Tech giants like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram serve as modern poster boys for cloud technology, as they’ve all built powerful business models on cloud computing. The invisible, but omnipresent “cloud” is responsible for the processing and storage of near-infinite amounts of data. It satisfies the need for such big businesses to tap into all that information and to use it efficiently for their purposes.
The cloud is a solution that many a small- and medium-sized enterprises have also turned to in order to achieve the following: cost savings, greater agility and business efficiency, and a fighting chance to modernize and compete against bigger businesses. Business owners also profess that migrating to the cloud led to better security for their data, as well as better compliance to government and industry regulations.
But if you’re the one who’s thinking of shifting your reliance off of in-house servers and onto the cloud, then you should know that this won’t be a one-time big-time, one-cloud-solution-fits-all kind of decision. Migrating to the cloud could have a major impact in how you’ll conduct your business operations moving forward.
With that in perspective, here are seven considerations we feel you should mull over before you move forward with the decision of migrating to the cloud.
What type of cloud solution you will employ
Look into the possibilities among the different types of cloud solutions: a public cloud, a private cloud, or a hybrid cloud setup. Your logistical situation and your company budget best dictate which of these solutions is most appropriate for your business. Sometimes it’s more prudent to invest in a smaller private cloud environment, or in hybrid cloud architecture that fulfills some functions in a cloud environment while relegating others to an on-premises data center.
How you’ll integrate your on-premises and cloud services
Migrating to the cloud must involve a key understanding of what the integration of on-premises and cloud services will entail. You will need an integration solution that will properly sync up your data for effective use across different applications, like those used for customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), human resource management (HRM), and other business processes.
How much resources you’ll be using up
Some businesses really do struggle with the resource limitations imposed by their on-premises servers, such as not having ample enough data storage space. One reason why migrating to the cloud proves attractive is the fact that cloud resources can be adjusted according to the needs of a business. You should be able to determine with your cloud provider how much resources you’ll be using up, allowing you to scale up or scale down accordingly.
How cloud services could improve the security of your data
Will cloud adoption make a difference in the overall security of your business data? The answer is yes, it may. One major advantage of putting your trust in the cloud is having access to the specialized security features and protocols of your cloud provider—things that you may not have access to if you have a purely on-premises setup.
What will be your disaster recover options
Migration to the cloud could easily be the best protection against costly data-related problems. In the event of a large-scale mishap, like the deletion of big portions of your databases due to natural or man-made disasters, most cloud service providers can promise quick-recovery because your data is typically backed up in the cloud.
How much the migration will cost
This consideration is probably the one you’ll come back to the most: what impact the data migration and cloud services will have on your company budget. Truly, it will depend on the service level agreement that you’ll reach with your chosen provider, and how long you’ll be contracting their services. But we enjoin you to put the true value of data migration in perspective, since the investment could be a boon to your business productivity and a bane to many of your expenses.
“Data is currency” is a new saying that holds firmly true in the digital age. We hope that you come to a good decision about moving to the cloud and that you find efficient and meaningful ways to improve your business from the data you’ll have at hand.
