The migration of applications to the Cloud represents the best response to the new paradigm of “doing more, faster, with less”. But how ? On paper, it’s simple. The reality is more complex.
Imposed by the context, the digital transformation of companies forces CIOs to leave their traditional framework (composed of a private infrastructure and traditional applications) that they master.
From now on, they have to deal with private cloud and public cloud, but also with traditional applications and others that are cloud native. But how to successfully migrate? What to start with ? The first step is to assess your situation in order to find the solutions best suited to your constraints and objectives.
Table of Contents
1. Define your goals
Moving to the cloud only makes sense when it can bring tangible benefits to your business. Describe your current goals and ask yourself if they can really benefit from the cloud.
2. Evaluate your applications to identify which ones are suitable for the cloud
If you haven’t already, take an inventory of all your apps. Next, start evaluating the suitability of migrating to the cloud. Some applications will have security issues or specific architecture requirements. Others are beginning to be obsolete. Finally, the different professions may require more innovative solutions.
3. Select an application to test the cloud
Choose an application big enough to demonstrate the benefits of the cloud, but not big enough to put your business at risk if you run into trouble.
4. Accurately estimate your needs
This challenge is not easy to meet. But it is nevertheless essential. If you overestimate your needs, the bill will be very high. Conversely, if you regularly exceed the planned capacity in an environment (what is called the overage), because of activity peaks which become more and more frequent, this overconsumption will be invoiced at a high price!
5. Look at the details with… a magnifying glass
All cloud providers offer virtual machines and storage for rent. Still, the devil is in the details as usual. Think about different billing schemes, additional tools, network services, etc. Do not focus on an attractive offer or only on the prices displayed. They do not reflect reality! Knowing precisely all the costs is one of the most important criteria.