Cloud computing

Checklist for Cloud Migration: A Complete Guide for 2023

Gartner® forecasts that worldwide public cloud end-user spending will reach$600 billion in 2023. While cloud migration offers a range of benefits, and its popularity has continued to grow very fast, it also presents some challenges that businesses need to be aware of. One potential challenge is the complexity of the migration process, which can require significant planning and coordination.

In this blog, we’ll lay out the best practices to follow when implementing cloud migration. We’ll also explore the benefits of cloud computing and things to consider when implementing it.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing refers to the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics, over the internet, also known as "the cloud." This means that businesses and organizations can access technology resources without needing to manage the infrastructure directly.

It has become a very popular solution for companies looking to reduce IT costs and improve their overall business performance.

Challenges of On-premise Computing

There are many reasons why companies are choosing to shift from the traditional computing methodology that involves relying on on-premise servers.

One of the biggest challenges of on-premise computing is the cost of maintaining and upgrading hardware. This can be a significant financial burden for businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones.

Another challenge is the need for qualified IT staff to manage and maintain the infrastructure. This requires a significant investment in training and hiring the right people.

Additionally, on-premise computing can be vulnerable to security threats, such as hacking and data breaches, resulting in significant financial loss and reputational damage.

Finally, on-premise computing can be limiting in terms of scalability and flexibility, as the capacity of their physical hardware restricts businesses. Despite these challenges, many businesses rely on on-premise computing because of its control and customization.

A striking example of the progressive trend of migrating its services to the cloud is the Swedish bank SEB. In 2019, it announced the move to a digital cloud data platform for basic banking. This helped the bank save operating costs and provide customers with personalized digital services.

Benefits of migrating to the Cloud

Below are some of the benefits companies that successfully migrate to the cloud enjoy:

No initial cost: There are no capital costs, and operating costs are more optimized; payment is only made for the resources used. Companies can easily scale their resources up or down based on changing needs without investing in additional hardware or infrastructure.
Flexibility: Users can access cloud services from anywhere with an internet connection, providing flexibility for remote work and collaboration.
Scalability: Cloud computing allows businesses to easily scale their resources up or down based on demand, ensuring they always have the necessary computing power.
Fast implementation: A completely ready-to-use service is provided within one working day. You can also spin up servers, databases, and other instances in just a few minutes.
High availability: Cloud services are designed to be highly available and reliable, with built-in redundancy and failover capabilities.
Data safety: The ability to recover data of any period in case of their deletion in the office.
Security: Cloud providers often have robust security measures to protect data, which can be more comprehensive than what many businesses can implement on their own.

How to Approach Cloud Migration

For small and medium-sized businesses, a complete migration of the IT infrastructure is easy since their infrastructure is quite simple. Large businesses, on the other hand, have a complex IT infrastructure and should use the partial migration option. This is a sequential and gradual transfer of services with the obligatory use of a migration roadmap.

For a successful migration, you should follow a pattern that includes developing a plan, deploying infrastructure in the cloud, migrating data, testing infrastructure, and starting services. Each stage involves solving technical and organizational issues.

Cloud Migration Checklist

When migrating to the cloud, it's important to make sure you have a thorough checklist in place to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Here are some key items to consider:

1. Goals and Objectives

Define what you are hoping to achieve by moving to the cloud. This is important when defining the type of cloud you’ll need. For instance, you need more computing resources to achieve faster responses. If speed is less of a priority than security, you’ll need to introduce extra security mechanisms such as vaults and API gateways.

2. Assess your current infrastructure and applications

This determines what needs to be migrated and what can be left behind. This will help in ensuring that you create a lean cloud infrastructure. For instance, you may have redundant databases and APIs that are no longer being used; not migrating them saves on cost and increases data security.

3. Cloud provider evaluation

Choose a cloud provider and services that best fit your needs and budget. Among the leading contenders, Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure offer distinct features and strengths. GCP excels in machine learning and data analytics, AWS offers extensive services and scalability, while Azure emphasizes seamless integration with Microsoft products and hybrid cloud solutions.

4. Migration Plan

Develop a migration plan that outlines the steps and timeline for the transition, including any testing and validation. It should contain information about the services transferred to the cloud at all stages of the transition, with the possibility of verification after each step. It will allow you to control all the steps taken.

5. Team preparation

Prepare your team for the migration and ensure everyone is trained on the new cloud environment. Ultimately, the goal is to make the transition to the cloud as smooth and stress-free as possible for everyone involved. With the right preparation and support, teams adapt quickly and continue delivering without negatively impacting the bottom line.

6. Backup and Recovery

Develop a backup and disaster recovery plan to ensure business continuity in the event of any issues. A backup plan ensures that data is regularly saved and stored off-site, while a disaster recovery plan outlines the steps to be taken during a disruption. With these plans, companies can minimize downtime, reduce data loss, and maintain business continuity.

7. Continuous monitoring

Research and decide how you’ll monitor and optimize your cloud environment to ensure it continues to meet your business needs and goals. Regular monitoring allows for the timely detection of anomalies, which can be addressed promptly to prevent system failures. By continuously monitoring, you can also identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to optimize the system's performance.

8. Data migration

Once the above steps have been completed, you can proceed with the migration process following the above strategy. If the transfer infrastructure is complex and extensive, you should move in stages. If the migration of some services cannot be split, a full migration is the only migration option.

What Are the Mistakes During the Cloud Migration Process?

Why step on a rake that someone has already stepped on before you? Here are three mistakes that you should avoid when migrating to the cloud.

Mistake 1. Lack of application dependency scheme

When migrating, the pattern of dependencies between applications and the infrastructure should be given special attention. If certain applications use the same database, then you need to work out a mechanism for combined movement to the cloud. If this is not done, then the application may not work correctly.

This is where technologies such as containerization can help. For instance, you can use a tool such as Docker to create images of your applications and their dependencies.

Check out our Docker Training course to learn more about images and containers from video lectures and hands-on labs.

Mistake 2. Lack of migration plan

The plan allows you to prescribe each stage of the move, eliminating chaotic actions and rash steps. Analyzing the situation and catching mistakes early will save time and achieve the desired results. We recommend using the Kubernetes platform to deploy and scale applications in containers. It also supports major containerization technologies, including Docker.

You should also adopt Infrastructure as Code (IaC) methodologies such as GitOps to make it easier to manage your infrastructure. This can be done by using tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, or Chef. To learn more about IaC, check out our IaC Learning Path.

Mistake 3. Running migration without preliminary tests

Before migrating to the cloud, choose a reliable and trusted hosting provider. After choosing a provider, request test access to the cloud platform and work through the migration processes. Firstly, move the non-critical service to the cloud, check how everything works, and move on to the next service. Such consistent activities will yield good results.

The Role of a Cloud Engineer When Migrating to the Cloud

Let's start by knowing what a Cloud Engineer does.

Who is a Cloud Engineer?

A cloud engineer is a professional who designs and oversees an organization's implementation of cloud computing solutions. They are responsible for creating secure, scalable, and reliable cloud-based systems. They also ensure that an organization's cloud infrastructure meets its business requirements and follows best practices for cloud computing.

Cloud engineers work closely with other IT professionals to ensure that cloud-based applications and services are integrated seamlessly into the organization's overall technology strategy. With their expertise in cloud computing, they play a critical role in helping organizations realize the benefits of cloud technology.

Whether it’s the initial migration or the third iteration, you need an in-house or freelance cloud engineer to transit to the cloud successfully. Of course, the success of migration to the cloud is influenced by the maturity of business processes in the company and the presence of a strategy for its development. A company does not need to possess competencies for a successful migration; it is enough to turn to a competent engineer with relevant experience.

Cloud solutions engineer is a position at the intersection of technical support and system administration. The engineer helps diagnose and fix most migration problems. They are also involved in the platform's operation, monitoring service operation, ensuring fault tolerance, and helping develop infrastructure.

A cloud solutions engineer advises the company’s development team on how to work with the platform it is migrating to. The average salary of a cloud engineer in Ukraine is $18,910, in the USA, $109,274, and in Germany, $78,978.

Check out Cloud Learning Path to see what you need to become a Cloud Engineer.

Conclusion

Migrating to the cloud can streamline operations, ultimately resulting in greater success for the company. For smooth migration, companies should engage the services of cloud engineers who can design the infrastructure to meet their business needs. Having a checklist will help maintain control over the migration process.

Mumshad Mannambeth

Mar 23, 2023 • 8 min read