Migration from on-premise to cloud-based IT management can be overwhelming. There are security concerns, cost issues, and scalability issues associated with overhauling IT management towards the cloud. However, for IT business leaders and security managers, cloud migration improves scalability, costs, and security in the event of a cyber-attack that may derail essential business undertakings.
Let's delve right in – what is cloud migration, how overwhelming it is, and what are the benefits of migrating from on-premise to cloud-based IT managed services?
Cloud Migration
Before examining the whats and whys of cloud migration, it is equally important to understand what cloud migration is. If you ever used Zoom, Office365, Gmail, or Google Drive, you most likely interacted with the cloud. Cloud migration involves the paradigm shift of critical assets and IT resources from on-premise, collocated hardware to cloud services like Microsoft Azure. The on-cloud IT services enable entrepreneurs and businesses to manage their infrastructure remotely while reducing the cost of managing on-premise hardware. Cloud migration eliminates the security risks and inconvenience of managing various IT services.
The Difficulty of Cloud Migration
While cloud management is usually sold or marketed as an easy endeavor, it can be costly and overwhelming if not approached strategically and carefully. The difficulty of cloud migration stems from the fact that businesses eying cloud migration seek to move their IT infrastructures, such as applications, software, and information, from a local, private server to a cloud architecture. Each of these cloud migration processes is unique, just like each enterprise.
The complexity of every cloud migration process depends on the total number of variables transferred from local storage to a cloud architecture. The most common variables for most businesses entail productivity software, CRM support systems, and edge services. Other variables transferred during cloud migration include:
- Internet of Things
- Remote desktops
- Enterprise database
- Network administration tools
- SD-WAN
For enterprises looking for faster cloud migration solutions, our private cloud offers actionable solutions from trusted vendors like Ascend. IBM, Microsoft, AWS, and Oracle offer high-speed fiber-optic public cloud services.
Security
Cloud-based management services feature advanced security features characterized by enterprise security standards and protocols. New security features emblematic of cloud storage have enabled companies to realize the augmented security they never imagined with on-premise storage.
One hardly recognized effect of moving security to the cloud is called the "network effect." Since cloud service providers manage multiple clients at a go, advanced security features are equitably deployed on the same user base, which is quite impossible for enterprises operating in silos. Therefore, cloud-based migration provides a shared security solution, particularly as IT moves towards blockchain, where the integrity of stored information or ledgers is the responsibility of all hosted users.
Cost
By migrating to the cloud, businesses can reduce internal operational costs while improving efficiency. Traditional on-premise IT management services diverted enterprises' attention from their core businesses. Switching to the cloud means that companies pay for only what they use. There is no point in maintaining costly data centers when the cloud can host information and computing resources.
According to a new survey by Microsoft365, 82% of small and medium-sized enterprises report reduced costs due to cloud technology adoption. Another separate study by Accenture showed that enterprises and firms migrating to cloud services save most of their energy expenses. This study is mindful that cloud storage immensely cuts back on energy expenditure associated with collecting, storing, retrieving, and processing stored data and information.
Scalability
Migrating to the cloud means your enterprise has the flexibility to scale up and down depending on your firm's IT requirements. An IT plan or solution that was appropriate and fit for one year may become obsolete in several years. This mismatch in technology use and conditions may cause serious implications in managing future customer needs and expectations.
Cloud migration provides organizations with the flexibility and ability to dramatically scale and reshape IT workloads and infrastructure to accommodate present needs without necessarily being chained to the computing requirements of the past. The cloud gives enterprises control of IT activities based on changing business needs. This way, businesses save time, money, and energy associated with on-premise cloud management services.
Integration
Business performance is pinned on operational efficiency since efficiency creates business profitability and sustainability. Cloud migration enables businesses to integrate their systems and operations and improve efficiency with their services. Over time, decreased efficiencies resulting from increased loads take a toll on business data centers, thus affecting profitability, performance, and efficiency. Traditionally, businesses managing their data centers had to perform infrastructure refreshes periodically to keep their hardware and software updated. This process was time-consuming, costly, and repetitive. Indeed, it ate up on valuable resources.
Accessibility
formation and data anytime and anywhere they want on any device or endpoint. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has signaled a change in business operations, emphasizing social distancing and work-at-home provisions. As employees operate remotely, there will be a heightened need for cloud-based managed services.
Ascend Can Help
Ascend Technology's cloud-based solutions are designed and configured by skilled engineers. They are anchored on critical pillars:
- Advanced security
- Optimized design
- High availability
- Cost-effectiveness
- Resiliency.
Ascend's cloud-based services focus on nurturing valuable, business-oriented relationships with clients and providing long-term value in terms of cost, accessibility, and scalability.
Contact Ascend for superior and reliable solutions in cloud computing services. Talk to an expert to get started!
