Business

A 5 Step Cloud Migration Strategy For Businesses

26 March 2024

Cloud migration has become a vital part of improving customer satisfaction and efficiency. It is when you take your business from an on-premise system to cloud technology and services. 

If you want to migrate your business’ applications and data to a cloud-based infrastructure, it is crucial to develop a cloud migration strategy before beginning the process. 

Your cloud migration strategy methods and steps are driven by your business’ vision, goals and interests. This is why no two businesses will ever have the same migration process.

Cloud computing is cost-effective, scalable and easy to maintain. However, cloud migration is not always easy and multiple issues could occur.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to make your transition much easier. In this blog, we will be taking a look at the five essential steps to complete a successful cloud migration. 

Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Planning

Theoretically, moving to the cloud is simple as long as you plan every step of your journey. However, as you are moving your business from a legacy system to a cloud system, issues may pop up. Planning allows you to know what to expect and prepares you to face any challenges head-on. 

Without any planning, you risk cloud migration failure and potential downtime, data loss or security breaches. That’s why you have to create an effective cloud migration strategy. 

In your cloud migration strategy roadmap, you need to consider two key components – applications and data transfer. With applications, you have to consider how you’re going to move existing applications to your cloud platform. Similarly, data transfer focuses on migrating your data to the cloud.

Once you have completed your planning regarding these two components, you can move on to the next step of cloud migration.

Step 2 – Find The Right Provider

Since your planning is now complete, you need to find the right cloud platform provider for your needs. A provider will guide you through the cloud migration process and empower you with the tools you need to make your journey smoother.

At Redpalm, we are a managed IT services provider and trusted Microsoft partner that can help you make the migration process easier. 

By choosing the right provider for your business, you will be able to receive the guidance you need alongside quick and efficient technical support.

Step 3 – Choose the Right Applications

As you may be aware, not all applications function in the same way. As a result, some apps may prefer one cloud environment over another. 

To combat this issue, certain providers have multi-cloud software options available. With these options, you will be able to provide consistent management and security while also maintaining the flexibility needed for optimal network performance. 

However, always analyse the build and the complexity involved in implementing any app to a hosted desktop before you begin the migration process. This will help you avoid unnecessary trouble later on.

Step 4 – Secure Your Data

If you’re migrating from an on-premise system to a cloud system, your data may be under threat and more vulnerable to breaches. As such, your cloud migration strategy team has to be aware of all the compliance requirements your business has when handling data. 

Moreover, certain industries like healthcare, finance or e-commerce are more heavily regulated. As a result, your cloud solution also needs to provide the right cyber security measures to match industry regulations. For example, Cyber Essentials/ Cyber Essentials Plus and IASME Cyber Assurance, etc.

Generally, many cloud vendors encrypt data once it’s been uploaded. However, with your provider’s assistance, you need to also encrypt your data during transit for added security. 

Step 5 – Gradually Migrate to the Cloud

We are well aware that moving to a cloud-based infrastructure can be exciting. However, even amongst this excitement, you have to remember that cloud migration is an important task. 

To build the best cloud migration strategy, it is easier to move in smaller and more manageable steps to ensure business continuity. Similarly, by moving one application at a time instead of all of them, you can understand exactly what works and what doesn’t. Furthermore, this enables your business to maintain on-premise data while applications are moved to the cloud first. 

Additionally, you could also phase your data migration based on the type of data – offline vs. production data, or essential vs. non-essential data. By doing this, you would be able to reduce workflow disruption and make your business’ transition to the cloud that much smoother.  

Contact Redpalm To Successfully Migrate To The Cloud Today!

Now that you know the steps you need to follow, all that’s left is choosing the right provider. We can help you with that!

Redpalm is a managed IT service provider that has provided comprehensive IT services to many businesses across multiple industries. 

With our team of experienced professionals, we have the knowledge and expertise to assist you with seamless cloud migration and keep your data safe and secure. 

From proactive monitoring to vulnerability assessments and technology procurement, we have everything you need to effortlessly scale your business. 

To learn more about what we do, visit our services page or contact us today!

Latest From The Blogs

holiday scammers, man using laptop
Cyber Security

7 Ways to Protect Your Business From Holiday Scammers

The Christmas holiday season in the UK is a pivotal time for businesses across industries, marked by a significant increase in sales and customer interactions. However, alongside these opportunities, there’s also a rise in holiday scams and cyber attacks as fraudulent individuals exploit the Christmas holiday rush. 

Read More
cyber risk report, IT technicians discussing report on tablet
General

Redpalm and Hexiosec – Importance of Cyber Risk Reports

As cyber security threats in the UK evolve in sophistication and prevalence, cyber security risk has become a growing concern

Read More
prevent a data breach, computer devices with code and access denied displayed on screen
Cyber Security

5 Effective Strategies to Prevent a Data Breach

Data breaches occur when any sensitive information is leaked or exposed to the public without authorisation. They can lead to the loss of your organisation’s intellectual property, customer data, or other confidential information.

Read More
cybersecurity metrics, woman next to data projection
Cyber Security

7 Cyber Security Metrics Every Business Should Track

The ever-evolving nature of cyber threats means tracking cyber security metrics is essential for evaluating your company’s cyber security posture and maintaining cyber defences.

Read More
digital privacy, person typing in their login credentials
General

Understanding the Future of Digital Privacy

Technological advancements have reshaped how personal information is collected, shared, and used, and privacy has emerged as one of the biggest challenges in this digital age.

Read More
cyber security certification UK, two males working on a computer in server room
Cyber Security

5 Tips to Secure Your Cyber Essentials Certification in the UK

According to the 2024 Cyber Security Breaches Survey conducted by the UK government, 50% of UK businesses experienced a cyber attack or security breach in 2023.  With a growing frequency of cyber attacks, many businesses have begun to prioritise cyber security and cyber security certification in the UK.

Read More
cyber security strategy, woman and man working on computers
Cyber Security

How to Build a Strong Cyber Security Strategy

According to cyber security stats, cyber attacks have become more prevalent in recent years, not only increasing in number of incidents but also in their level of sophistication. This increase in ransomware, phishing, and other types of cyber attacks has only emphasised the need and importance of a cyber security strategy for businesses across industries.  An effective cyber security strategy helps you protect your digital assets, such as your systems, networks, and data, from unauthorised access and damage. A well-constructed strategy involves procedures, policies and frameworks to help reduce risks, respond to incidents and safeguard sensitive data.  Your cyber security strategy isn’t meant to be perfect; it’s intended to act as a strongly educated guess as to what you need to do to keep your business safe. As your organisation and the world around you evolve, your strategy needs to evolve as well.

Read More
cyber criminal tactics, two individuals hacking into a computer system
Cyber Security

7 Common Cyber Criminal Tactics to Watch Out For

Cyber crimes are attempts by cyber criminals, hackers or other malicious individuals to gain unauthorised access to a computer network or system. These attacks often target a range of victims, from individual users to organisations and even governments, which begs the question, can cyber crime be curbed?

Read More
improve online security, a person using a laptop with visual of security overlaid on top of image
Cyber Security

6 Simple Ways to Boost Your Company’s Online Security

Online security, aka cyber security, involves protecting your business’s sensitive information and critical systems from unauthorised access and theft. With data networks being almost universal, fraudsters are becoming more and more innovative with their scams. Every day, countless cyber criminals scan unsecured or poorly secured networks, looking for an opportune moment to attack.

Read More
phishing email scam, paper email icon on a hook above a laptop
Cyber Security

A Deep Dive Into HR Phishing Email Scams

Have you ever received an email from your HR team that appeared too good to be true? Or perhaps there was something about it that sounded a little off. Beware—you may have narrowly avoided falling into the clutches of an HR phishing email scam.

Read More