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Last edited:
December 11, 2023

Cloud Migration: A Beginner's Walkthrough

Unlock the full potential of your business by migrating your workloads, applications, and processes to the cloud. Qucoon is here to guide you on this transformative journey.

If your business wasn't initially built in the cloud, it's likely that you depend on IT applications or legacy infrastructure that you own, host, or manage internally. While these systems may have supported your growth in the past, they can become limitations as you embrace newer technologies like AI, machine learning, and automation. Legacy, non-cloud-based systems lack the capability to fully leverage the benefits of cloud-native technologies, potentially hindering your progress and innovation.

About Client

If your business wasn't initially built in the cloud, it's likely that you depend on IT applications or legacy infrastructure that you own, host, or manage internally. While these systems may have supported your growth in the past, they can become limitations as you embrace newer technologies like AI, machine learning, and automation. Legacy, non-cloud-based systems lack the capability to fully leverage the benefits of cloud-native technologies, potentially hindering your progress and innovation.

Business Background

If your business wasn't initially built in the cloud, it's likely that you depend on IT applications or legacy infrastructure that you own, host, or manage internally. While these systems may have supported your growth in the past, they can become limitations as you embrace newer technologies like AI, machine learning, and automation. Legacy, non-cloud-based systems lack the capability to fully leverage the benefits of cloud-native technologies, potentially hindering your progress and innovation.

Challenges
What is Cloud Migration?

Cloud migration involves moving your digital assets, such as workloads, data, and applications, to a public or private cloud environment. By embracing this shift, you can enjoy a range of benefits tailored to the cloud platform of your choice.

The advantages of migrating to the cloud depend on the specific platform you select. For instance, transitioning to a managed private cloud can bring significant improvements in security and performance. On the other hand, opting for a public cloud platform will offer greater flexibility and enable the use of microservices. Regardless of the chosen platform, moving from an on-premises environment to a hosted one typically leads to various benefits.

  • Benefits of cloud migration include cost efficiency, increased productivity, and enhanced innovation opportunities. Moving away from expensive legacy infrastructure allows for instant savings and a shift from capital expenditure to operational expenditure. The cloud enables IT teams to focus on building new solutions, resulting in improved functionality and faster task completion for end-users.

  • Cloud infrastructure provides greater agility, facilitating the implementation of advanced technologies like AI, IoT, and machine learning for driving innovation. When migrating to the cloud, it is recommended to start with smaller, impactful workloads and gradually progress to more complex ones to gain migration experience and avoid potential challenges related to scope and timeframes.
Cloud Deployment Models

Once you have identified the workloads suitable for migration, it is essential to match their requirements with the appropriate cloud platform. While we commonly refer to "the cloud" as a single entity, it encompasses various deployment models. Therefore, conducting a thorough assessment of your applications and workloads is critical to making informed decisions about the most suitable cloud platforms.

  • Public Cloud: Public cloud infrastructure is shared among multiple businesses and managed by a service provider. It offers the flexibility to scale resources based on demand and pay-as-you-go pricing, making it ideal for handling fluctuating traffic and optimizing cost-efficiency.

  • Private Cloud: Private cloud infrastructure is dedicated solely to your organization, allowing for customizability and providing greater control over security. Depending on workload requirements and resource utilization, a private cloud can potentially deliver cost savings compared to public cloud infrastructure.

  • Hybrid Cloud: Certain workloads may require a hybrid cloud approach, combining public and private cloud environments. A hybrid cloud provides the benefits of private cloud control for sensitive assets while leveraging the scalability and cost-effectiveness of the public cloud for other operations.

  • Multicloud: Multicloud refers to utilizing multiple cloud platforms, including public clouds, private clouds, and even on-premises infrastructure. This approach allows organizations to leverage the strengths and unique features of different providers, enabling greater flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in.

By carefully considering the characteristics of each cloud deployment model, you can align your workloads with the most suitable platforms, ensuring optimal performance, cost-efficiency, and flexibility for your cloud strategy.

3-Step Cloud Migration Process

Each migration is unique and depends on factors such as the maturity of the application, complexity of the infrastructure, and the skill level of the IT team. However, there are typically essential steps involved in most migrations. It is crucial to follow.The Cloud Adoption Roadmap has three distinct phases,Assess,Mobilze,Implement.

1.Assess: The Assess phase is the initial stage of the cloud adoption journey. Its primary objective is to evaluate and analyze the existing IT environment, applications, and workloads to determine their readiness for migration to the cloud. This phase involves the following key activities:

    a. Workload analysis: Identify and assess the various workloads and applications within the organization to determine their suitability for cloud migration. This analysis includes evaluating factors such as performance requirements, data dependencies, compliance considerations, and security needs.

    b. Cost analysis: Evaluate the financial aspects of migrating to the cloud by estimating the potential cost savings, operational efficiencies, and return on investment (ROI). This analysis helps in understanding the economic benefits of adopting cloud services.

    c. Risk assessment: Identify and analyze potential risks associated with cloud migration, such as data security, compliance issues, and operational disruptions. This assessment helps in developing appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

    d. Cloud provider evaluation: Assess different cloud service providers and their offerings to determine the best fit for the organization's requirements. Consider factors such as service reliability, scalability, security features, pricing models, and support capabilities.

2.Mobilize: The Mobilize phase involves preparing the organization for the cloud migration by aligning stakeholders, establishing governance structures, and building the necessary skills and capabilities. This phase typically includes the following activities:

    a. Stakeholder engagement: Engage key stakeholders, including business leaders, IT teams, and end-users, to gain their support and involvement in the cloud adoption process. Establish clear communication channels and foster a shared understanding of the benefits and goals of cloud migration.

    b. Governance framework: Develop a governance framework that outlines the policies, procedures, and guidelines for managing cloud resources, security controls, compliance measures, and cost optimization. This framework ensures proper oversight and control over cloud usage.

    c. Skill development: Identify skill gaps within the IT team and provide training or upskilling opportunities to acquire the necessary cloud-related competencies. This may involve certifications, workshops, or partnering with external experts to enhance the organization's cloud expertise.

    d. Proof of Concept (PoC): Conduct small-scale PoCs or pilot projects to validate the feasibility and benefits of migrating specific workloads to the cloud. These PoCs serve as learning experiences and help fine-tune the migration approach before scaling it up.

3.Implement: The Implement phase focuses on executing the actual migration process based on the findings and plans developed during the Assess and Mobilize phases. This phase includes the following essential steps:

    a. Migration strategy: Develop a comprehensive migration strategy that outlines the sequencing, prioritization, and approach for migrating workloads to the cloud. Consider factors such as dependencies, interdependencies, and any specific requirements for each workload.

    b. Data migration: Plan and execute the migration of data from on-premises or existing systems to the cloud environment. This may involve data replication, synchronization, and verification processes to ensure data integrity and minimize downtime.

    c. Application migration: Migrate the identified applications and workloads to the cloud environment based on the chosen migration strategy. This may involve various migration techniques such as lift-and-shift, rehosting, re-platforming, or rebuilding, depending on the specific requirements and goals.

    d. Testing and validation: Conduct thorough testing and validation of the migrated applications and workloads to ensure proper functionality, performance, and compatibility in the cloud environment. This includes verifying data integrity, conducting load and stress testing, and validating integration with other systems.

    e. Post-migration optimization: Continuously optimize the cloud environment and applications for better performance, cost efficiency, and scalability. This may involve rightsizing

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