On-Premise to Cloud Migration: 5 Key Benefits for Businesses

Most businesses are increasingly migrating their infrastructure to Cloud environments. According to Google Cloud Brand Pulse Survey, Q4 2022, about 32.8% of IT leaders planned to migrate their on-premise operations to the Cloud in 2032 while 41.4% planned to increase their Cloud investments. This shift to Cloud computing is not a mere coincidence but revolves around the massive benefits Cloud-based infrastructure offers.

Essentially, Cloud platforms offer a seamless environment setup, with little to no configurations required and state-of-the-art security protocols. Such features enhance user experience and improve the time to market for businesses.

This article will discuss the perks businesses stand to gain from migrating on-premise systems to the Cloud.

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Brief overview of on-premise to Cloud migration
Types of Cloud migrations
Top 5 benefits of on-premise to Cloud migration
Common challenges of on-premise to Cloud migration
Conclusion

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Brief Overview of On-premise to Cloud Migrations

Organizations operating with legacy systems often have their entire infrastructure built in an on-premise environment. Being on-premise means the business has its own servers for hosting applications and databases. Such deployment requires the organization to hire IT specialists to configure and maintain all hardware and software.

Migrating the entire architecture from on-premise to the Cloud requires packing each component and re-deploying it to the new environment. The components are re-configured according to the new environment and tested to ensure they work as expected. On-premise to Cloud migration can be done in several ways depending on unique business requirements.

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Types of Cloud Migrations

Re-hosting; It’s a simple, low-resistance migration methodology under which an application is migrated as an image. It is deployed as it is without any configurational changes. The drawback of this approach is that the application does not benefit from any Cloud features.
Re-platforming; This type of Cloud migration is similar to re-hosting, except it involves codebase changes to leverage Cloud benefits. This could involve modifying application APIs or Middleware services.
Refactoring; It involves breaking down the legacy application and re-engineering it to fit the Cloud environment. It is a long and costly process but allows users to fully optimize the application for better performance and utilize all Cloud benefits.
Re-purchasing; This Cloud migration approach involves completely dropping your existing platform and migrating to a new Cloud-native environment. In most cases, the new environment suits certain needs better but usually comes with a learning curve.
Retiring; This concept is related to recognizing when moving to a Cloud environment that certain components of the application may not be needed. For this reason, they can be simply turned off for performance and cost improvements.
Retaining; It refers to an understanding that some application components might have to be held in the legacy environment. This may be due to application complexity or security and compliance issues. Consequently, the application will work in a hybrid model with some components hosted on the Cloud and others in an on-premise system.

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Top 5 Benefits of On-Premise to Cloud Migration

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Scalability

Many businesses experience unusual highs and lows in their online workloads, which makes it difficult to provision the correct hardware. Cloud environments offer a cluster of machines to solve this problem. Each cluster consists of several nodes and is designed to auto-adjust the number of active nodes according to the workload and then scale down when no longer needed. The auto-scalability is a seamless process and prevents downtimes in high-load scenarios.

Moreover, if users ever feel their chosen clusters are over or under-powered, the hardware can be quickly adjusted with a few button clicks. This scalability eliminates the process of manually provisioning hardware when the need arises.

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High Performance

Cloud environments provide multiple CPUs, Memory, GPUs, and storage options. The hardware ranges from low-tier machines for a cheaper cost to extreme-performance machines. The high-performance hardware can handle almost any workload, including applications with millions of users and extensive deep-learning training.

For instance, AWS has a special VM tier called accelerated computing that offers options with up to 192 vCPU cores and 8 GPUs. Similarly, Azure offers its users High-Performance Computing (HPC), including machines like the HB176-144rs v4 with 144 vCPU cores and 640 GiB of memory. Such performant machines are ideal for users expecting a lag-free real-time application experience.

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Cost Effective

Most Cloud platforms have very transparent pricing structures that are cost-effective if used correctly. Cloud providers offer various payment strategies for users to pick. These include a pay-as-you-go model, which charges on an hourly (and sometimes per minute) basis.

Users may only pay for the time they are actually using the compute instances and keep the instance idle otherwise to save additional costs. Users can also choose to reserve instances for longer periods (1 or 2 years) at discounted rates. This is ideal for those who are sure of their long-term workloads.

Additionally, since switching computes is simple, users can easily swap for a lower (and cheaper) machine if they feel they miscalculated their requirements. Additionally, since the environments are auto-scalable, the compute clusters auto-scale down to prevent any accidental costs.

However, it is also important to note that each Cloud provider has a different pricing structure. Users should thoroughly review the service cost for their desired platform before making a choice.

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Security

Legacy on-premise systems require security specialists to configure appropriate protocols and malware protection tools. Moreover, manual provisioning is challenging and also incurs the cost of the security team and software licenses.

Popular Cloud environments are pre-configured with a state-of-the-art security infrastructure. This includes up-to-date security protocols, integrated malware scanning tools, data protection protocols, and DDOS protection. They also offer granular control of user access and rights to ensure no unauthorized person can infiltrate sensitive information. These protocols ensure a safe work environment and help build trust with clients.

However, it is equally important to note that no security measure is perfect. All platforms are prone to cyber-attacks, and users are equally responsible for protecting their assets. Beware of Phishing and Pharming attacks and follow security protocols to ensure the safety of your system.

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24/7 Support

One key concern of moving from on-premise to a Cloud environment is that users lose control over hardware provisioning and maintenance. Luckily, Cloud providers have dedicated support teams designated to resolve user queries. These are available 24/7 to resolve any issue related to downtimes or other service-related problems.

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Common Challenges of On-Premise to Cloud Migration

On-premise to Cloud migration has its benefits, but the process also comes with challenges. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you intend to move your infrastructure from an on-premise to a Cloud environment.

Migration Planning: Planning a migration is the most challenging part. There are several factors to consider, such as which components to migrate, the order to migrate them, and testing in the new environment. The entire migration process may take several months, and businesses need to maintain the legacy system to keep the business running.
Required Learning Curve: Many users are accustomed to their legacy operations. Migrating to a new environment introduces a learning curve to understand Cloud SOPs and how to leverage their plethora of benefits.
Loss of Control: Many of the Cloud configurations are set by the providers, and users have restricted control. Users who enjoy customization of the application environment might find this loss of control challenging.

While most providers have a comprehensive setup procedure, the choices for user preferences are very limited. For example, the compute cluster location depends on what the provider has to offer, and it might not suit all users.

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Conclusion

Cloud services have gained massive popularity in recent years. This is mainly due to their various benefits and cost-effective options. Many organizations have migrated their on-premise systems to a Cloud-native environment, while others have plans to invest more in Cloud services.

On-premise to Cloud migration brings various benefits to its users, including a scalable environment for managing uncertain workloads, high-performance systems for compute-heavy tasks, and flexible payment options to cater to different users.

These features ensure uninterrupted application processing and an enhanced user experience. The overall Cloud experience is designed to save users from hectic tasks such as provisioning so they can focus on building their business value.

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Head over to our Cloud Migrations service page to learn more about how Bluelight Consulting helps businesses design, implement, and reap the benefit of your Cloud investments.

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