Tips to Help Ease Your Migration to the Cloud

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, May 11 6:00

An increasing number of businesses are shifting from on-premise servers and software to cloud-based alternatives. This business model is ideal for smaller businesses, which can access top-quality services for a monthly fee. However, moving from an on-premise infrastructure to one that requires only an Internet connection and a password requires careful preparation. Here are a few steps you should take to make your business s cloud migration as smooth as possible.

Start Small

Once you ve made the commitment to go to the cloud, it can be tempting to push the change out across your entire enterprise. However, such a major change leaves little room for error, pressuring you to have a perfect transition. If you ll ease your team into the change by focusing on several employees initially, then adding others on once you ve verified all is well, you ll avoid those embarrassing mistakes.

You can work with your cloud provider to set up a migration schedule that will minimize the impact to your business. You may find that one group is better suited to move to the cloud first, since downtime has a reduced impact on customers. Alternatively, moving one person from each team within your organization may be more beneficial, since you can test across multiple business areas while still having others on that team as backup.

Involve Staff

You ll need plenty of help as you plan and deploy your cloud migration. Fortunately, you likely already have the right team in place to help. Involve your employees in the process from the start, letting them know about your plans and asking for feedback. When they feel as though they re being consulted about such a big change, morale will improve and the transition will be smoother.

If your cloud migration means employees will see differences in the way they do their jobs, make sure you build in time for training. They ll appreciate being shown how to use the new technology and you ll have a more seamless transition.

Safely Recycle Old Equipment

Once the move is complete, you ll likely be saddled with a pile of old server equipment that you ll need to offload. Because of the big move toward cloud technology in businesses, server movers are increasingly being asked to assist businesses with safely disposing of old equipment. The first step is to ensure all data is completely erased. This goes beyond simply deleting old files.

A qualified server moving company can work with a business to outline a plan to destroy hard drives. If servers need to be used again, the drive can be safely wiped while still being usable. If it will be sent for recycling, server movers can implement a two-step process that includes degaussing the drive and shredding it.

A move to the cloud can be beneficial to companies, saving money and providing access from any device. However, the move can be stressful, with so many details involved to keep things from falling through the cracks. By planning ahead and taking proper disposal procedures, you can make your cloud migration safe while minimizing downtime.