Cloudification—Moving Your Infrastructure to the Cloud

How To Move Your Infrastructure to the Cloud in 10 Easy Steps

Migrating to the cloud takes a disciplined approach. When moving your IT infrastructure, you need a thorough strategy that aligns with your specific business model. To launch a successful migration, you must focus on 10 key steps.

The Secret to Cloudification

1. Set Migration Goals

What do you want to get out of a cloud migration? Is it lower IT costs, more agility, or added security? Perhaps it’s a combination of each element. No matter the reasoning, it’s best to define the purpose upfront because these goals will set the tone for the rest of the project. 

2. Perform Situational Assessments

Carefully inspect your infrastructure. Having a deep understanding of your current IT environment helps you make informed decisions. Audit your infrastructure, decide what applications need to be migrated, then set a budget for new resources.

3. Select a Migration Partner

Selecting a trusted cloud partner early on makes the difference between a successful migration and a disaster. The right partner can help you craft a solid migration strategy, select the right technologies, and identify savings opportunities. We recommended working with a certified professional. 

4. Build a Business Case

During this stage, it’s best to map out the competitive reasons for cloud migration. Create a detailed SWOT analysis to outline all factors involved with the project. This outline will help decision makers determine moves associated with your migration strategy. 

5. Choose a Cloud Environment

Public, private, or hybrid cloud—what’s it going to be? Make sure to select a flexible cloud host that aligns with your business strategy. If you’re not sure which option is most suitable, speak with your migration partner to get an expert opinion. 

6. Determine Cloud Components

Once you decide on a cloud environment, you’ll need to choose specific infrastructure components to support your IT’s performance. Create a running list of the following items:

• Computing power
• Content delivery
• Network support
• Databases
• Automation

7. Decide on a Cloud Provider

Now that you know what you need, it’s time to partner with a cloud provider to accommodate those requirements. Do your homework to find a reputable cloud service provider who can align your tech components with your migration goals. 

8. Create a Migration Plan

At this stage, you have everything you need to map out a game plan. First decide the migration plan. Next establish timelines and assign responsibilities for each milestone. Depending on your specific situation, there may be many other potential issues to plan around, so make sure your team has the resources needed to fulfill the transition.

9. Execute, Execute, Execute

The hard part is done. Now it’s time to apply your strategy. Start with a full backup. Once all of your valuables are restored, deploy the cloud environment then migrate all servers, data, and applications. Following the migration, test your production environment to validate if everything worked according to plan.

10. Monitor Production

Congratulations, you have successfully completed a cloud migration! But the job isn’t done. Make sure to continuously monitor your new virtual environment. Install cloud monitoring tools to help identify issues within the cloud. These resources help you track problems and manage requests related to your cloud system.

Simplify Cloudification

Cloudification is a thorough process, and our team can help accelerate every action. When it comes to cloud migration, the experts at the Orange Crew help streamline each step you make. We have the right solutions. Reach out today to schedule a consultation with our certified professionals.