Is migrating to the cloud worth it? Great question. To answer that, let’s ask Aaron Sturniolo, Director of IT at RRMM Architects, which after 35 years in business moved to the cloud during the pandemic to connect team members across its multistate practice.
“What started as a necessity at the outset of the pandemic to maintain workflow when everyone went home soon became a competitive advantage,” said Sturniolo. “I used to be a one-man IT department. My work week went from troubleshooting and break-fixing issues on our network to now being able to focus on what matters most – our company growth.”
Migrating to the cloud is a strategic decision that may cause short-term disruption but can have long-term benefits. Realizing those benefits requires thoughtful planning and execution. Let’s review reasons to consider the cloud and tips on making your migration successful.
Why should your business migrate to the cloud?
Companies have various reasons for moving IT to the cloud, some of which include:
- Increased flexibility and scalability
- Greater resiliency
- Improved efficiency
- Cost savings
- Expanded capabilities (e.g., support for remote and hybrid work)
- Better security and compliance
How should you begin your move to the cloud?
If the cloud sounds promising for your organization, the next questions are:
- How do you start your migration?
- What do you do when you get there?
Enlisting the help of a managed services provider, or MSP, to design and coordinate your cloud migration is a smart first step. Retaining that provider to monitor, manage and support the solutions is even better.
What to consider when working with an MSP?
Before you choose an MSP, there are some essential steps to take. First and foremost, have a conversation with a potential provider wherein you’re both asking questions.
A provider should ask the following questions:
- What is the purpose of your business?
- Why do you want to move to the cloud?
- What are the pain points with your current technology?
- What growth do you expect in your organization?
- What are your security and compliance concerns?
- What in-house IT support do you have?
You will want to ask the following questions:
- Where will my data be located?
- What are my responsibilities in the migration?
- What security solutions do you have to protect against a data breach?
- Do your customers share hardware resources?
- What support do you provide for the actual migration?
What infrastructure or applications do you need to migrate, and when?
Once you’ve selected an MSP, it’s time to plan the cloud migration. It’s not as simple as flipping a switch. Thoughtful planning ensures the migration goes smoothly and delivers desired results. The provider partner should work with you to determine what to migrate and when, such as:
- Identify which applications to migrate – Cloud migration is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Many applications may remain on-premises, or the entire system may move. A SWOT analysis can help determine priorities so that you can plot the timeline.
- Review costs – How much will moving to and working in the cloud cost? Conversely, how much will it cost not to move to the cloud? To find out, compare opex versus capex.
- Consider performance and downtime – Migration may disrupt daily operations, so schedule cutovers well in advance.
- Focus on security – Switching from on-premises to cloud solutions requires a different approach to security.
Is migrating to the cloud worth it?
Cloud migration can be worth doing if done well. Consult experts who have a track record in successful deployments to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.
