A cloud migration isn’t as simple as many companies try to make it. It’s often discussed as if cloud migration is a simple matter of copying and pasting software into the cloud. Moving to the cloud can come with cost savings, flexibility and efficiency benefits, but without careful planning, a transition to the cloud can come with many challenges as well.

In order to begin cloud adoption, there needs to be a few foundational elements in place:

• Connectivity and networking: creating a connection where the cloud serves as an extension of the data center
• Security: determining how you’ll protect your hardware and data
• Monitoring: maximizing the visibility of your on-site and cloud applications
• Authorization and authentication: Determining who can access various apps

A cloud migration comes with a series of important decisions about placement. How a company decides which applications should be placed in the cloud will likely come down to a few guidelines. First, it’s important to determine the complexity and criticality of each application, and then decide, from the following information, how to move applications to serve the organization’s goals. These are the ones that should be considered first, based on the benefits a cloud movement would provide:

Applications with a variable load: Those applications that experience a variable load, including applications that require a large environment for testing and development, should be the first to move to the cloud. A cloud application allows you the ability to turn off testing and development capabilities over the weekend or down times so that you can save on costs.

Variable load applications include those that are public-facing and receive a high level of traffic during the holidays or over weekends. In an on-premise environment, you might require 60 servers during the holidays, versus the two that you run throughout the rest of the year. Cloud technology provides the flexibility to use those 60 servers, but only pay for their use when they’re needed.

Rapid growth and rapid modernization applications: Those applications that are expected to benefit from quick growth or innovation are best served in a cloud environment. Cloud updates are relatively quick and easy compared to on-site updates, and scalability allows for the number of users to be increased easily.

Take your clients successfully through a cloud migration when you partner with eXemplify. We can help you determine the best path to optimizing a cloud environment, helping your client to realize significant cost savings, improve flexibility and productivity, and refocus their energy on innovation.