There are multiple cloud deployment options for provisioning IT infrastructure and deploying applications to the cloud. Choosing the right deployment model requires you to understand your source environment, where you want to move it, and how you would like to implement the actual migration. Whether you want to deploy it in a private, public, or hybrid cloud, you need to plan it thoroughly and execute it with great precision. Else, you're at risk of performance instability, corrupting an entire database, and altogether losing customer trust.
Building a cloud infrastructure is a complex process. If you are new to this topic, we recommend that you start by reading our introductory article on Cloud Migration first. Understanding the role of application discovery in cloud migration and generating cloud baselines is also important before attempting to build your infrastructure in the cloud. It is even more important to design a migration plan prior to the actual migration activity.
Performance and configuration baselines are critical in understanding the current state of your application environment prior to migrating to the cloud. Without generating cloud baselines, it would be difficult for you to measure your cloud migration success.
Most organizations understand the importance of having a concrete plan and strategy when migrating to the cloud. In the article we've published recently, we've recommended starting your cloud migration journey by setting business objectives and establishing key performance indicators (KPIs). These two play a significant role in defining your cloud migration success. However, establishing KPIs and benchmarking metrics will be an uphill task if you don't have a complete understanding of all of your IT assets, applications, services, and the interdependencies among all of them. For this very reason, we've introduced the Discover stage as part of the cloud migration strategy we've been utilizing in IT-Conductor.
Security in any cloud environment is a shared responsibility between the organization and the cloud provider. The distribution of responsibilities between the two would depend on the cloud model implemented (i.e. IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), services in use, and applicable security compliance requirements. But on a more general note, the cloud provider is responsible for securing the cloud itself while the customer is responsible for securing their data within the cloud.
Defining cloud migration success starts with setting business objectives and establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) that should meet what the business aims to achieve. In agile, think of business objectives as the Definition of Done where deliverables are discussed with the teams involved to build a common understanding of work completion. On the other hand, think of KPIs as acceptance criteria that need to be satisfied before a particular deliverable can be considered complete.
For the past two years, we have seen how the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to adapt to the new ways of working. As we continue to live in this new normal, organizations should carry on with modernizing applications, discovering new capabilities, and building operational resiliency. Cloud transformation unfolds several opportunities to level-up operations, making it a necessity in today's workplace environment. However, moving to the cloud as we know it is an uphill task for both large and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). This 2022, we recommend looking at cloud transformation with an agile mindset and start delivering value to your business right away.
