Is your organization ready to move to the cloud? Setting up a cloud migration strategy can help ensure you’re using resources properly and choosing the right partners to help you get the job done seamlessly.
After all, if your cloud migration strategy goes awry, you could face decreased search engine rankings, lost web traffic and even lost sales.
Consider these 10 questions with your IT team before pushing forward with your organization’s cloud migration to help minimize stress and struggle during the move.
1. What Type of Cloud Migration Strategy Is Best for Your Organization?
There are four main cloud migration strategies.
- Lift and Shift: Move operations from a data center to the cloud or from one cloud to another, without alteration.
- Shift to Software-as-a-Service: Outsource applications to one or more Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers.
- Application Refactoring: Rather than moving all your applications, replicate the necessary ones in the cloud as you make the shift. Benefits include less downtime, lower costs and potentially streamlined operations.
- Replatforming: Like starting fresh, this option involves abandoning older ways of working and developing your applications in the cloud.
2. What Resources Will You Need?
To migrate to the cloud, you’ll undoubtedly need support from your IT team. But who else should be involved in your cloud migration strategy? You might consider outsourcing some aspects of your cloud migration strategy, especially those involving client-facing operations like your website.
3. Should You Choose Single Cloud or Multi-Cloud?
Depending on the cloud migration strategy you choose, you may opt to move all your applications to a single cloud or choose multi-cloud platforms to meet your company’s needs. For instance, if you’re performing an ecommerce website migration to Drupal from Wordpress while changing domain names, you may also want to replatform your ecommerce software to a different SaaS.
Choosing between single- or multi-cloud migration depends on your company’s needs and the applications you’ll be migrating.
4. How Can You Minimize Downtime During Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration takes time. Not only is it desirable to minimize the strain on in-house IT resources during migration, but you want the process done as quickly and painlessly as possible. In the case of URL migration, you want to ensure all your backlinks make the journey successfully, along with your:
- Query parameters
- SSL certificates
- Permanent redirects
Often, outsourcing a firm to assist with your cloud migration strategy is the clearest path to a fast and seamless transition.
5. How Much Will Cloud Migration Cost?
The costs of cloud migration will vary dramatically, depending on:
- Your cloud migration strategy
- The size of your business
- The amount of data and number of applications you’re moving
- The size of your website
The money you spend to outsource the process could quickly pay for itself in reduced downtime and fewer mistakes. Outsourcing will free up your in-house IT team to focus on their core competencies, which may include providing support and training to employees, as well as leading the company in technological innovation.
6. What Are the Security and Privacy Factors to Consider Before, During and After Migration?
To ensure security and privacy protection, your new cloud platform needs to meet all the necessary security standards, protection and encryption. You’ll also want to verify the protection of sensitive data during the migration. Specific industries, such as healthcare and accounting, may also have to address compliance concerns during and after migration.
7. What KPIs Will Show a Successful Cloud Migration?
Understand the KPIs you will use to determine whether the migration was successful. These KPIs could include:
- Had minimal downtime
- Maintained security during migration
- Enhanced security after migration
- Maintained or improved marketing performance after the migration
- Linked analytics
- Reduced amount of time spent training employees on the new platforms
8. What Software Do You Need to Assist with URL Redirection?
URL redirection is no small part of a cloud migration strategy, but it should be one of the last steps in your overall cloud migration strategy. You’ll want to ensure backlinks, redirects and — of course — all of your content makes the migration from your in-house data center to the cloud.
Relying on a company specializing in URL redirection can help you manage this crucial part of the process because such companies have the software needed for the process to work smoothly.
9. Do You Have a Way to Ensure the Transfer of SSL Certificates?
Public-facing domains require HTTPS migrations with properly provisioned SSL certificates. Do not let this step fall through the cracks, because your SEO and online marketing efforts depend on it. (If you want to learn more, check out our article on the importance of migrating your site to HTTPS.)
10. What Long-Term Effects Could Your Cloud Migration Strategy Have on Your Business?
Ultimately, cloud migration can bring tremendous benefits, including cost savings, streamlined operations and easier collaboration — especially with a remote workforce. Keep tabs on the process to ensure the cloud migration strategy was executed successfully in the allotted time frame, and watch for unintended side effects that could come from improper execution.
Done wrong, cloud migration could cause major headaches for your customers and your business. Done correctly, cloud migration has the potential to reduce costs, increase workforce productivity, boost SEO rankings and increase profitability.
By Sarah Ellis
VP, Business Development
Sarah is a passionate sales and management leader with over two decades of experience in the start-up, technology, real estate and music/advertising sectors. Sarah started her entrepreneurial journey years ago when she founded and ran her own bakery. Which is why she’s still the premier source of baked goods inside the urllo office.
