Why Migrate To The Cloud: The Basics And Benefits?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an eye-opener on how businesses need to evolve and maintain continuity of work. Even those business owners who preferred being traditional in approach and were wry of modern solutions are now exploring the Cloud with great enthusiasm. It is now a globally accepted fact that if you wish your business to thrive and have a future, the Cloud is where you need to be.

The Cloud is an on-demand and self-service environment that has become critical to an organization’s digital transformation. It plays a pivotal role in helping companies get back on their feet by reinventing themselves and eliminating uncertainty.

Transferring a company’s digital assets, IT resources, services, applications, and databases, either wholly or partially, to the Cloud is called Cloud Migration. Sometimes it also refers to moving from one Cloud to another.

Enterprises move to the Cloud to gain efficiency. Aging servers, obsolete hardware and software solutions, and unreliable firewalls are just a few problems they need to overcome. All this is possible only through Cloud migration. The move helps them gain agility, cost-efficiencies, optimum utilization of resources, and a plethora of benefits offered by the Cloud.

The Cloud service is presented in the following forms:

1. Software as a Service – Software as a Service or SaaS is a software delivery and licensing method wherein instead of buying and installing the software on individual computers, it is accessed by the user online through a subscription.
2. Platform as a Service – Platform as a Service or PaaS is a cloud computing model wherein a third-party provider extends application development hardware and software tools to the users over the internet. Here, the service provider delivers the hardware and software on his own infrastructure.
3. Infrastructure as a service – Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS is an on-demand Cloud computing model most suited to those who do not have fixed usage of the compute services. Today, their requirements might be limited, but there is a possibility of scaling up or down in the future. In this model, the user only pays for the service they use, like storage, networking resources, etc.

Cloud deployment refers to how the software is made available to the users. There are three main ways in which this is done:

1. Public Cloud – The term Public Cloud refers to the Cloud services offered by a third party over the public internet to anyone who wishes to purchase them. Examples of public clouds are Facebook and Google. These clouds are free, or the user has to pay a subscription fee (SaaS and PaaS).
2. Private Cloud – The term Private Cloud refers to the Cloud computing services offered over a private internal network to a select user group instead of the general public. It is a single-tenant environment, which means the resources are only available to a single customer. Often, for this reason, it is referred to as “Corporate Cloud” or “isolated Access.” Only a single company is served, and there are no unauthorized accesses.
3. Hybrid Cloud – In a Hybrid Cloud, the applications run in different environments. It unifies the public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises infrastructure to build a single, cost-optimal, and flexible IT infrastructure. Big companies use it to keep critical data safe on the private cloud and support-oriented services on the public cloud.

Now that you know the basics of Cloud migration, let’s peek at some of its benefits. The advantages of Cloud migration are:

1. Cost Efficiencies – Reducing operational costs is one of the prime objectives of every business. Switching to the Cloud makes it easy to achieve this aim. The user pays for only what they use. Also, they don’t have to build cost-heavy data centers or have dedicated IT teams to maintain them. All this is the headache of the Cloud service provider. You are just there to pay a relatively small amount and reap its benefits.
2. Safety And Security – Today, with stringent safety measures in place, the Cloud is probably one of the safest virtual environments. It consists of systems, applications, and networks that require configuration and are maintained through the “shared responsibility” model. Therefore, the Cloud companies have built their respective clouds from the ground up, with special emphasis on safety and security.
3. Scalability – When you switch to the Cloud, you gain the advantage of making your business scalable. During the lean years, and as the demand increases, you can go full throttle ahead. You can leave behind obsolete applications and technologies and embrace new and updated one’s with ease and elan. It means how your business grows is entirely in your hands.
4. Integration – Cloud migration allows businesses to seamlessly connect systems and improve efficiency. In the cloud, hardware and software updates happen automatically by the service provider. It saves time and money and also ensures the most reliable and up-to-date infrastructure always supports the applications. Cloud services and applications continuously improve, update, and expand depending on business needs and customer demands. It means your Cloud environment can grow and expand per your business needs, enabling your teams to work smoothly and with minimal disruptions.
5.  Availability – Since your data and applications are saved in the Cloud, you can access them from anywhere and at any time. But, of course, you need to have valid login credentials. No matter what adverse situation hits your area or the world in general, you can still work as long as there is high-speed internet access. This 24/7 availability is possible only on the Cloud.

Nowadays, it makes complete sense for enterprises to leave behind their traditional legacy systems and adopt the new-age technologies. Cloud adoption is but a logical step in that direction. It is one of those unique things that has only advantages and no apparent disadvantages. When you move to the Cloud, you embrace the journey to improved performance, lower costs, and significantly reduced risks. If achieving all this and maintaining business continuity are important to you, it’s time to consider Cloud migration