Businesses migrate workloads to the cloud for a variety of reasons. The public cloud is far more scalable than most on-premises data centers — its extensive array of resources, services and automation support large, complex and highly available workloads that flexibly respond to user demand. Those vast services enable businesses to build workloads and access data in new and creative ways. Companies also can transition from capital-intensive hardware and software investments to recurring operational expenses.
However, the process to move a workload from an on-premises data center to a cloud provider is neither simple nor automated. It requires careful planning, ample preparation and clear processes. Let’s outline the major steps involved in any successful cloud migration.
While migration drivers and goals can vary, the migration process can generally be divided into 12 distinct steps that form the basis of a comprehensive migration checklist.
- Build a business case.
- Determine the right migration approach.