What To Consider Before Upgrading to the Cloud

Moving to the cloud can be an important step in helping your business to grow and expand, but it’s not one that should be taken lightly. Although the benefits of upgrading to the cloud are obvious—simplified backups, security upgrades, and 24/7 access to your work—it’s essential that you take some time to make sure you’re fully prepared to switch over safely. To not do so risks costly complications.

Here, we explore the importance of preparing your organization properly for cloud migration and provide a list of things to consider beforehand.

First Things First: Why Migrate to the Cloud?

Before we delve into how companies should prepare for upgrading, let’s first examine why so many businesses are taking advantage of the cloud.

The cloud offers a suite of benefits for companies—everything from mobility and collaboration to cost savings and security. Indeed, one of the biggest benefits of migrating your company onto a cloud-based solution is flexibility. It allows your workforce to work remotely and access your company data anytime, anywhere, while also ensuring your IT department can manage things more efficiently and in a safe and secure manner.

In today’s fast-paced market, it’s easy for a business to fall behind the competition. Upgrading to the cloud keeps your organization ahead of the curve. And there are a few tell-tale signs that your business is ready for an upgrade.

The Importance of Having a Migration Strategy
However, the perks of the cloud won’t mean much if your business doesn’t have a secure migration strategy in place. The reason? When an organization moves away from an on-premise environment and over to a managed cloud solution, anything that goes wrong—especially if it involves security or performance—will be costly and difficult to troubleshoot.

If you fail to account for everything, migrating could be a major disruption that results in downtime or a security breach.

Important Considerations Before Upgrading
If you want to leverage cloud services while avoiding potential pitfalls, do your homework first. Here are some things you should keep in mind before moving your data and IT infrastructure into the cloud:

• • Check your internet connectivity. Do you use a broadband or fiber connection? Are you experiencing any issues?

• • Consider your backup options. Do you have a plan for how you can access your data should you need to during the migration process?
    
    
  • Review your cabling requirements. Is your current cabling reliable and able to handle your current needs?
    
    
  • Take a second look at compliance. Does your industry have any compliance requirements that may impede your use of the cloud (i.e. HIPAA or GDPR)?
    
    
  • Check your carrier contracts & renewal dates. Are you on a contract that is set to renew? Are there fees associated with going over your allotted bandwidth or transfer size?

Double-checking the above points is crucial if you want to ensure your cloud migration process goes smoothly without any surprises. For more insights, check out our 8 Things To Do Before Upgrading to the Cloud checklist.

Final Thoughts
The cloud has made business easier and more efficient, but you should always do your due diligence before making any major upgrade. By taking the time to plan around the above items, you’ll be well on your way to a more productive business model that stays ahead of the curve while reducing the risk of costly downtime and complications.

When you’re ready to make the switch, contact the accredited experts at CT Solutions. We have the experience needed to smoothly and quickly migrate your data over, so you can start enjoying the future of the cloud sooner and without interruption in your day-to-day operations.