An increasing number of businesses are turning to the cloud for the immense amount of benefits it offers, including improved efficiency and cost savings.
This trend has been so significant that according to statistics, 60% of the world’s corporate data is now stored in the cloud.
However, the process of migrating can be complex and disruptive, with a range of potential risks and cloud migration challenges.
Fortunately, a managed service provider (MSP) can help mitigate these challenges and make sure your cloud migration is successful.
In this blog, we’ll outline some of the common cloud migration challenges facing small to mid sized businesses, and how an MSP can help you navigate through them with ease. Stay tuned for more helpful tips on mitigating cloud migration challenges and making your cloud migration a success!
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Benefits of The Cloud
The investment you make in cloud-based solutions is sure to pay off over time due to reduced capital expenditure costs and streamlined operational processes.
With the help of a managed service provider (MSP) who is knowledgeable in best practices for migrating to the cloud, you can benefit from increased productivity and efficiency while enjoying the reassurance of high reliability in your IT systems.
Along with these benefits, cloud migration also allows you to:
- Remain competitive with the latest technologies
- Quickly respond to evolving customer demands, threats, and new market opportunities
- Increase efficiency within operations and management
- Integrate your cloud software with your IT infrastructure to create a holistic solution
- And more
Although migrating to the cloud can be a tricky endeavor for small and mid-sized businesses, the long-term benefits make it well worth the effort.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the common cloud migration challenges businesses face and how an MSP can help.
Common Cloud Migration Challenges
As your business looks to become one of the many organizations leveraging cloud computing, be sure to consider the following cloud migration challenges.
1. Financial Costs
While cloud migration promises a high return on investment (ROI), the costs of implementation pose a challenge for small and medium-sized businesses.
Costs associated with rewriting application architecture for the cloud, user training, bandwidth, and implementation charges are not to be taken lightly, but a successful and financially smart cloud migration is more than possible with effective planning.
2. Defining Project Scope
Outlining your business objectives in accordance with your cloud migration strategy is essential to setting yourself up for success with cloud-based systems.
Start by asking yourself, “What am I most interested in achieving or improving in my business through moving to the cloud?” Define reasons for migration, assess your budget, decide on your cloud platform(s).
Most importantly, be sure to consult with an MSP who can help your organization develop a comprehensive cloud adoption plan, customized to best practices based on your goals, resources, and existing technology.
3. Skill Shortage
You may already understand your goals and objectives for cloud adoption, and just lack the skill set within your internal team to implement your cloud infrastructure.
You’re not alone. The complexity surrounding a cloud migration is one of the most significant cloud migration challenges, and enough to stop most internal IT teams right in their tracks.
Not only can an MSP offer you the personnel you need to implement cloud technology, but also to devise a cloud management plan and train your internal team on best practices for cloud security and usage.
As seasoned experts in cloud computing, they will be able to assist you with everything from:
- Assessing which workloads are best suited for the cloud
- Addressing security and compliance concerns
- Managing data privacy issues
- Moving data and applications to the cloud
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4. Security Weak Points
It’s important to emphasize again the importance of cyber security in the cloud.
Of course, cloud infrastructure is a much more secure and practical option than holding your sensitive data in traditional data centers, however there are also security risks associated with the cloud that it’s important for your business to be aware of.
Cloud security threats include:
- Misconfiguration
- Unauthorized access
- Insecure interfaces
- External sharing of passwords/data
- And more
To ensure a smooth cloud migration process and protect your cloud data going forward, it is crucial that your organization outlines a cloud security plan that features incident response procedures, best practices for employees, access controls, and more.
A managed IT provider who is aware of the evolving nature of cyber threats and how to implement proper cloud security measures will be your best resource for safeguarding data within your public cloud.
Mitigating Cloud Migration Challenges
If you take anything away from this blog, it’s that a managed service provider is your answer to mitigating cloud migration challenges within your business.
As a trusted MSP, our team at XL.net provides guidance to your business throughout the migration process, assesses potential risks associated with certain solutions, and ensures that your cloud environment meets all of your requirements.
This will save your business precious time and resources, allowing you more freedom to focus on expanding operations and staying up-to-date on technology trends.
Book a free consultation with us today to learn more about our cloud services and how we help businesses like yours migrate data and applications safely.