Overcoming the Top 5 Cloud Migration Barriers

Cloud migration is not always a smooth process despite its benefits, yet in recent years, migrating to the cloud has become a top priority for businesses of all sizes and types. This shift is rooted in an organization's approach as it moves away from all traditional practices.

But, on the verge of migration, there will always be barriers that might prolong the time and resources an organization might spend on migration. Such barriers include Security Concerns (Data Breaches), Data Privacy, Legacy Systems, Cost Management, and Lack of Skills.

Now, let's dive deep into what these barriers mean and how you can ensure you don't get stranded in your transition to the cloud.

1. Security Concerns in Cloud Migration

When it comes to data and applications hosted on the cloud, ensuring their security is of utmost importance. It is crucial to implement the same level of security measures as you would for on-premise hosting. 

And while deploying cloud solutions, it's essential to understand that not all deployment models offer the same level of security. Each cloud deployment model has unique features; some may be better suited to meet your organization's security requirements than others. 

This is why it's essential to carefully evaluate each option before deciding. Take the time to assess the security features of each deployment model and consider factors like data privacy, access control, and compliance requirements. 

Doing so lets you determine the best fit for your organization and ensure that your data remains secure in the cloud.

2. Data Privacy

Regarding cloud computing, it is essential to understand that not all enterprise data is created equally. In a cloud environment, different data types require different storage solutions specifically designed to cater to their unique needs. 

Unlike most on-premise data centers, cloud storage solutions are available in various options, ranging from block storage to object storage and file storage, each with its own set of features and functionalities. 

Thus, it is essential for enterprises to carefully evaluate their data requirements and choose the appropriate cloud storage solution that best suits their needs.

If you're planning a massive data migration, having a comprehensive view of your entire data estate is crucial. This means gaining complete visibility into all your data, including its nature, type, size, capacity, uses, sensitivity levels, and associated risks. 

When moving to the cloud, it's essential to have a clear understanding of each of these aspects of your data to ensure a smooth transition and mitigate any potential issues that may arise. 

With this level of detail, you can make more informed decisions about which data should be migrated, how to handle sensitive information, and what steps to take to ensure the data is secure throughout the migration process.

The nature of your business model determines the types of data you might be dealing with, such as transactional, analytical, master, and archived data. Each data type has unique characteristics and may entail different security and privacy considerations when moving to the cloud. 

For example,

• Transactional data is real-time data generated during business operations, such as sales transactions and order processing.

• Analytical data includes historical data, trends, and patterns that are used for reporting and analysis purposes.

• Master data refers to the critical data entities used across different applications and systems to ensure data consistency and accuracy. 

• Archived data is typically inactive data stored for regulatory compliance or legal reasons.

When porting these data types to the cloud, you must consider factors such as data sensitivity, data residency, data sovereignty, data access controls, and data encryption to ensure your data is secure and compliant with regulatory requirements.

3. Legacy Systems and Cloud Migration

Replacing and migrating legacy systems is a crucial task that often tops the priority list of many organizations. However, it is a challenging feat to achieve, as it comes with several challenges that can be both costly and time-consuming. 

On that account, it is vital to thoroughly assess various key aspects before embarking on such a complex project. These aspects may include evaluating the current condition of the legacy system, identifying the specific business needs that the new system must fulfill, and determining which risks can be accepted and which ones must be mitigated. 

By examining these factors in detail, organizations can ensure that their legacy system replacement and migration efforts are successful, efficient, and effective in meeting their objectives.

4. Cost Management

Effective cloud cost management is often challenging due to a lack of visibility into spending practices. It is not uncommon for companies to overlook hidden costs because they lack the tools to accurately determine cloud spending. 

Moreover, cloud users may be unable to interpret cost reports correctly, leading them to overspend. 

A solution to these issues is providing access to cloud expense reports that clearly understand how their activities affect expenditures.

Furthermore, implementing software with deep visibility capabilities can provide you with more comprehensive insight into your cloud expenditures, helping you make informed decisions about resource allocation and optimize your spending. 

So, you can streamline your cloud operations, reduce cloud costs, and ensure your organization runs efficiently.

Also, read our case study to know how we achieved a 50% cost reduction with SAP migration to AWS.

5. Lack of Skills

As more businesses migrate to cloud-based infrastructure and services, it is becoming increasingly inevitable that cloud skills shortages will emerge, affecting all contributors to the cloud-based software development life cycle, with software engineers being particularly in demand to help create and update products and services. 

This shortage also poses significant challenges for companies seeking to operate in the cloud, as they will need to compete for a limited pool of qualified personnel and may need to invest more in upskilling current employees to meet the demands of the digital era.

Solution

Now that we have identified the challenges, let's explore solutions to streamline the migration process for a more seamless transition.

1. Security Concern

 To mitigate security concerns related to data breaches, it is crucial to implement a range of comprehensive security practices. This includes enforcing strong access controls to limit unauthorized access, utilizing encryption to protect sensitive data at rest and in transit, and implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add an additional layer of protection for user authentication. These security measures work together to create a robust security environment that can help prevent data breaches and protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. 

2. Data Privacy

To comply with legal requirements, it is necessary to implement additional measures for data encryption and access control. This includes utilizing encryption algorithms that meet industry standards, enforcing stricter password policies, implementing Multi-Factor Authentication, and restricting access to sensitive information only to authorized personnel. 

These measures are crucial for protecting data's confidentiality, integrity, and availability and ensuring it is not accessed or misused. By implementing these additional controls, the organization can demonstrate its commitment to data protection and safeguard its reputation against potential breaches or unauthorized disclosures.

3. Legacy Systems

A thorough assessment must be conducted, and this assessment should cover all aspects of the system, including its dependencies on other technology, data structures, and any customizations that have been made over time. 

By examining these components in detail, it will be possible to gain a comprehensive understanding of the legacy system and how it functions within the organization. This information can then be used to inform decisions about how to update or replace the system in the future.

4. Cost Management

It is crucial to continuously assess the demand for resources and adjust the resource allocations accordingly. This requires a thorough understanding of the current and future demands for resources and the ability to monitor and analyze resource usage data in real-time. 

By doing so, organizations can ensure that they are utilizing their resources effectively and efficiently while avoiding underutilization or overutilization of resources. This approach can help organizations to reduce costs, improve performance, and maximize their return on investment in resources. 

5. Lack of Skills

Investing in cloud training programs or hiring cloud experts who can help you plan and execute the migration process is highly recommended. 

These experts can guide you through the entire process, from assessing your current infrastructure to determining the most suitable cloud-based solutions for your needs. 

They can also help you identify and address potential challenges like security concerns, data migration, and application compatibility issues. By investing in cloud training programs or hiring skilled professionals, you can ensure a smooth transition to the cloud, minimize downtime, and maximize the benefits that cloud computing can offer your organization. 

Key Takeaways

While cloud migration offers businesses immense benefits, it has its challenges, and organizations need to be aware of the potential barriers that can arise during the migration process and take proactive steps to mitigate them to ensure a smooth and successful transition to the cloud.

Consult with our experts today to ensure that your cloud migration journey unlocks limitless possibilities without being clouded by barriers.