Data Migration To The Cloud

1. An Introduction to Migrating Data to the Cloud

2. Cloud migration is the process of transferring applications, databases, and other business elements to a cloud-based ecosystem. This process can take several forms and depends on the organization that performs this activity. The most common data migration to the cloud method is moving data and applications from an on-premises data center to the cloud. It can also entail moving data and applications from one cloud provider to another cloud platform which is called cloud-to-cloud migration. Finally, though rare, there is reverse migration which is moving data and applications from the cloud to the local on-premises data center.

3. Benefits of cloud migration The critical benefit of data migration to the cloudis having databases and applications on a secured and high-performing platform. First, the cloud offers unlimited storage and computing facilities with unmatched flexibility. Users can scale up or down in resources, paying only for the quantum used. Next, high-performing cloud platforms enable multiple users to simultaneously execute multiple queries without any lag or drop in performance. And finally, in case of an outage in the primary location, secondary databases are automatically triggered and work goes on as usual. The primary databases are refreshed when the outage is resolved.

5. Strategies for data migration to the cloud A strategy for migrating data to the cloud should involve the right activities to prepare the grounds for it. A lot of management and technology challenges have to be overcome, ensuring that the right staff and resources are aligned to optimize the migration. This is important as the success of the migration depends largely on how the process is handled based on the type of migration and the type of data being moved. Start with identifying the type of application or database being moved and why this migration is necessary for an organization. This varies and hence the most optimized strategies should be worked out. Next is to work out the extent of the data that has to be moved, the method of migration, and how quickly the job has to be completed.

6. For this, carry out an inventory of the data and applications keeping dependencies in mind. Once these factors have been worked out, the type of migration that will make the data migration to the cloud process smooth and seamless has to be decided. Types of cloud migration Once the migration strategy has been finalized, the right cloud environment has to be identified. One is a public cloud where users can access compute and storage resources through dedicated connections over the Internet. Using a proprietary architecture, the public cloud stores data within the data center. Another is the hybrid version comprising of both public and private cloud, enabling data transfer between the two. Finally, in a multi-cloud ecosystem, businesses have to consider IaaS options from multiple public cloud providers based on how they want the post-migrated data to perform.