Common Challenges (and Fixes) in Cloud Migration
Today, most people know that cloud migration is the future. But some organizations are hesitating to engage in a cloud migration because they’re worried that it may be more challenging than they anticipate. The truth is that there are some common challenges with cloud migration, but they don’t have to be something that stops you. These challenges are well-documented and frequently addressed – it just takes some extra planning.
With that in mind, here are some of the most common cloud migration challenges.
Underestimating the Costs Related to Migration
Migration saves money, but that savings is over time. The total cost of ownership for a cloud migration is quite low, but the cloud migration itself may cost a lot in terms of technical resources and skill. Companies may need to hire specialists for their migration, may experience some downtime and may experience some temporary loss of productivity after the migration occurs. Companies should calculate the complete cost of migration if they want to protect and preserve their bottom line.
To reduce the amount of money migration costs, plan your migration carefully. Work with an MSP to estimate your costs and cut costs where you can, such as by reducing downtime through a staggered transition rather than transitioning all at once.
Failing to Prepare Properly for the Migration
When a migration is completed suddenly, it can cause more harm than good. Some companies want to get their cloud migration over with quickly, but this can lead to confusion and a lack of buy-in among employees. Further, there’s more that can go wrong when migration is rushed. A transition should take time; an MSP can explore it step by step.
Underestimating the Amount of Time the Migration Will Take
For the smallest businesses, the cloud migration process can be quite fast. But for most businesses, it’s going to take more time than they think. Companies should assume that the cloud migration process will take longer than they think just to be safe. Schedule the process over a long weekend and it will be less disruptive to the office. By the same token…
Trying to Switch Everything Over Immediately
Many companies will experience better results through a staggered migration. Switching over everything at once has some inherent appeal due to its simplicity, but it also means that much more can go wrong. If you instead switch things over one by one, you get time to adjust to any changes, and you can make sure that employees are also still on board rather than getting overwhelmed.
Not Training Employees Before the Migration
The cloud migration process starts with employee training. Employees need to be thoroughly aware of the new technology they are expected to use before they begin using it. If employees aren’t properly trained, then they aren’t going to be able to take full advantage of the system. If they can’t take advantage of the system, the system isn’t going to deliver upon its promises regarding increased productivity and cost-effectiveness.
Garnering Resistance to the Adoption Among Employees
When employees don’t understand why a major change is occurring, they are reluctant to adopt it. If employees think that their current technology isn’t broken, they aren’t going to want to fix it. Change has to occur from the top down, and the C-suite needs to be on board with adoption. Ambassadors throughout the company should learn the technology and be ready to explain that technology to the rest of the team, and the team should know that this new tech is going to change their lives for the better. The more willing employees are to adopt new technology, the less resistance there will be.
Not Having Training and Support After Migration
The migration process doesn’t end once the migration is complete. Employees will still need additional training and support after the cloud migration, or they may find themselves not fully utilizing or leveraging the new features that they’re offered. Companies can engage with a specialist or a managed services provider to make sure that the employees do get the training and help they need and that the transition is a complete one.
Most of these challenges in terms of cloud migration can be addressed by simply having the right managed services provider. A managed services provider can help an organization plan for its cloud migration in advance, can reduce the amount of time and energy spent on the migration, and can streamline overhead and expenses. Contact the experts at Red River today to find out more about what a cloud migration can do for you.
