Cloud Migration FAQs
There are 4 main types of business cloud migration, each used based on the individual needs of a company, and the way that different companies want to use the cloud in order to accomplish their goals. These 4 types of cloud migration are:
- Lift and shift – Lift and shift migration provides the same software that your company already uses, but is hosted in the cloud, rather than locally. This is the fastest method of migration as it simply moves the code to a new location. The software should work exactly as before, with minimal disruption and involvement.
- Software as a Service (SaaS) – SaaS is the process of outsourcing applications to a cloud service company that specialises in the management of those applications, for example, email. Switching to SaaS frees up employees to focus more on key tasks and operations, and also means that few licences are required for business tools.
- Application Refactoring – Application refactoring is a low-risk migration where organisations can replicate legacy applications whole, and intact, onto a cloud platform. This provides benefits of agility and speed, whilst also allowing those legacy applications to run parallel whilst new applications are being developed.
Replatforming – Replatforming is for businesses that want to embrace all of the possibilities that come with cloud migration. It involves replacing the application at the code level in order to redevelop it to be cloud-native. This usually means a complete rewrite of the code, and as such can take time and money to do it right. However, the benefits of re-platforming mean that a business’ core competencies can be scalable, elastic, robust, resilient, and available.
There are many benefits in migrating to the cloud, namely productivity, agility, and flexibility. Other benefits of cloud migration include:
- Scalability
- Ability to innovate faster
- Reduction in costs
- Simplified management and monitoring
- Enhanced security
- Backup recovery
Read our recent blog to find out more about these benefits.
When migrating to the Azure cloud, we recommend a 4 step process;
- Discover: Identify our software, workload, and processes that you want to migrate. This can be a long and tedious process, but it is essential for a smooth migration.
- Assess: Categorise software, workload, and processes, and determine your requirements and priorities.
- Target: Identify destinations for each workload/process and map out how your servers are going to be migrated. Consider factors such as speed, ease, cost, and functionality here.
- Migrate: Perform the migration
Cloud hosting is a much safer, easier to use and often cheaper alternative to traditional hosting. It can be managed by an external company, meaning there is less risk of failure. Some more examples include:
- Improving team collaboration
- Faster loading times
- Increased storage capacity
- Reduced impact on the environment
We have a blog available which goes into more detail about the many benefits of cloud hosting over traditional hosting.
