Cloud Migration – Benefits, Risks and How to Avoid Them

Many businesses immediately implement a cloud migration strategy after hearing about all the advantages of the cloud.

The process of transferring applications, infrastructure, data, and other business elements and resources of a company to the cloud is called cloud migration. The transfer of data is a “conscious” action made by any company, as the cloud allows for less downtime, lower costs, and no data loss.

Though critical, this transfer is rewarding to any organization that plans this process correctly and takes care of the key considerations. In this article, we will discuss cloud migration benefits and risks.

The Advantages of Cloud Computing

Cost savings

The potential for major cost savings is arguably one of the top benefits of cloud computing. With the cloud, the vendor will handle all the costs associated with setting up your system. You don’t need to make any hardware or software investments. Nor will you need to assign the task of maintaining the system to someone on your team or hire staff if you don’t have the resources in-house.

Always be on the latest software version

As well as setting up your system, your cloud vendor can often handle all the costs and effort associated with maintenance, too. That includes functional and technical updates; these can be automated by the vendor. They will monitor your system, keep track of updates, and automatically release patches when necessary.

That means your business will always be on the latest system version, giving you a competitive edge.

Scalability

The biggest benefit that comes with the migration to the cloud is the sudden need for additional storage space that needs to be addressed beforehand. In instances like peak season mass production, your manufacturing company may require additional storage space that can be delivered by using the cloud as a storage unit for your business.

Data is backed up into a secure system

Once your data is stored in the cloud, it can be automatically backed up. This makes data recovery in the event of data loss a less time-consuming task. That means you can minimize downtime.

It’s easy to access data even when on-the-go.

As your data is stored in the cloud, you can access it wherever you are. All you need is an internet connection. This is obviously a huge benefit when your office needs to close temporarily and your staff has to work from home.

The less you can rely on on-premise systems, the easier it can be to maintain business continuity.

Major Risks in Cloud Migration 

Insufficient Due Diligence

Although the security layers of the cloud are quite robust when it comes to serving client issues, there are cases when cloud service providers do not follow sufficient due diligence, resulting in a security breach. Such a situation can aggravate data loss and provide a direct gateway for malicious attacks while hampering the company’s security system.

Extra latency

The delay caused between a request generated by a client and the response provided by the cloud service provider is called latency. In the cloud, the effects of latency can be multi-fold because, once shifted, the entire operations of the business need to be managed on the cloud; this can impact the speed at which your company operates.

Data Loss

Data loss becomes more likely not only as a result of malicious attacks or cybersecurity incidents, but also due to factors such as accidental deletion by the cloud service provider. If you are not clear about the underlying policies of your cloud service provider, it can result in potential data loss for your company. Therefore, it is advisable that if the app has extremely sensitive data, then it must not be saved in the cloud.

Compatibility

The possibility of your current infrastructure not being compatible with the required infrastructure by your cloud service provider can lead to added expenses being billed to your company as you may have to modify a lot of your existing systems. This may further lead to a delay in getting potential benefits at an early stage.

Conclusion

Cloud migrations are no walk in the park. To prevent cloud migration risk, contact us for a free consultation. Taking the proper steps helps ensure your cloud migration is as smooth as possible. When you partner with Bluefox, you give your data a safety net during your migration through our automatic, stress-free backup and recovery services.