A few years ago, cloud computing was considered a luxury – an option that would give companies greater resource access, lower overhead costs, and CTOs less to worry about. However, the pandemic shifted that transition into overdrive, and the on-demand availability of computing resources has become a necessity for all businesses.
The Advantages of Cloud Computing Are Easy to See (Figuratively)
Monthly overhead savings and proactive disaster recovery planning could save your business thousands of dollars a year. Moving to the cloud means you do not have to reserve space in a physical server. You only pay for the resources you need and scaling upward is seamless. All your data is backed up regularly. Because multiple people can access the same tools at the same time, you’re encouraging greater collaboration and inspiring productive engagement from your team – whether in-office or working remotely.
Harnessing the power of cloud computing is not always easy. It takes comprehensive planning, expert-level execution, and upkeep after everything goes live. Without a doubt, you are going to run into bugs, hiccups, and glitches. To help prepare you for the migration, we are looking at the major pitfalls of migrating to cloud computing and highlighting when you should pull in an expert to help.
Downtime
The move is not instant. Propagation takes time. Transferring substantial amounts of data to a new location increases the risk of a network outage. Back up everything you have. Migrate during the lowest periods of usage. Try to work “locally” as everything is moved over.
Broken Apps and Not Knowing What You Will Be Capable Of
Once you are on the cloud, you will quickly learn what applications will still work and which ones will fail with the move. Before you migrate, do a thorough audit of every piece of software or application you use on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. What utility do they bring to the table? Will they remain operable after the move? Is there an alternative and, if so, is that alternative more robust and cost-effective than what you are currently using?
Improper Bandwidth Expectations
Before your cloud journey, you need to know how much data you are currently working with and how much you will need as you grow. Without this knowledge, your team may endure painful latency issues and your customer experience may suffer. Take inventory of your daily speed-based headaches. What applications were slow to load before? Where were the productivity hang-ups? When were the hang-ups? Instead of faltering by failing to prepare, you can improve the efficiency of your business from every angle.
Initial Costs
Cloud computing does save money, but there will be a brief period when old costs and new ones will overlap. Cloud computing often requires the purchase of annual software licenses. But remember: your team will be more productive and profitable. You will save on hardware costs, repair costs, office space rentals, and costs from accruing technical debt.
Lack of In-House Understanding
Part of cloud computing is knowing that everything is working the way it should. This means network testing, data monitoring, routine maintenance and constantly looking for the next cloud-based “thing” to give you the competitive edge. There are companies that provide skilled managed IT service providers, and BPM is one of them. These teams are immersed in cloud computing every day. They have completed countless successful migrations and encountered every obstacle. They know all the technical jargon, carry accreditations and, importantly, stay abreast of cybersecurity standards, regulations and compliance updates.
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About BPM’s IT Consulting and Managed IT Group
BPM has a team of managed IT service experts that can help oversee your migration to the cloud and act as your virtual advocate as the world of technology continues to evolve. BPM is more than just tech support — we protect your IT infrastructure at all angles, instantly update software as upgrades are pushed, modernize your systems without causing outages, find new ways to save money, and help you scale your tech as your business grows. Contact us to learn more.
