Follow These 3 Rules for a Smoother Cloud Migration

So, you’re convinced that cloud computing is the way to go for your agency. That’s great, and it’s an easy choice to make, seeing the cloud affords your business benefits such as increased productivity, improved collaboration, anytime/anywhere access, and much more. Now that you’ve decided to go with the cloud, what’s your next move to make it a reality?

The first thing you’ll need to understand is that migrating to the cloud is a much more involved process than simply performing a software upgrade. It involves a lot of prep work, and, as is the case with other kinds of moves like packing up to settle into a new house, the better prepared you are for the move, the smoother the transition will go and the less likely you are to lose something of value.

ITProPortal provides insight into what it takes to properly migrate to the cloud:

“Good preparation is the key to success. Those organizing the migration process should ensure that all data is ready for the move and that the company network has the necessary capabilities to interact with the cloud.”

This is a major reason why you’ll want a professional assessment of your IT infrastructure before deciding to move to the cloud. Preparing your network for a move to the cloud involves several considerations:

Sorting and Labeling Your Files
It’s important you determine what files are worth saving and moving, and what files aren’t so you’re not wasting time and resources moving and storing old files your company no longer needs. This can be a time-consuming process, but will be worth it in the long run.

Preparing Your Network Infrastructure
Migrating to the cloud places demands on a network that may require major adjustments to your IT infrastructure. You'll want to consider two major additions to your network: setting up a direct Internet breakout in order to distribute traffic across external networks, and multiple firewall instances in order to secure the various Internet connections.

Have a Migration Timetable
Even the best planned moves to the cloud can take weeks or even months to complete. Therefore, you’re going to want to present your staff with an accurate timetable so the transition won’t interrupt workflow. One critical step to plan for is how user settings on profiles, address books, calendars, etc. will be migrated. To help with this, ITProPortal advises:

“Instead of moving all their data to the cloud, more and more companies are opting for a hybrid solution. This means that some users and storage locations stay with Exchange on-premises, while the rest move to the cloud.”

With all of your data successfully migrated, you will next want to consider strengthening security, archiving, and data backup in order to fully prepare your organization for the unique challenges of cloud computing. Rest assured, SMART Services' myAGENCYcloud solution was designed to help you with any challenges your organization faces as you operate within your new cloud environment, including taking you through every step of your cloud migration process. Reach out to us at 586 258-0650 to begin your move to the cloud.

Let Smart Services position your agency for tomorrow’s technological challenges. For 25 years, Smart Services has helped agencies across the U.S. face a changing environment by providing innovative technology solutions that allow agencies to focus on growing their business. MyAGENCYcloud, our complete cloud solution, covers all your technology needs in the cloud or at your agency. In today’s competitive environment, it’s time to make your agency technology a strategic asset, instead of a liability. Let us show you how. To learn more, please call our expert agency technology advisor at 586-258-0650.