Moving your entire business to cloud hosting can seem like a daunting prospect, especially if you don’t know how. Your current system may have always worked fine as it is but with more businesses than ever before adopting a ‘cloud first’ policy, failing to adapt could mean falling behind.
For those looking to transition to cloud hosting, this article is for you. We will take a look at how difficult the process of switching can be, and take you step by step through the process to help you transition your business.
How to switch to cloud hosting
If you are considering switching your entire business to cloud hosting, you should first decide whether or not you need to switch your entire business.
Before deciding on your cloud strategy, you need to know if you can indeed transition all of your processes and applications to the cloud or if any need to remain in house – as that would mean a hybrid strategy was needed rather than a full switch.
Once you know that you can indeed fully transition to cloud hosting, there are a number of steps that you can take to ensure that the process is as simple, stream-lined and organised as possible…
1. Decide on a strategy
Your exact needs and requirements will vary based on your own business, so it is important before you begin, to decide exactly what it is that you hope to achieve from the move.
As you are moving your entire business you don’t need to worry about a hybrid strategy, but you do need to consider whether you have any specific features or special security requirements to arrange with your prospective cloud provider.
Any legacy systems or outdated technology will have to be switched or changed to work with the cloud, and you may need to prioritise and organise the processes you have, so you know exactly what you are transitioning (and in what order, if necessary).
You can then decide on your cloud strategy, if a multi-cloud approach is best, or if you are comfortable investing in a single provider that doesn’t offer multiple data centres (for redundancies, in case of a power outage, as a back-up, or enjoying reliable accessibility during peak hours, having more servers is usually the best approach for cloud hosting – so choose your provider wisely).
2. Select a provider
Finding the right provider is essential for a successful transition. You should check that they have the right level of support in your area, for instance if you are cloud hosting in Australia, it won’t help if they can’t fully accommodate your needs.
You need to feel sure that your provider maintains the highest standards of safety and security, reliability, and stays up to date with emerging technology so that your data is as secure as possible.
They should also have the mechanisms in place to help you deploy and manage your processes with ease, and use the right interfaces for your company.
3. It’s time to move
Now that you have got a strategy in place and chosen your provider, it is time to actually make the transition. Where possible, you should try and move your entire business as quickly as possible to avoid any clashes and confusion between old and new systems, but you can go bit by bit if you wish, in the order of the priorities you settled on earlier.
You can replicate your existing databases onto the cloud through your service provider and keep doing so until all your data has been switched. Then, you can move your business intelligence before switching production over to the cloud entirely.
If you are still having any issues, your service provider will be able to offer advice and guidance on how to proceed as efficiently as possible.
Conclusion
While it does take careful planning and preparation, transitioning to cloud hosting is fairly straightforward, and definitely worth the effort in the end.
Simply think carefully about your needs, prioritise your data and processes, and then proceed from there. Again, a reputable cloud hosting provider can make this process relatively painless for you.
