On-premise to cloud migration: Redefining your data infrastructure

Achieving operational excellence with best practices for cloud data migration

What is on-premise to cloud migration?

On-premise to cloud migration is the process of transferring an organization's IT assets—including applications, data, servers, and networks—from local infrastructure to cloud-based services. This transition shifts operations from fixed, in-house hardware to scalable and flexible cloud environments, enabling businesses to leverage key benefits such as improved scalability, enhanced flexibility, cost efficiency, high availability, and better accessibility. By embracing cloud computing, organizations can reduce their reliance on physical infrastructure while gaining the ability to adapt quickly to changing business needs and technological advancements.

Why migrate? The business case for cloud transformation

Cloud environments provide unparalleled scalability, allowing businesses to rapidly adjust resources based on demand, which is crucial for responding to market changes. They also offer significant cost efficiency by converting capital expenditures on physical infrastructure into operational expenses, with organizations paying only for the resources they use. Additionally, cloud platforms enhance accessibility and collaboration, enabling seamless remote work and global operations.

 

However, migrating to the cloud comes with challenges that require careful management. Ensuring data security and privacy during the transfer is vital, as is handling the complexity of migrating diverse workloads and applications. Potential downtime needs strategic planning to minimize business disruption. Initial migration costs can be significant, necessitating precise budgeting while transferring large data volumes with limited bandwidth can be time-consuming. Despite these challenges, the operational efficiency, business agility, and global reach offered by cloud migration solutions make it a key strategy for driving growth and innovation. This guide will help you navigate these challenges and unlock the full potential of cloud technology.

8 steps for a successful on-premise to cloud migration

Data migration to cloud can be a complex process, but it becomes manageable and highly effective with a structured approach. Sigmoid’s method breaks down the cloud migration process into eight essential steps to ensure a seamless transition that meets business goals and user expectations.

 
  1. Identify needs and expectations
    Begin by understanding user requirements and their specific expectations from the migration. This includes a thorough analysis of performance demands, scalability needs, and data privacy requirements to ensure the solution meets all critical criteria.
  2. Determine the architecture
    Design a robust cloud data architecture that aligns with business goals. This involves selecting appropriate technologies and architectural frameworks that will support an organization's objectives and provide a solid foundation for the data infrastructure.
  3. Establish cloud migration strategy
    Develop a clear migration strategy that outlines the steps for a successful transition. Decide whether a sequential, step-by-step approach or a bulk migration method is more suitable, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.
  4. Plan data migration
    Identify all relevant data sources and establish a detailed plan for data migration. Automate the ingestion process into a data lake or data warehouse to streamline data transfer and integration, minimizing disruptions to ongoing operations.
  5. Implement data governance
    Set up robust data governance practices to manage data policies, ensure data security, maintain high data quality, and adhere to regulatory compliance. This step is crucial for maintaining the integrity and reliability of the data throughout the cloud migration process.
  6. Build data pipelines
    Develop cloud-native data pipelines to facilitate smooth data flow and integration. Ensure these pipelines are efficient, reliable, and scalable to handle varying data loads and complexities.
  7. Enable cloud operations
    Automate deployment processes and establish real-time monitoring and alerting systems. Implement auto-scaling to dynamically adjust resources based on demand, ensuring optimal performance and cost-efficiency in the cloud environment.
  8. Optimize costs
    Conduct thorough capacity planning and evaluate alternative technologies to optimize costs. Maintain full visibility of cloud usage to identify and manage expenses effectively, ensuring that cloud migration remains cost-effective without compromising on performance.

Key advantages of cloud migration for modern enterprises

Migrating from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud offers a range of strategic benefits, significantly enhancing business operations and competitive edge. Here’s a deeper look into these advantages:

 
  • Dynamic scalability and flexibility: Cloud environments provide exceptional scalability, allowing businesses to adjust resources dynamically in response to demand fluctuations. This flexibility helps organizations manage varying workloads efficiently without the need for significant upfront investments in hardware, enabling rapid response to market changes.
  • Operational cost efficiency: Transitioning to the cloud reduces capital expenditure by eliminating the need for extensive on-premise hardware and maintenance costs. Cloud services operate on a pay-as-you-go model, allowing businesses to pay only for the resources they utilize, resulting in substantial long-term savings and budget predictability.
  • Advanced security and compliance: Leading cloud migration service providers invest heavily in cutting-edge security measures, including encryption, firewalls, and identity and access management. These providers also adhere to stringent compliance certifications, often surpassing the security capabilities of on-premise setups. This ensures robust protection of sensitive data and compliance with industry regulations.
  • Enhanced performance and accessibility: With robust infrastructure and global data centers, cloud migration service providers deliver improved performance, reduced latency, and seamless accessibility from various locations. This facilitates remote work and enhances collaboration among distributed teams, ensuring consistent access to critical applications and data.
  • Global reach and seamless collaboration: Cloud services enable businesses to expand their reach globally, allowing teams to collaborate in real-time regardless of geographical boundaries. This capability promotes innovation, streamlines workflows, and accelerates time-to-market for new products and services.
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Addressing critical issues in on-premise to cloud migration

Transitioning from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud presents several critical challenges that organizations must address to ensure a successful migration.

 
  • Data security and privacy Concerns: Ensuring the security and privacy of sensitive data during and after migration is paramount. Organizations must comply with industry regulations and implement robust security measures to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
  • Migration complexity: Transferring diverse workloads, applications, and data can be intricate. Compatibility issues may necessitate modifications or redesigns to ensure seamless functionality in the cloud environment.
  • Minimizing downtime and disruption: Migration can cause downtime, affecting business operations. Careful planning, scheduling migrations during off-peak hours, and implementing strategies for data synchronization and failover are essential to minimize disruption.
  • Managing costs and budgeting: Initial migration costs can be significant, including expenses for data transfer, system reconfiguration, and employee training. Accurate budgeting and cost management are crucial to avoid unexpected financial burdens.
  • Data transfer and bandwidth constraints: Transferring large volumes of data can be time-consuming, particularly with limited bandwidth, leading to extended migration periods and potential business disruptions.
  • Integration and compatibility issues: On-premise applications may not seamlessly integrate with cloud services. Addressing compatibility issues may require modifications or refactoring to ensure optimal performance in the cloud environment.

Proven strategies for seamless migration to enhance performance

Migrating from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud can be accomplished through various strategies, each with its own advantages, considerations, and suitable use cases. Here's a detailed overview of these strategies:

 

    Rehosting (Lift and Shift):

  • Description: Rehosting involves moving applications and workloads from on-premise servers to the cloud without making significant changes to their architecture. It essentially replicates the existing infrastructure in the cloud environment.
  • Advantages: Quick and relatively simple migration process, well suited for initial quick Proof of Concepts (POCs). Minimal changes are required, leading to shorter migration timelines.
  • Considerations: May not fully leverage the benefits of cloud-native services. Performance optimization might be needed post-migration.
    •  

    Replatforming (Lift, Tinker, and Shift):

  • Description: Replatforming involves making minor adjustments to applications or systems before migrating them to the cloud. This could involve upgrading databases, adjusting configurations, or optimizing applications for cloud environments.
  • Advantages: Balances migration speed with some level of optimization for cloud infrastructure. Can improve performance and reduce costs compared to rehosting.
  • Considerations: Requires more planning and potentially additional resources compared to rehosting. May involve downtime during the migration process.
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    Repurchasing (Drop and Shop):

  • Description: In this method, organizations replace existing on-premise software or systems with cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions available from cloud providers or third-party vendors.
  • Advantages: Simplifies management and reduces the need for in-house maintenance. Often results in access to more advanced features and frequent updates.
  • Considerations: Might require customization or integration efforts to fit the specific needs of the organization. Migration of data and user training may also be necessary.
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    Refactoring (Re-architecting or Rearchitecting):

  • Description: Refactoring involves redesigning or rewriting applications to optimize them for the cloud-native environment. This method can involve breaking down monolithic applications into microservices or utilizing cloud-specific services.
  • Advantages: Provides the full benefits of cloud-native features, such as improved performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency. Good for complex systems with high potential impact and a long-term view.
  • Considerations: Requires significant time, resources, and expertise for application redesign and development. Potential disruptions to ongoing operations during the migration process.
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    Retiring (Sunsetting or Decommissioning):

  • Description: This method involves identifying and retiring applications or services that are no longer necessary or viable for migration to the cloud. It focuses on reducing the complexity of the migration process by eliminating outdated or redundant systems
  • Advantages: Streamlines migration efforts by reducing the number of systems that need to be migrated. Helps in simplifying the cloud environment.
  • Considerations: Requires careful assessment to ensure that critical functionalities are not eliminated inadvertently. May involve data archival or transfer to alternative systems.
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    Retaining (Maintaining On-Premise):

  • Description: In some cases, organizations may choose to retain certain systems or applications on-premise due to regulatory, security, or performance reasons.
  • Advantages: Ensures control over sensitive data or critical systems that might not be suitable for migration to the cloud.
  • Considerations: This can lead to a hybrid environment, which requires integration between on-premise and cloud systems. This might introduce complexities in management and maintenance.
 

Selecting the appropriate migration method depends on factors like the nature of applications, business objectives, timelines, budget constraints, and the level of optimization desired for the cloud environment. Often, a combination of these methods might be employed to achieve an efficient and effective migration strategy.

Key functionalities for successful migration across diverse cloud environments

A central hub for assessing on-premise environments and planning migrations is crucial for a successful transition to the cloud. These platforms provide discovery and assessment of on-premise servers, migration suitability analysis, and cost estimations for cloud services. This comprehensive approach allows organizations to plan meticulously and make informed decisions about their migration strategies. Azure Migrate is an example of such a tool, specifically tailored for data migration to Azure cloud.

 

For organizations looking to migrate virtual machines from on-premise environments or other cloud providers, automated cloud data migration tools support various operating systems and offer pre-migration testing capabilities. These features ensure a smooth transition and reduce complexities associated with moving workloads to new environments. Google Cloud Migrate for Compute Engine exemplifies this functionality for Google Cloud migrations.

 

Automated migration of on-premise virtual machines to cloud environments enables incremental replication of VMs, with options for scheduling and tracking the progress of migrations. This functionality ensures minimal disruption during the migration process, providing a seamless transition to the cloud. Examples of tools that facilitate this process include AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) for AWS, Google Cloud Migrate for Compute Engine for Google Cloud, and CloudEndure Migration for various cloud platforms.

 

Tools that facilitate migrations across different cloud environments, such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, as well as on-premise, are invaluable for organizations with diverse infrastructure setups. These cloud data migration tools support both physical and virtual migrations, provide live replication, and offer features for workload testing before cutover, ensuring reliable and efficient migration processes. Carbonite Migrate is one such tool.

Conclusion

Migrating from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud is a transformative journey that can significantly enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and innovation for businesses. By understanding the various strategies and tools available, organizations can tailor their migration approach to align with their unique needs and objectives. Effective planning, careful execution, and ongoing optimization are essential to overcoming the challenges associated with cloud migration. Sigmoid's expertise and framework can guide businesses through this complex process, ensuring a seamless transition that maximizes the benefits of cloud technology. .