How To Migrate Your Data To The Cloud
If you’re thinking about migrating your data to the cloud, it’s important to do it right. Cloud storage has many benefits but also comes with its challenges.
If you want to know what is data migration, then it can be defined as the process of moving data from one environment to another, either within the same cloud provider or a different one. Many businesses have started using multiple cloud providers. There are many reasons for this, but in general, it’s because of better service and lower cost.
Here are some crucial points to keep in mind when migrating your data so that you can enjoy the full potential of your newfound cloud environment.
1. Pick A Target Cloud Provider
You have several options for cloud providers, and deciding on one is the first step in your migration process. If you are already using multiple cloud providers, choosing which to focus on might be easy. For example, if you have been migrating certain data or applications to Amazon S3 and another provider, you may want to complete that migration before shifting your focus elsewhere.
2. Decide On The Migration Approach
What form of data migration will you use? You can either move your entire virtual machine or selectively migrate only certain parts of it. It’s a good idea to research your options before jumping into the process because you may want to move certain user/organization/application-specific data first instead of everything.
3. Start The Migration Process
Once you have decided on how and what to move to plan the actual data migration, there are many steps to take:
- Look at your current storage infrastructure and decide what type of migration will work best for your situation.
- Check out different cloud storage provider products and decide which will work as a replacement for your current data store.
- Perform a proof of concept (POC) to check your assumption.
- Once you have narrowed down your choices, start the migration process by using features such as Copy, CIFS/NFS, Amazon S3 Splunk App, and more, depending on what you are migrating.
- Make necessary changes to access your data in the cloud.
- Test and verify if the data has been migrated successfully.
- Once you are done with the process, run some checks to see if the data migrated successfully.
4. Adjust Your Policies
Once your data has migrated, you must adjust your policies for the new cloud environment. This is a crucial step in maintaining the usability and security of your new cloud environment. It’s also important to know how to view which files have been moved and who can access them. If anything in your organization has changed, consult with IT staff before implementing any new policies.
5. Phase Out Your Data Backup
As mentioned previously, migrating your data to the cloud is a long and complex process that requires planning, patience, and an open mind to consider all possible obstacles. The migration process will vary depending on your current infrastructure and whether you are migrating active virtual machines or certain applications which require the old infrastructure to run in the new environment.
6. Keep In Mind The Cloud Disaster Recovery Plan
Should a disaster happen in your environment, you want to ensure that your data is always safe and accessible. A good cloud disaster recovery plan should be built on the back of your data migration strategy. Even if you’re migrating everything, conducting a backup is still important, just if something happens.
7. Have A Fail-Over Plan
There will be times when you will need to migrate an application back to the traditional infrastructure due to various reasons. However, if you don’t have a fail-over plan, you may end up losing a lot of time and resources. You must determine and create a fail-over plan if something happens to your migration process during your migration process.
8. Monitor The Migration Process
As with any technological process, it’s crucial to stay on top of things and monitor the status at all times. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on your data migration and are getting updates about every move it makes. This is a good way to keep track of what’s going on. If you have multiple projects on the go at once, consider using tools that allow you to track your migration’s progress from a centralized location.
In conclusion, while data migration to the cloud is no easy task, you can manage it successfully with a detailed and organized process.