Over the years, Cloud Hosting has proved to be an efficient hosting solution. It is cost-effective, offers resource scalability, boosts operational efficiency, and not to mention, provides enhanced security. In short, with cloud hosting, you can expect better-managed websites, which can positively impact your business.
If you are a website owner and are seeking to adopt Cloud Web Hosting services, then it is indeed a prudent move but a move nevertheless. And any shifting of work environments requires the right planning and preparation before you migrate. It is akin to moving to a new office or starting a new job, where you undergo a set of processes before you settle yourself in the new place. Similarly, when migrating to Cloud Hosting from a Dedicated Hosting platform, there are a few things to make a note of.
Here are some of the best practices for Cloud migration, adopted by site owners across the globe.
1. Find the right hosting service partner
The first and foremost thing that you would need to decide is, where do you want to migrate. There is no shortage of web hosting providers offering cloud environment. But are they reliable enough as per your expectations? A good Cloud Hosting provider is one who walks you through the entire migration process and also offers post-migration support. From resource management to cost management, a right hosting provider can go a long way in providing you a stable and seamless work environment.
2. Prioritize your backup activity
Remember how you always end up leaving something behind when you shift offices? Data migration is no different. There are always high chances that you might lose data in transit and losing anything can mean severe loss (of money or reputation). Always ensure that your IT team runs both micro and macro level backups for all data, applications, software, files, hardware etc. so you don’t lose any data during the process of migration or thereafter. Ask your hosting service provider for backup tools that allow redundancy.
3. Reassess your IT capabilities
While it is a great idea to move to Cloud Hosting, it is also essential for you to see if your current tech architecture is capable of handling a cloud environment. If all (or some) applications and processes need to be redesigned or restructured as per your destination needs, then you would need to do that before you start the migration process. Any disparity between your existing and new environments can cause operational lags, which can translate to time, money, and a whole lot of firefighting. Get your tech team to integrate Cloud-based applications in your current systems and set yourself for a smooth transition.
4. Do not undermine the importance of tests
Any tech transformation must undergo a series of tests before you finally adopt a new practice. So is the case with Cloud migration. Ensure that your tech team runs all possible cloud-based scenarios and test cases, determine your current workload and estimate storage capacity and other resources you might need on Cloud, network and other security, and so on. This will give you an overview of how your system will shape up in the future and also help you make a holistic cost estimate of the entire exercise.
Summing up…
With a robust Cloud web hosting service, a good service provider, and the right infrastructure, migration to Cloud Hosting can prove to be the most profitable operational exercise.
Image Credits: Cloud Hosting from ra2studio/Shutterstock
