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A cloud migration strategy is the plan an organization makes to move its data and applications from an on-premises architecture to the cloud. Not all workloads benefit from running on cloud-based infrastructure, so it is important to validate the most efficient way to prioritize and migrate applications before going live. A systematic, documented strategy is crucial.
The cloud migration processYour exact roadmap for migrating to the cloud depends on the size and complexity of your environment. These are the basic steps:
What are the types of cloud migration strategies?Broadly known as the "six R's of migration," these are the six most common approaches: 1. Rehosting ("lift and shift")As the name implies, this involves lifting your stack and shifting it from on-premises hosting to the cloud. You transport an exact copy of your current environment without making extensive changes for the quickest ROI. Companies with a conservative culture or no long-term strategy for harnessing advanced cloud capabilities are well suited for rehosting. 2. ReplatformingAs a variation on the lift and shift, replatforming involves making a few further adjustments to optimize your landscape for the cloud. Again, the core architecture of applications stays the same. This, too, is a good strategy for conservative organizations that want to build trust in the cloud while achieving benefits like increased system performance. 3. RepurchasingThis means moving your applications to a new, cloud-native product, most commonly a SaaS platform (for example, moving a CRM to Salesforce). The challenge is losing the familiarity of existing code and training your team on the new platform. Even so, repurchasing might be your most cost-effective option if moving from a highly customized legacy landscape. 4. RefactoringRefactoring (or rearchitecting) means rebuilding your applications from scratch. This is usually driven by a business need to leverage cloud capabilities that are not available in your existing environment, such as cloud auto-scaling or serverless computing. Refactoring is generally the most expensive option, but also the most compatible with future versions. 5. RetiringOnce you have assessed your application portfolio for cloud readiness, you might find some applications are no longer useful. In this case, simply turn them off. The resulting savings might even boost your business case for applications that are ready for migration. 6. RetainingFor some organizations, cloud adoption does not yet make sense. Are you unable to take data off premises for compliance reasons? Perhaps you are not ready to prioritize an app that was recently upgraded? In this case, plan to revisit cloud computing at a later date. You should only migrate what makes sense for your business.
What are the benefits of migrating to the cloud?At a basic level, the cloud's strength lies in its elastic infrastructure. This advantage manifests in many different ways, including, but not limited to:
What are the challenges of cloud migration?Ensuring smooth application migration is a top challenge for today's technologists. Even after finding the right cloud provider, the migration process carries a certain degree of risk. Critical scenarios to be aware of include: DowntimeThe migration process might require taking in-house servers temporarily offline. But outages could be disastrous to application performance -- and by extension, customer loyalty -- if not supported by proper backup or resource allocation. Data lossOn its move to the cloud, your company's data is at its most vulnerable. Some of it might be unavailable or at risk of breach. Extreme care must be taken to minimize breach risk by applying cloud security controls such as privileged access management and app encryption. Resource managementNot all IT professionals trust the cloud. Employees who were used to managing physical servers might need educating on the new infrastructure. In other cases, cloud adoption requires introducing new IT management roles or transforming the very backbone of business operations. InteroperabilityIt is not easy to get your existing applications to communicate properly with newer cloud environments. To help ensure they do, you might have to adapt your processes to those of your cloud provider. ConclusionThese are only a few of many migration challenges that justify careful planning, testing, and resourcing. Work with an APM provider to account for these challenges before developing your cloud migration plan, and you can migrate with confidence. Get startedLearn more about Cisco cloud-migration products and solutions related to cloud monitoring. You may also like…
How secure is your cloud migration?The security of your migration will depend on the type of cloud you choose, the provider, and the specific steps you take. Build security into your migration strategy. After migrating, actively monitor your systems to assure that your data is kept safe. You can also take advantage of the security tools and resources available to you.
What are thirdThird-party services can also simplify configuration, data transfer, or data recovery aspects. Often, these services involve an appliance that is connected to both on-premise data centers and the cloud. The following tips should help you ensure that your cloud and your data are secure throughout your migration.
Should you rely on your cloud service provider for security?It might be tempting to rely on your cloud service provider for security, but that could lead to risky inconsistencies. Identify security services that overlay a number of different cloud-based apps and provide the same technology and policy management for on-premise applications.
How do I make a plan for a secure migration?Before you can begin making a plan for a secure migration, you should decide what kind of cloud you wish to migrate to. You should also decide how you will migrate to the cloud you choose. While evaluating options, there are three varieties of cloud environments to choose from:
How do you ensure security in cloud migration?Seven Tips for Protecting Your Data During a Cloud Migration. Understand What Data You Have. ... . Know The Data Compliance Regime. ... . Access Control and Deduplication. ... . Encrypt During Transit. ... . Assess The Impact On Your Remaining Data Center. ... . Comprehensively Wipe Your Retiring Drives. ... . Understand your Cloud's Security.. How do you ensure security in cloud computing?Deploy Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) ... . Manage Your User Access to Improve Cloud Computing Security. ... . Monitor End User Activities With Automated Solutions to Detect Intruders. ... . Create a Comprehensive Off-boarding Process to Protect against Departing Employees. ... . Provide Anti-Phishing Training for Employees on a Regular Basis.. Why security is a concern while migrating to the cloud?Cloud migration requires careful planning because it is vulnerable to several attacks. During migration, sensitive data is transferred, making it vulnerable to attack. In addition, at various stages of a migration project, attackers can gain access to unsecured dev, test or production environments.
What security threats does my organization need to prepare for while migrating to the cloud?Risks in Cloud Migration. Lack of a clear cloud migration strategy. ... . Incompatibility of existing architecture. ... . Security risks. ... . Reduced Visibility and Control. ... . Data loss. ... . Incomplete deletion of data. ... . Overspending. ... . Unwanted latency.. |