How to Kick Off Application Migration to the Cloud & Choose the Right Path

NOVEMBER 29, 2021 10:36 PM

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Cloud migration involves moving a company's data into the cloud. Adopting a cloud environment and moving daily business operations, like tracking inventory, managing finances, managing human resources, and paying vendors, is complex and lengthy; however, the benefits of cloud migration outweigh continuing to use legacy infrastructures. It is one of the biggest obstacles while transitioning to a cloud environment.

Successful cloud implementation requires in-depth planning. Before embarking on the cloud migration process, your organization may use applications that support a wide range of business functions, from traditional back-office processes to business-critical manufacturing, supply chain, and customer-facing applications. While planning to move your application data from on-premises to Oracle Cloud, ensure what data needs to be transferred to the cloud, understand the available data storage options in the Cloud Infrastructure, and choose an appropriate data transfer method. A disciplined approach with a thorough plan will result in a smooth migration from your IT infrastructure to the cloud - those who have adapted to the cloud environment cannot stop praising it.

Many organizations want to jump into cloud migration without evaluating the cost; however, anything new takes time, and the same goes for cloud migration. With Oracle HCM Cloud, you can provide computing power, storage, and other resources and gain access to them as your business demands. With minimal cost and effort, you can move your application to the Oracle HCM Cloud, reduce capital expenses, and minimize support/administrative costs while retaining the performance, security, and reliability requirements your business demands.

Cloud Migration Challenges

A new and sudden transition of resources can bring a lot of risks and challenges. Here are some of the significant challenges faced by organizations:

Not Having a Proper Strategy: Each application and dataset has unique requirements and may need a different approach to cloud migration. Organizations must be innovative and consider these requirements before implementing cloud migration strategies.
Consideration of Cost: Before and after transitioning, you need a proper bifurcation of 'spend' and 'save'; otherwise, you will pay a fortune. Additionally, cloud environments are dynamic, and costs can change rapidly as new services are adopted and application usage grows.
Data Security: Cloud services work on a shared responsibility model, where complete responsibility for securing infrastructure is on them, but it is your responsibility to configure them correctly.

How to Kick Off Application Migration to the Cloud

End-to-end operational visibility is essential before, during, and after migrating to the cloud to eliminate finger-pointing when KPIs are missed. When required, it helps provide an end-to-end view of infrastructure performance across application workloads and microservices.

To validate accurately, the monitoring tool initially used should not be changed throughout the entire migration process.

Before Cloud Migration: Find the user experience and performance, and define acceptable post-migration levels. If any degradation in one performance area is balanced in another, it can be adjusted.
During Cloud Migration: The current performance metrics should be closely monitored to check for variations from the earlier baseline measured. The dashboard and alerts will quickly identify any issues before production to save time and resources.
After Cloud Migration: The monitoring solution used will ensure a smooth customer journey across on-premises and public cloud workloads after migration.

Each technology has some risks, but they can be easily avoided if you are careful. But if you still find cloud migration risky, you can always opt for cloud advisory services and decide what is best for your business.

FAQs

What are some common challenges organizations face when migrating to the cloud?
Common challenges include the lack of a proper strategy, not accurately evaluating and controlling costs, and ensuring data security. A detailed migration plan is essential, as different applications and datasets have unique requirements. Cost management can be tricky with cloud environments, where expenses can change quickly. Also, cloud security is a shared responsibility model, and organizations must correctly configure the environment.
What specific approach should organizations take before, during, and after migrating to the cloud?
Before migration, it's crucial to establish baseline user experience and performance metrics to validate post-migration levels. Performance should be monitored against this baseline during migration to identify any deviations. After migration, the same monitoring tools should be utilized to ensure smooth performance across both on-premises and cloud workloads. This consistent monitoring approach helps avoid issues and provides a seamless transition.
Why is end-to-end operational visibility so crucial during a cloud migration?
End-to-end operational visibility is critical before, during, and after migration to identify any issues hindering performance. It helps to eliminate "finger-pointing" when key performance indicators are missed. Having a holistic view of infrastructure performance allows quicker identification of any variations from the established baseline metrics so that corrective actions can be taken. This thorough monitoring ensures a smooth customer journey across platforms.
What role do consulting services play in a successful cloud migration?
Consulting services, such as cloud advisory services, can guide organizations through the complexities of cloud migration. They help evaluate what is best for the business, develop a proper migration strategy, manage costs, and address security concerns. Consulting services can help mitigate risks, ensuring a smooth and efficient cloud implementation and a more tailored approach that meets unique business needs.
What are the keys to a smooth customer experience when transitioning to a cloud environment?
A smooth customer journey is ensured by establishing clear performance goals before migration, consistently monitoring performance using the same tools, and maintaining end-to-end operational visibility. Additionally, having the flexibility to adjust performance across areas based on needs, addressing performance degradation if it occurs, and using an appropriate monitoring solution are critical elements to ensuring a good experience both during and post-migration.

Ready to kick off your application migration to the cloud? Let's get in touch!

About SMACT Works

SMACT Works is a technology-focused systems integrator and IT/ERP consulting firm. We deliver end-to-end consulting, managed, and implementation services for Oracle Cloud Applications, IaaS & PaaS, On-Premise PeopleSoft & EBS Applications. Headquartered in Dublin, OH, we have a global presence with North America and Asia offices. We are an Oracle Gold Partner Cloud Standard, ISO 9001, and 27001 certified delivery organization serving customers with Excellence and Integrity.