If everyone relocates to the cloud, it’s hard for you to stay behind, right? Cloud migration is, especially for somewhat larger companies, a very complex affair, with one big goal: to prepare your company for the future in terms of workplace and work culture. The IT staff at LINKIT previously migrated KLM, IBM and government agencies to the cloud. To help you get started, these are their 5 top tips for a successful cloud migration.
1. Cloud! Cloud? But why?
Think before you start; before you begin a cloud migration it is important to gain insight into the reasons and goals thereof. For example, because you now work with multiple systems from multiple locations. Or perhaps your load sometimes has peak resource needs to which the scalability of the cloud offers an attractive answer. If you have the drivers in mind, you can determine the goals and you can proceed to the next step.
2. Make a strategic master plan!
The cloud comes in many shapes and sizes, so which one suits you? You can switch completely to the cloud (full cloud), or only partially (hybrid). Do you mainly opt for SaaS applications? And to what extent is it necessary to transfer and modernize legacy applications? And if so, what do you start with? And how are you going to do that? These are all questions that you must answer before you can continue. You usually take your own business objectives as a starting point for this. Certain compliance, such as laws and regulations, can of course also be decisive. A good strategy brings focus to an often extensive and lengthy migration process.
3. Treasure hunt in the cores of your network
Some companies and governments have an IT infrastructure that dates back to the 1970s or 1980s and whose elements are still used today. But with increasing effort. It is therefore important to find out what currently exists, how it works and what needs to be changed. We also call this the technical discovery phase. Conversely, we are also regularly surprised. Many companies already do more in the cloud than they were aware of.
4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Just look at your neighbour!
Best practice is a term that you often hear in the IT world and there is a reason for that. You are certainly not the first to implement a cloud migration and therefore you can benefit from the knowledge that has been gained previously. Our tips: start by migrating a relatively small and young application to gain experience. Work with DevOps, where you perform work in sprints of one to two weeks, under the overview of a product owner from your own company. This offers flexibility and the ability to adjust your plans in between.
5. Take time for a Brainwash
You know them: those people who have been performing their work in almost exactly the same way for twenty years and who panic somewhat when things suddenly have to change. Since change in the way of working is almost certain with cloud migration, it is important to devote time and attention to a culture change. Through training, workshops and personal guidance you take your people into the “new” way of working. This step is very important: if your staff continue to use the old software and working method, the transition has actually been for nothing.
Do you want to know more about the possibilities of a cloud migration? Then contact our experts! Curious about a good approach? Read our cloud checklist for insight into the next steps of your migration process.
