new technologies, ideally in test environments. Education and training, like communication, need to continue well after the migration work is completed.
Tip #8: Learn from Others
Working with a cloud migration expert at your local managed services provider allows you to leverage the insights from those that have come before you. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you can use best practices to guide your migration work.
Tip #9: Choose the Right Partner
Working with Rea & Associates gives your organization a decided advantage to your cloud migration. Our trusted solutions help small- and medium-sized businesses transform how work is done throughout northeast Ohio. To learn more, contact us today.