For businesses to stay ahead of the curve, they have to be prepared to embrace and adopt new thinking in the IT sphere. In recent times, cloud migration is one such concept that businesses can’t really afford to ignore. The advantages are considerable but it is not all plain sailing as we will discover here.
With this in mind, what are the pros and cons of cloud migration as part of a software modernization strategy?
The Pros of Cloud Migration
Cloud migration brings a lot of positives to a business. If you are considering modernizing your infrastructure, consider:
- Cuts Costs – The bottom line is that bulky IT infrastructure has limitations and it is expensive both as a capital outlay and to maintain. Cloud services put you in a position where you don’t have to maintain infrastructure or indeed install it in the first place. This can see IT teams repurposed to other tasks, and generally, cloud pricing options are “pay as you use” billing, so you only pay for the data storage space you require.
- Collaboration and Flexibility – An area that can’t be ignored in today’s world is how collaboration-focused it is. Teams can work remotely anywhere in the world, working on projects simultaneously while being overseen and supervised. When you think about it, the cloud is fantastic for hybrid working between the home and the office.
- Disaster Recovery and Data Backup – Most cloud vendors provide best-in-class disaster recovery and data backup services. This provides you with peace of mind and keeps your business moving in the right direction as should data loss occur, you won’t lose time restoring mission-critical data.
The Cons of Cloud Migration
Now we’ve looked at the good side, it’s only fair we look at the not-so-good sides of cloud migration. Consider:
- Internet Connection Dependence – in the west we tend to have stable internet connections with few issues. This may not be the case in other parts of the world where connections are not that stable. This can see a lot of downtime and other benefits of utilizing the cloud are lost.
- Migration Issues – When large amounts of data are transferred issues can occur as teething problems are sorted out. There is also a time and cost factor where you lose time training staff to use new systems.
- Security – With multiple logins coming from around the world, arguably, the chances of a security breach increase. Hackers and other nefarious types are becoming increasingly adept at finding ways to either guess your password or trick you into revealing it. As such, security is one area of the cloud you do not want to skimp on, as one data breach and reputation damage alone will be hard to repair.
Final Thoughts
The cloud is the future and like everything else tech related tends to improve at a fast pace. That said, there are important business considerations before going all in and switching your current IT infrastructure to the cloud.
Once you have made an informed choice, however, you should be able to make your chosen system work and improve the reliability and scalability of your business.
