Cloud migration mistakes to avoid
Migrating to the cloud is a necessary act for businesses hoping to stay competitive. Cloud solutions cost less while providing more features and thus any company which does not switch to cloud solutions is less efficient than companies that switch. This has lead to most companies migrating or planning to migrate to the cloud. Since this is the first time many companies are working with the cloud there are bound to be some mistakes. There are some common mistakes which we keep seeing – we work with the cloud and thus it is easy for us to spot these mistakes.
These mistakes are made due to a very simple reason; people do not realize how powerful cloud solutions can be. Applying the same principles to cloud solutions as offline solutions is like trying to use analog strategies in a digital world. The cost of these mistakes is high; ranging from opportunity costs to downright inefficiency. Cloud solutions need to be applied with a cloud mentality. Here are some of the most common pitfalls to avoid when migrating to the cloud.
Not training the team
This is the biggest mistake a company can make when migrating to the cloud. Cloud has many advantages but none of these advantages will actually be in play unless the people who use the systems are trained to use them properly. Cloud systems work in a way that is very different from normal systems; if people try to use them the same way they used old systems than the cloud systems will work worse than the older systems. Using cloud systems is not a complicated task; especially when you are using the cloud solution from a reputable company. A little bit of training goes a long way.
Not understanding instance types
There’s a simple reason that cloud providers are able to provide so much more at a lower cost; economies of scale. In economics, the larger your manufacturing, the lesser the manufacturing cost per product. When a company puts in hardware on-site they cannot buy high end specialized hardware because it costs too much. Cloud providers can spend millions on high end devices because they buy them in bulk and sell out their usage.
There are cloud solutions optimized for different purposes. Companies need to study the different type of cloud solutions available to see what is best for them. A simple example is processing capability; there are solutions which are made to work on complex problems and provide super computer like performance. There are machine learning modules which provide insights into the company’s data. There are also simple solutions for small companies that only need to back up and access data. Amazon, Datto, Cloudberry, Microsoft, and almost all the good cloud service providers have different type of cloud services for different type of clients and use cases.
Choosing the wrong storage type
Cloud providers have many different types of storage available based on the type of usage the company requires. The type of storage the company should be using depends on the size of the data the company will be transferring as well as the frequency of transferring the data. If the company dumps the data into the cloud servers only a few times a day but the payload is high then normal hard drives are good enough as a storage type. For applications where a small amount of data is being updated very frequently (basically any setup where a lot of records are being updated directly on the cloud server) then solid state drive hard drives should be uses. Pretty much every respectable cloud provider allows companies to choose what they need.
Choosing the wrong provider
Not all providers are made equal; when it comes to cloud services, your choice in the cloud service provider matters a lot. There is a reason that companies like Datto and Cloudberry have made such a name for themselves; they are known for actually delivering the services they advertise. There are some companies which claim to offer cloud services at absurdly cheap rates. Many of these are simply companies that have poor infrastructure and unreliable services which no company should depend on.
It is very easy to find out who the good cloud service providers are. A simple search will yield hundreds of articles and reviews about cloud service providers. Make sure that the service provider chosen has a track record of reliable service delivery.
