So, you’ve decided that moving to the cloud is the right IT solution for your business. It’s a major undertaking for any organization, regardless of size.
But one of the biggest concerns business owners consistently have about adopting hybrid cloud is potential downtime: Will my business operations be disrupted? Will my employees still be able to work as usual? Will I lose any data?
So, how do you transition to a hybrid cloud with minimal disruptions to your business?
In this article, we’ll detail five key steps to adopt a hybrid cloud architecture as smoothly as possible, minimizing downtime and workflow disruptions. We’ll also explain how you can tailor the transition to your business needs.
After reading this article, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to effectively move to a hybrid cloud IT environment, allowing your business to retain control over the data and systems you want on premises while capitalizing on the versatility of hybrid cloud.
A hybrid cloud integration strategy is when an organization uses a combination of on-premises and cloud IT environments.
You’ll need a clear understanding of how your business operates, your industry, and any regulatory requirements for your business.
Before we dive into the best practices for migrating to a hybrid cloud architecture, let’s first explore what the differences are between public and private cloud.
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The public cloud is used by many different organizations who want to access the seemingly endless service options and features it offers, such as storage, workflow automation, networking, security tools, customer service, file sharing, communication, data analytics, and many others.
Third-party cloud service providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, host these services on their platforms, usually following a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
You can pick and choose the solutions that you need from different categories such as: software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and cloud servers.
Related Article: Pros And Cons of Software as a Service (SaaS) For Businesses
Businesses are increasingly turning to cloud native and cloud-based apps that can help streamline their business operations, while boosting productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
A private cloud is an isolated cloud computing environment within the public cloud that is exclusively accessed and used by your organization.
Businesses that store and handle highly sensitive information, such as controlled unclassified information (CUI), or those that have proprietary business information they need to safeguard, are more likely to use a private cloud solution.
This type of setup may be a requirement of specific federal or state cybersecurity regulations.
Before jumping in, you’ll need a clear understanding of your current IT environment.
A thorough assessment of your IT landscape as well as careful advanced planning with internal and external stakeholders will help ensure that your hybrid cloud migration can get off the ground with little or no hiccups.
Not all hybrid cloud solutions are the same, so determining from the start which one is right for your business is crucial to a successful integration within your existing IT infrastructure.
Related Article: Which Is Better Azure Or AWS? How To Choose The Right Cloud Platform
Tailoring your cloud model to your business goals will help you avoid costly mistakes down the road.
Key considerations to keep in mind are:
A well-structured plan is key to a smooth transition to minimize downtime and maintain the security and integrity of your data. A solid migration plan ensures your business keeps running while the transition happens behind the scenes.
At a minimum, your plan should include:
Related Article: On-Prem To Cloud Migration Strategies: 6 Steps For A Smooth Process
Instead of trying to migrate all of the parts of your IT environment you plan to move to the cloud at once, plan for a strategic, methodical migration.
Once the migration is complete, ongoing optimization is essential. Continually monitor and check for issues after the migration to ensure that your data is protected and that your business continues to function smoothly and securely.
This involves:
In today's dynamic climate, adopting a hybrid cloud environment can help fuel your technology modernization and give you a competitive advantage.
A smooth hybrid cloud migration starts with developing the right plan.
If you’re considering adopting a hybrid cloud IT infrastructure and have more questions, or you need help with other ongoing technology challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help. We can implement a cloud strategy tailored to your business needs.