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3 Strategies for Moving to the Cloud

By Rob Waggoner

There is not a one size fits all for moving to the cloud. Every organization is different. The three strategies below are some of the more common strategies you’ll find. It really comes down to what you want to use the cloud for, whether you need to migrate data, and your long-term plan.

#1 Try Before You Buy
Just as it sounds, you are able to try before you buy. Of course, this isn’t an option for everything in life. Wouldn’t it be nice to rent a house before you buy it? This is one of the positives of looking to move to the cloud. You have the opportunity to get a proof of concept for the cloud and decide whether it makes sense for your organization or not. Keep in mind, it will take some time and effort on your end to make it work, but it is completely worth the effort once things start moving along.

#2 Hybrid Implementation
Not everyone realizes the hybrid option is a choice when moving to the cloud. Some organizations may not want to move to the cloud completely or would prefer to move over slowly. Either option is feasible. This is a good way to dip your toe in the pool and test out the water.

Another great way to think about it is moving to a new home. Do you take your furniture with you or buy new or some where in the middle? With the hybrid option you could choose to keep your mattress, but get rid of your living room furniture and start fresh.

Here is a great blog post that gives you some insight into how to handle the hybrid implementation. While it does reference our MyCloudIT platform, you can still get an understanding of how it would work. This would allow you to connect to your on-premise hardware to carry over data.

#3 All In (With or Without Data)
Last, but not least, the all-in strategy. Instead of dipping your toe in the pool, you plan to jump right in. And like the hybrid implementation, this strategy works a couple ways. For some companies, they have too much legacy data and really want to cut the cord and get a fresh start. They may bring over some data that is pertinent, but most will be left. Starting fresh is one of the easier ways to go, but understandably not an option for everyone. Another common example is startup companies who don’t have any data so starting from scratch is their only option.

The other way is for companies to migrate the data over. This is still possible, but it will take some time and effort to make it happen. Having the understanding beforehand makes it much easier to plan for and understand the timeline needed to move to the cloud.

A great way to think about this is instead of keeping part of your furniture for your new house, like in the hybrid strategy, you instead donate all of it and buy all new furniture. A quick note, you can technically donate hardware and versions of software, which usually go to help local non-profits.

Keep these strategies in mind as you explore moving to the cloud. If one of the strategies doesn’t work, try another one. I bet you will find one that works. The cloud can be a great solution for your company today and in the future.  

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