The world of technology has been overtaken by cloud computing in recent years. More so, businesses across various industries are showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to cloud migration.
Cloud-based options are now substituting traditional on-site enterprise solutions with systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), project management, and IT service management, all moving to the cloud.
What Is Cloud Migration?
The cloud migration process involves moving data, applications, or enterprise IT infrastructure from an on-site location to a cloud computing environment.
There are three cloud platforms for your organization to migrate resources and data. The first is the private cloud, and it’s made primarily for the organization’s internal use and tailored for private purposes. The second one is a public cloud which uses the internet to provide services. And the third is the hybrid cloud, a mixture of private and public clouds.
However, security and reliability concerns, plus the thought that it might not be beneficial financially, still cause many companies to postpone cloud migration. That said, if you are thinking of migrating your computing resources to the cloud, consider getting the assistance of custom software development Houston or other providers within your locality.
Altogether, you must know the pros and cons of cloud migration to gain the proper knowledge and perspective of whether it can be suitable for your business or not. This article will delve into that.
The Pros
- Cost-Efficient
In using cloud migration, your organization can entirely avoid the need for investing in extra data centers, servers, and software. This advantage is beneficial as the replacement for servers takes every 4-5 years. Not only that, but you can avoid a need for continuous payment for someone to maintain your on-premise.
Regular maintenance needed to keep the systems up and running can also be costly, making the cloud an ideal choice. Moreover, you can also manage additional expenses for data storage by strategically budgeting your cloud’s capabilities.
- Convenience
On-premises software all have similarities—they don’t move with you wherever you go. The opposite is true with cloud technologies, as they can make data and resources you need for your business operation truly accessible wherever you go.
Moreover, it can take a long duration of weeks or even months to obtain and set up systems that need on-premise servers and new hardware. However, with the cloud, it can only take a couple or more hours, which leads to your staff getting back to their duties at a much faster period by preventing too much downtime.
- Scalable
It’s natural for cloud technology to be scalable. Because of this, you can modify the level of computing storage, power, and bandwidth with the cloud at any period to scale according to business requirements like accommodating customer traffic.
With automated instance deployment, all you have to do is give the applications employed by your business and select the perfect storage capacity. All in all, with such scalability plus a strong business structure, your business can have better performance.
The Cons
- Legal Restrictions
A business or organization can’t migrate all of its data to the cloud. This is because there are legal restrictions that may hold it back.
For instance, government contractors may not be permitted to have cloud migration. Another example is a global bank that first need to meet security requirements before being hosted in a public cloud. However, many cloud service providers have certifications to manage these types of private data. They can meet privacy standards and compliance regulations from different areas where your organization resides.
- Data Sensitivity And Security
Even if cloud services are sure to give the most high-tech and latest data security systems, cunning cybersecurity issues such as data breaches and hacking can intrude the cloud leading to access to sensitive data.
Likewise, there can also be left-over data that can remain during cloud migration. With this kind of issue, there must be a time-intensive procedure that demands careful evaluation and planning of the data.
Final Words
In this digital age, various tools have emerged that allow for modernization and convenience. One of them is cloud migration. Access to data and applications over the internet can be done instantly by users through this technology. And with such instant access, cloud migration can become more and more essential as remote work is increasing due to the pandemic.
However, along with those advantages comes certain risks. Data protection and security are among the common concerns related to the cloud. For that reason, it’d be best to weigh both the pros and cons and how cloud migration will affect your business overall. That way, you can make an informed decision that will best serve your organization.
