Continuing our series on objections to moving your IT to the cloud, we find ourselves at another common misconception. The mistaken idea that once you move your operations to the cloud there is no coming back. We hear this a lot, and like many of the other objections we have covered so far, it’s largely unfounded.
First let us look at the average project so we can build a better picture of what goes on. This is by necessity a very simplified outline of cloud migration to give you an idea of what’s involved.
Moving you to the cloud
For most IT functions, moving to the cloud simply means moving your data from your in-house server to a cloud-based one. The vast majority of vendors will have cloud versions of your favourite programs installed and ready for use on their servers. It is just a matter of tidying up your databases, making copies and moving one of them onto the cloud server. Nothing happens to your own servers and network until you’re ready to decommission them.
The picture does become a little more complicated if you use proprietary software. Usually, we set up a virtual server in the cloud with the same dependencies so it can run the software. If that isn’t possible, we tend to suggest leaving that particular element in-house and just move everything else.
So, to move to the cloud, the only thing that changes is where the data is stored and the IP address your PCs use to access it. Everything is reversible.
Managing cloud computing
Most cloud vendors provide Saas (Software as a Service), which essentially means you lease the server and the software. This can be a fixed amount per month or use per-seat licencing. Contract length varies depending on the scope of the rollout but can be as little as a 30 day rolling contract.
So, to move to the cloud, we repackage your data, securely upload it, configure the entire solution to deliver what you need and leave you to enjoy the fruits of our labour. We are always on hand to provide support should you need it too.
In the unlikely event you try cloud computing and really don’t like it, it won’t be long before you can return to the way it used to be. We do think that unlikely though. Of the hundreds of companies we have helped move to the cloud, none have regretted it. The cost-savings, ease of use, reliability and flexibility of the solution is just too compelling to ignore.
