4 Tips For Cloud Migration - What To Move And Where

July 28, 2020 Godwin Kodan

Cloud migration is happening at a high rate, but it remains challenging

Cloud computing is gaining ground in today’s business environment, where companies are migrating to online systems at an impressive rate. According to The Cloud Adoption in 2020, an O’Reilly Media report, over 88% of research respondents mentioned that their organizations already use cloud under one form or another, while many of them plan to increase its usage by February 2021. Even more, over 25% of surveyed professionals stated that the companies they represent are taking steps towards cloud migration.

Considering the COVID-19 context and the lockdown, which have acted as catalysts for the digital transformation of many companies, these figures might be even higher nowadays, as it is becoming crucial for organizations to access applications and data from anywhere, at any given time.

Still, the reality is that, in today’s unstable environment, small and medium businesses are not equipped with the necessary remote capabilities and procedures which foster the implementation of a successful cloud migration strategy, nor do they have a clear outline of what such a process implies.

Why cloud computing is necessary

Speaking from my own experience, I have interacted with many businesses, from small to big - such as General Contractors, Specialty Contractors, Architects -, which were operating on internal servers that are used by associates to upload, visualize and download data. Although things appear to be running smoothly, the mere idea that these servers might become inaccessible imposes an important threat. While calculating this risk, there are several scenarios to be taken into account - such as a potential building crash, a power shutdown, or just a hardware failure. All of these could have major implications on the company’s business, as well as significantly affect its clients.

In this context, cloud migration appears to be more of a must than an alternative, as it offers remote access, which does not require an in-house IT team, except for computer or local area network-related aspects, while also ensuring reliable service and support.

Similarly, acknowledging the benefits of cloud computing, SMBs and SMEs, in the architecture, engineering, and construction space are considering not whether to generate a cloud migration strategy, but what to include in it and how to plan it.

Tip 1: The Pillars of Cloud Migration Planning

To simplify things, cloud migration planning requires a strategic approach, funded on the answers to the following questions:

What is the driving factor for cloud migration? - This involves understanding why you need cloud computing and what are the KPIs you are expecting.
What should be moved and what should be prioritized?

These might seem difficult questions if you are just getting started with cloud computing, so my first recommendation for clients is to separate their IT stack into four big categories: Software, Platform, Infrastructure, and Human Resources. By classifying different assets following these pillars and assessing their associated costs and resources, you will be able to visualize your situation and have a clear image of what to include in cloud migration.

Tip 2: explore your cloud-based options

Another important step is choosing the best cloud-based solution, ranging between a variety of SaaS and IaaS options.

To showcase how to approach cloud migration, I recommend taking into account the example of one of our clients, The J Companies, a General Contractor, with about 35 users. Analyzing their needs and capabilities, we found that the most efficient combination brings together SaaS and a Cloud-Hosted model, which are delivered through a unified portal that standardizes end-user access. Some of the cloud-hosted applications are Document Locator (a document management tool, which reduces overhead for equipment and maintenance), Prolog Manager (PM), accounting app Sage 100, and Bluebeam. On the SaaS side, we have Procore, an intuitive and accessible solution, which makes things simple for users, Office 365, and a few more, which prove useful for AEC businesses.

Still, when it comes to cloud migration services, many clients also take into account applications that run out of their office servers, but, although some may enable remote capabilities, they also pose a series of inconveniences. First of all, their maintenance imposes high costs, while always requiring more resources, associated, for example, with a constant need for additional hard drives for storage. Secondly, they are not 100% secure, as their ability to restore and recreate a new setup, in case of downtime generated by natural disasters, drives concern.

Tip 3: consider IaaS and its benefits for business

On the other hand, if your priority is gaining remote access capabilities to your existing server, by moving from on-premise IT servers, then Infrastructure as a Service might be an excellent solution that you should take into account. In this case, a cloud computing service, like Microsoft Azure, for example, covers all aspects related to the development and maintenance of infrastructure, while your company is responsible for the purchase, installing, configuration and management of the software.

IaaS solutions like Microsoft Azure enjoy a series of benefits, as they:

Are financially efficient, offering access to a data center that enables companies to save on costs and pay-per-use.
Offer scalability opportunities, which means that clients may reduce or grow their resources at any time, adjusting to business spikes and always benefiting from flexibility.
Never fail - although hardware might crash, an IaaS never fails, ensuring both business continuity and disaster recovery.
Reduce, to the very minimum, the costs, and resources associated with IT infrastructure, allowing companies to invest more in their actual business strategies and operations, thus focusing on the growth of their brands.
Speed up processes, significantly reducing the time it takes to bring your services to your target.

In such a context and from our experience, we may, indeed, say that a solution like IaaS, particularly Microsoft Azure, that replaces your physical servers, is the recommended path forward.

Tip 4: Ask for expert advice, when building your cloud migration strategy

Developing and implementing a cloud migration strategy is an important step in the life of any company, as it changes everything from internal procedures and flows, to IT security strategies. This is why it is crucial to work with experienced providers, which may analyze your business needs and identify the best solutions that deliver on your KPIs.

AECCloud is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider that has been assisting clients in moving to IaaS or help provide a fully managed cloud-hosted solution.