What to Know When Migrating to the Cloud
1. Cloud Data Migration
The costs of moving to cloud products like Office 365 do not end at the monthly subscriptions. Depending on the size of mailboxes or files there can be significant labour to move your data to a cloud-hosted environment. The labour comes from having someone manage the data movement. Factors that can influence the speed are your internet speed, quality and the allowed upload speed of the cloud-hosted program. Certain cloud products allow a limited amount of data to be uploaded at a time and maybe throttled to reduce upload speed at the cloud end. Understanding how much data you have and the allowable bandwidth from your environment to the cloud environment will give you a better picture of your costs.
2. Cloud Backup
One of the benefits of cloud products is that the data is stored offsite. Offsite data is a core component of a strong cybersecurity plan. However, if you are not using any additional backup programs and just relying on the cloud product that is replacing your server, email, ERP etc. you are exposing yourself to a single point of failure. There is a risk of losing your data if something were to happen to the network that is hosting your program. Many cloud products do not guarantee the recovery of your data. There are 3rd party backup programs that add a layer, for a minimal cost. We strongly recommend these products to our clients. It may seem like overkill but we have seen companies not implement 3rd party backup, against our recommendations, and be out of business, for in some cases, weeks.
3. Network Integration
Cloud computing is not a one size fits all solution. Before moving fully to a cloud environment you should perform an analysis on your network and current programs to see what can be adapted to the cloud and what can not. Internet connectivity is key. Cloud products rely on the internet to work; you need a strong and fast connection to have them work efficiently.
If you have any questions about cloud products or need help migrating to the cloud, feel free to contact us below!