CLOUD COMPUTING
What is cloud computing and how can your business benefit from migrating your software?
Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services—including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet ("the cloud") to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Typically, you pay only for cloud services you use, helping lower operating costs, run your infrastructure more efficiently, and scale as your business needs change.
Here are some ways your business can benefit from migrating software to cloud computing:
COST EFFICIENCY
Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and software and setting up and running on-site data centers.
You pay only for what you use, which can lead to significant cost savings.
SCALABILITY
Cloud services can scale up or down based on demand.
This scalability is particularly useful for businesses with fluctuating bandwidth demands.
PRODUCTIVITY
On-site datacentres typically require a lot of “racking and stacking”—hardware set up, software patching, and other time-consuming IT management chores.
Cloud computing removes the need for many of these tasks, so IT teams can spend time on achieving more important business goals.
SECURITY
Many cloud providers offer a broad set of policies, technologies, and controls that strengthen your security posture overall, helping protect your data, apps, and infrastructure from potential threats.
PERFORMANCE
Cloud computing services run on a worldwide network of secure data centres, which are regularly upgraded to the latest generation of fast and efficient computing hardware.
SPEED and AGILITY
With cloud computing, vast amounts of computing resources can be provisioned in minutes.
This gives businesses a lot of flexibility and takes the pressure off capacity planning.
PERFORMANCE and RELIABILITY
Cloud computing makes data backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity easier and less expensive because data can be mirrored at multiple redundant sites on the cloud provider’s network.
COLLABORATION and ACCESSIBILITY
Cloud services provide easy access to data and applications from virtually any internet-connected device, facilitating better collaboration among teams.
What is the process of migrating software to a cloud service?
Migrating software to a cloud service involves several key steps, each important to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
Assessment and Planning
- Evaluate Your Needs: Determine what you want to achieve with cloud migration. This could include cost reduction, improved scalability, enhanced performance, or business continuity.
- Assess Your Current Infrastructure: Review your existing applications, data, and workloads. Understand their architecture, dependencies, and requirements.
- Identify Suitable Cloud Providers and Services: Based on your needs, research and select a cloud provider (like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and decide on the type of cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
Choose a Migration Strategy
There are several migration strategies, often referred to as the "5 Rs":
- Rehost (lift and shift): Moving applications as they are.
- Refactor/Re-architect: Modifying applications to better suit the cloud environment.
- Revise: Extending the existing code base before rehosting or refactoring.
- Rebuild: Redesigning and rebuilding the application from scratch.
- Replace: Switching to an already existing cloud-native solution.
Proof of Concept
Test the migration strategy with a small, non-critical application.
This helps identify potential issues and validates the migration approach.
Data Migration
Plan how data will be transferred to the cloud.
This might involve database migration services or transferring data over the network, and it needs to be done securely and efficiently.
Application Migration
Depending on the chosen strategy, this may involve simple rehosting, refactoring the application, or more significant changes.
Ensure that your applications are optimised for the cloud to take advantage of its features and cost efficiencies.
Testing
Perform thorough testing for functionality, performance, and security in the cloud environment.
This should include load testing, application performance monitoring, and security vulnerability assessments.
Deployment
Gradually deploy migrated applications and data.
This can be done in stages or through a "big bang" approach, but staged deployment is generally safer.
Use automation and orchestration tools for efficient deployment.
Optimisation and Management
After migration, continuously monitor and manage the cloud environment.
Optimise for cost, performance, and security on an ongoing basis.
Consider using cloud management and optimisation tools.
Training and Change Management
Train your team on new tools and technologies.
Implement change management strategies to adapt to the new cloud environment.