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Cutting corners isn ’ t an option – it ’ s vital to invest the necessary resources in getting this process right in order to achieve business goals and avoid mistakes .
In-house teams can be effective , but many cloud providers also offer their own staff to aid migration , although this can be expensive . It ’ s worth exploring whether migration staffing can be negotiated into the contract if necessary .
Investing in success and security
Even with a watertight strategy , cloud migration can still take a significant amount of time and money . However , cutting corners isn ’ t an option – it ’ s vital to invest the necessary resources in getting this process right in order to achieve business goals and avoid mistakes that may cause issues later down the line .
As recent breaches have driven home , security must be a top priority . This should start with an assessment of the current levels of security an organisation has in place and what is likely to be required when operating in the cloud , which can depend on the type of apps being deployed . While this can be done in-house , it is often advisable to consult an external cloud security specialist , or the app developers themselves , to decide on what security requirements are necessary as part of the migration .
Security considerations should also extend to the cloud provider aiding the migration . While cost is definitely a factor in which provider is chosen , businesses should additionally invest in substantial due diligence to uncover whether potential suppliers have experienced security breaches or outages in the past and how they have responded .
Obtaining a clear line of sight
So , what happens once the necessary boxes have been ticked and migration completed ? The cloud journey doesn ’ t stop there . Maintaining a cloud infrastructure is a different process to maintaining an on-premises environment , and should be treated as such . To start with , visibility can become a much more substantial concern due to the distributed nature of a cloud environment . This is especially true when operating with a hybrid cloud – which is currently deployed by 82 % of IT professionals – as it can result in a number of individual ‘ islands ’ of visibility , rather than cohesive oversight over the entire network . If these visibility gaps aren ’ t removed , network and security teams will struggle to monitor traffic travelling across the entire network , which can result in performance and security incidents that could easily be avoided .
A single pane of glass view into all data-in-motion is required to remove the hybrid cloud visibility gap and to quell the concerns and costs associated with it . Not only can this optimise performance by ensuring data is only travelling through the network monitoring tools that need to assess it , but it can allow SecOps teams to spot potential security concerns much faster – enabling them to be proactive rather than reactive . A large number ( 81 %) of organisations cite cloud security as a challenge , so giving security teams tools to enhance and streamline their work is critical .
Ultimately , taking steps to mitigate the hybrid cloud visibility gap as part of their cloud migration strategy will enable businesses to offer users and consumers a better digital experience . Problems will be solved faster , downtime reduced and network speeds enhanced when all data-in-motion can be examined quickly and seamlessly .
Cloud migration is an unavoidable reality for businesses striving to put flexibility in the hands of their employees . However , migrating to the cloud represents a major overhaul of all digital operations and shouldn ’ t be taken lightly . If decision-makers and technical teams spend the time and resources necessary to devise a holistic cloud migration strategy that is right for their infrastructure , needs and goals , then they will be on the right track . Considering who you choose to partner with , how to adapt processes – such as security – to a cloud environment and assessing the new challenges the cloud might pose are critical to getting this strategy right . p
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