May 20, 2021
A step-by-step guide to successful cloud migration
By Francis Wainaina, Senior Product Manager at SEACOM East Africa.
For companies that have just begun their digital transformation journey, cloud migration may appear daunting, but the costs of delaying the process far outweigh the initial challenges. According to a recent survey conducted by World Wide Worx, around one-third of African businesses spend between 50% and 75% of their IT budgets on cloud services. For African businesses to remain competitive, cloud migration needs to be a top priority.
Due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, most companies have adopted remote working policies. This has contributed to a massive shift to the cloud by companies around the world. The use of cloud-based servers and applications has allowed businesses to become far more flexible and productive. Here is a step-by-step guide for large companies in Africa to successfully migrate to the cloud.
Step 1. Create a cloud strategy specific to your needs
Begin by identifying the objectives of cloud migration for your business and how cloud services might best assist in achieving your goals. Based on your objectives, it is important to choose between a gradual, methodical migration or an all-out shift as a matter of urgency. Having a clear hybrid strategy while prioritising the specific needs of your business will make cloud migration more manageable and create a clearer picture of the road ahead.
In planning a successful cloud migration it may be helpful to identify key performance indicators by looking at the baseline metrics of the company's on-site infrastructure. Data, such as CPU and memory usage, disk performance, network latency, and load balancing will reveal how effectively your applications and services are functioning. This approach will also show you where your company can improve, as well as how to reduce maintenance costs while optimising access speeds and scalability.
Step 2. Determine which apps and services should be transferred to the cloud
Certain applications that aren’t designed for the cloud may not perform as well as they do on-premise. Some apps may simply require minor adjustments, while others may need extensive recoding to operate properly.
It is important to determine which apps and programs function best in public, private, or hybrid environments. This should cover criteria for performance, functionality, and security. A public cloud enables a business to share resources with other businesses, whereas a private cloud keeps data secure and prevents network overloads. A hybrid approach might be ideal as it combines the best of both options in a single solution.
Step 3. Maintain data integrity and operational continuity
It is important to manage the risks of cloud migration from the outset to maintain operational continuity. Your main objective should be to keep downtime to a minimum and migrate essential processes and applications to the cloud without causing any major disruption to the flow of your business's day-to-day operations. For this to occur, careful planning and analysis are essential.
When sensitive data is transferred, it is vital for its integrity to be preserved and intact. During this process, make sure you have a solid backup system in place. When extending on-site applications to the cloud network, it is important to keep regulatory compliance, security standards, and any software licensing issues in mind. This is where a reliable service provider can assist businesses in making well-informed decisions.
Step 4. Select the best cloud service provider
The final step in the process of successfully migrating your business to the cloud is to choose the best cloud service provider to meet your requirements and objectives. Cloud migration will be made simple and stress-free with a cloud service provider that has proven experience and a thorough understanding of the cloud environment while taking your company's specific needs into account.
SEACOM Business is able to manage the complexities of cloud migration and set up scalable infrastructure that can grow as your company expands. Managed cloud services allow your company to make a smooth transition to the cloud while maintaining operational continuity. Take advantage of these innovations by choosing SEACOM Business as your cloud migration partner. For more information or to get a quote for our cloud services, email us at marketing@seacom.com or leave us a message.
SEACOM owns Africa’s largest network of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, including fibre optic networks and subsea cables. We offer a wide range of industry-leading scalable ICT solutions for large companies that operate throughout the region.
SEACOM is privately owned - making it adaptable to the needs of the client. We are the preferred ICT and internet connectivity supplier for African enterprises. We can guarantee fast, reliable and secure internet and networking services at affordable prices.
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