According to almost 75% of global IT decision-makers, about 95% of all workloads will be in the cloud within the next five years. About 56% of US small business owners have spent $600,000 annually on public cloud expenses. Before moving your own operations to the cloud, do your due diligence.
Otherwise, you could make any combination of these common cloud computing mistakes.
Making these mistakes could compromise your data and hurt your business. About 84% of small business owners think cloud services are important to operations. Without the proper cloud computing process, moving to the cloud could do more harm than good.
Read on to learn more.
1. Migrating for No Reason
Before you begin the cloud computing process, consider why you want to move your workflow to the cloud in the first place.
The cloud makes it easier for businesses to complete daily tasks. You can streamline your operations within a cloud environment. However, moving every task or workflow to the cloud isn’t always productive.
Don’t move to the cloud because every other business already has. Instead, outline your needs and goals. Consider consulting an experienced IT technician to determine if cloud computing is right for you.
A technician can help you evaluate the benefits and expenses involved. They’ll help you determine if your current workflow will function in a cloud environment. With help, you can make an informed decision with your company’s current needs and future in mind.
Take the time to learn as much as you can about cloud computing on your own with MyCloudTeacher’s Guide to Google Cloud. Their guidance will help you make more informed decisions regarding cloud computing services.
2. Hiring the Wrong Provider
Before choosing a cloud provider, outline your needs and goals. Confirm that the provider is equipped to prove the support you need.
Identifying your needs will ensure you choose the right providers based on those specifications.
Choose a cloud computing provider who has years of experience in the industry. Learn more about the additional services they offer, too.
3. Choosing the Wrong Applications
Many businesses make the mistake of choosing the wrong applications for their cloud services.
Before migrating to the cloud, pinpoint which applications you first want to migrate. Test them within a controlled environment to ensure they work properly.
Whether an app is ideal for a cloud environment can vary based on how it interacts with other apps, its age, and its design. How the database is configured is a factor, too.
4. Migrating All at Once
You don’t have to migrate every piece of data at once. Instead, consider breaking the cloud computing process into pieces.
You might feel the need to migrate everything to speed up the process. However, this could cause unnecessary downtime. Downtime will hurt your operations, revenue, and ROI.
You’ll likely experience a few issues during the migration process. You might lose important or sensitive data. To avoid issues, plan the migration process in stages.
First, move non-essential data over to test within the cloud environment. If everything looks okay, proceed by moving your more critical data over.
Completing the process in stages will ensure your business doesn’t shut down during the migration process.
Pilot Projects
Before moving every file over, consider foregoing a pilot project. Completing the cloud computing process in stages could prove more effective. You can run a trial or pilot project before the official deployment.
Running a pilot project can help you identify potential issues before everyone on your team moves to the cloud. Then, you can make the necessary changes to ensure cloud computing doesn’t hurt your operations.
One of the most challenging processes you’ll face is user adoption. Working with an experienced cloud computing technician could prove essential to minimizing interruptions. They can help you determine the best way to identify and overcome these challenges.
You can migrate within a controlled environment to minimize interruptions before moving everything over.
5. Failing to Project Costs
Working with an experienced cloud computing provider will help you determine the cost of cloud migration. Failing to project potential costs could hurt your business’s bottom line. After all, cloud migration and cloud computing services are expensive.
Take the time to determine if the end result is worth the investment long term. Remember, you don’t have to migrate everything all at once. You might determine it’s smarter to migrate some operations slowly over the next few years.
Include the cost of migration to a cloud environment and the cost of losing access to your data during the migration process when considering the cost.
6. Forgetting Security
Protecting cloud data is important to your business and customers. Make sure to invest in cloud computing security before making the move.
It’s likely you’ll need to store sensitive data regarding your operations, products, and customers. Moving to the cloud could make it easier for individuals to access sensitive data. Consider implementing role-based security.
Only allow necessary staff members to access the parts of the cloud they need to do their jobs.
You can also use encryption to secure your data. If a hacker tries to access your cloud environment, they won’t steal or damage private information. Use a key management solution to protect your encryption keys.
Avoid These Common Cloud Computing Mistakes
Making these common cloud computing mistakes could hurt your business. Instead, do your due diligence before beginning the cloud computing process. Make sure you choose a technician you can trust to help you make informed decisions, too.
Storing cloud data in a private environment could prove key to your company’s future success.
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