From skeptical to confident: The path to a successful transition to cloud computing

Do you hope deep down that your IT infrastructure will never go to the cloud, or do you just lack the overview to break the process down into edible pieces? Then keep reading!

Healthy skepticism and caution about cloud

At Cegal, we find that some IT managers are still skeptical and reluctant toward cloud computing. They prefer to keep their databases, data, and applications On-premises. However, as technology and the market continue to evolve, it becomes increasingly challenging to ignore the benefits of moving to the cloud. And then it is no longer what we can describe as uncharted territory. There are many digital success stories within cloud computing.

First, let's look at some of the reasons for the skeptical approach of some IT managers, maybe you can even recognize yourself in them because it's healthy to be skeptical and completely normal to have this type of worry and fear of losing control over something so important to your business.

3 typical reasons why IT managers are skeptical about migrating to the cloud

1. Loss of control: The feeling of loss of control is not pleasant when you are responsible for something as complex as an IT infrastructure. To be able to maintain an overview of the installation's elements and, not least, the security of one's data.
2. Insufficient expertise: Moving from on-premises to the cloud requires new skills in the IT department. Fortunately, we find that it is not as unlike each other as some might fear. You should probably see it more as an expansion of the IT department's current skills, rather than your current skills no longer being valid at all.
3. Financially unclear: How much does a new server cost in terms of hardware, software, and operation? Many experienced IT managers can typically give a fairly qualified estimate. The pricing and options can be difficult for new cloud users to fully understand.

In this blog post, we want to make you think about the cloud and your business and hopefully make it a little less frightening by giving you some clear steps to get started with the transition to the cloud. We also recognize that it can be assumed to be a big project, and therefore we have also listed some typical pitfalls.

5 steps you can follow to make migration to the cloud more concrete and action-ready

1. Define your needs: Start by defining your business needs and goals. Why are you considering moving to the cloud? Is it to reduce costs, increase flexibility, improve performance, or strengthen security? Identify your specific needs and goals so you can evaluate which type of cloud computing best meets your requirements.
2. Identify your applications: The next step is to identify the applications that you want to move to the cloud. Consider which applications will benefit most from being moved to the cloud, and which may require particularly high security and control and therefore need to be on-premises, to begin with.
3. Choose the right cloud model: There are three basic cloud models to choose from: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud. Public cloud offers standardized services at a low cost, while private cloud provides greater control and security, but also requires more maintenance and investment. Hybrid cloud combines both models and provides flexibility to move applications between the cloud and on-premises. Examples of well-known providers of Public cloud are Microsoft, Oracle, Amazon, and Google.
4. Evaluate the cloud provider: Once you have chosen the right cloud model, it is important to choose the right cloud provider. Choose a provider that suits your needs and requirements and offers good security, reliability, and support. Also, examine their track record and reputation in the market. At Cegal, there are many customers who have chosen to run their public cloud with several providers, for example, a combination of Microsoft Azure and Oracle OCI. This is called multi-cloud and can have financial advantages. Oracle and Microsoft have also learned that many companies do not want to be locked into a cloud supplier and have therefore created a collaboration. It's called Interconnect, which is a direct connection between the two data centers where traffic, both ingress, and egress, is free. 
5. Plan your migration: Finally, it's time to plan your migration. Start by testing the applications in the cloud to ensure that they work correctly and that the performance is satisfactory. Create a detailed plan for the migration and consider taking it one step at a time to minimize risks and challenges.

Cegal is the Scandinavian Oracle partner that has helped most customers with the journey from on-premises to the cloud. Read more here >

We have helped many others with the journey and offer a well-tested cloud migration model to turn your cloud journey into a digital success story.

Book an initial interview with us here > Saving customers millions every year by connecting Microsoft and Oracle

Cloud computing can seem intimidating to some IT ma nagers, we acknowledge that. But it can also offer great benefits if implemented correctly. By following these general steps and taking them at a pace that suits your business, you can achieve increased flexibility, lower costs, and improved security. So why not consider moving to the cloud?

As promised, here are a few typical pitfalls at the end:

1. Lack of structured preparation: To minimize costs and prepare to move your database to the cloud, some thorough preparation will be necessary. This may include evaluating your current infrastructure, identifying the data you need to migrate, and planning how you will manage and secure your data in the cloud.
2. Lack of insight: When it comes to the composition of the IT department, it may be necessary to add new skills and expertise. You can easily outsource the administration of your database in the cloud, but having basic knowledge is necessary for a supplier to give you the optimal sparring.
3. 1:1. Trying to make everything remain as faithful a copy of the existing as possible, just in the cloud, can cause you to lose some of the clear technological and financial advantages of the cloud. Get in the helicopter and think in terms of consolidation, modernization, and new opportunities.
4. Adaptations: In order to keep the economy in check in a cloud solution, it is an important discipline to continuously make adaptations and switch off any services that are no longer used. Looking at the financial operation of the cloud solution is also called FinOps. E.g., a cloud environment enables, that you can be content with having your test and development environments running between eight and four o’clock, while your developers are at work. This is a huge advantage, as you only pay for the time you use the usual services.