If you’re a developer, you already know that cloud migration can be tricky. Cloud migration tools for businesses are designed to do the work for you removing the manual pain of scaling safely and fast. This is the kind of migration you want one that works super-fast and frees up your time for some real creativity.

But you probably already know that not all ‘automated’ products are as they say. For us at DupoCloud, the right automation process is the one that evolves with you and your team and without making a riot.

A DevOps Migration that is better!

Let’s dive deeper into automated cloud migration in this post, and learn from the experts at DuploCloud. You’ll see what automation can do for you, common migration pitfalls and best practices for adoption.

Our goal? Providing you with step-by-step guidance and tips to get the most out of cloud migration whether you’re an expert or a beginner.

What is cloud migration?

But first let’s talk about the comparatively abstract topic of DevOps automation, cloud migration and why is it important.

Cloud migration refers to migration of applications, data, and workloads from on-premise or cloud platform to another. This migration can be multileveled and varies based on an organisation’s current infrastructure and strategy.

Why Cloud migration is so appealing? It’s easy the promise of better business agility, better resource management, and lower prices.

That’s true but there are issues with a cloud move like data security compliance, workflow disruption, and compatibility. 

“When anyone tells me or if you ask me, is cloud computing the future?’ I tell them no it’s not the future it’s today! The cloud is where innovation is built and it will power most new technology for decades to come. According to Gartner, “70% or more of companies will be on the cloud by 2027, up 45% from 2023,” as per Gartner.

The take-home message: It’s all about choosing the right cloud provider for cost analysis, workload optimization, and successful migration. All of these are overwhelming if you don’t have a good cloud migration plan.

Migration to cloud automation vs migration by hand.

Automated cloud migration uses specialized tools and software to migrate applications, data, and workloads to the cloud. It is the perfect tool for businesses who need to get started fast on a migration and still have business continuity.

If you don’t want to work with as many people as possible, automation avoids human errors and makes switching between systems easy.

Manual migration methods

Manual cloud migration, on the other hand, requires a lot of hands-on labor from IT teams (many of which are already under-stretched). (And actually, a few sources say that these critical infrastructure teams are among the worst and smallest in an organisation.)

System configuration, data handling and testing everything in a manual migration is to be done with care. But unfortunately, this is a slow and error-prone process with high complexity which makes the whole migration even more difficult. Automation is the clear choice for companies looking to get larger quickly.

Common challenges in cloud migration

And while it is a plus, cloud migration isn’t free of common pitfalls. Common workflow challenges include:

• Managing complex data dependencies
• Immediate cross-platform interoperability
• Preventing cross-team and process disruption for the business.

And also, organisational resistance to change can make it hard to adopt, especially if stakeholders are not well-versed in the cloud technology and fear that they will start too many tsunamis.

These are the things that you must have a good migration strategy in place from the technology (software) and people sides. Hire key players as early as possible and give them a good training, to smooth the transition and create a good, supportive team.

Benefits of automated cloud migration

Automated cloud migration comes with a host of advantages which can revolutionize your organization IT system while migrating. The first on the list? Enhanced efficiency and departmental organization.

Further, you can eliminate recurrent activities (data exchange, system setting, etc) so that the business can invest in innovation and strategic projects. Other benefits include:

• Improved scalability. Automated tools effortlessly churn through big amounts of data and workloads in a single run, so companies can scale their cloud deployments according to their needs.
• Rapid growth. Flexible migration comes in handy for businesses going through rapid expansion or digital transformation. It might be during a merger and acquisition, for instance.
• Cost reduction and efficiency. This means fewer manual bumps and more effective infrastructure for businesses to make savings on operation costs. Automated systems reduce churn and messes for a secure, accurate experience.

Exploring top cloud migration tools

Any successful cloud migration is about the right tools, in the right time. Here are some of the most popular categories for cloud migration tools to look at:

Migration assistance tools

These tools automate moving applications, data, and workloads from on-premises or any other cloud location to the cloud. They automate work so that there is little manual work required to move on.

Example: AWS Migration Hub. It’s an API that tracks and administers applications on the AWS migration journey, bringing migration assets into one place. It enables server conversion automation, multiple source environment support, cloud and cross-region migration with business continuity.

Cost management platforms

Cost management solutions show you how much your organization is spending on the cloud and allow you to benchmark cost and performance requirements among vendors. That sort of platform can precisely measure, optimize, and manage prices. Without overbudgeting, companies will be able to use resources more effectively, make predictable budgets and plan longer-term.

Example: Cloud Health by VMware. This is great for cutting costs in the cloud. It also offers a view of spend and real cost management in multi-cloud scenarios.

Performance monitoring tools

Performance Monitoring Tools: Monitoring tools keep track of cloud services, infrastructure, and applications. They’re proactive and help to ensure that everything functions and has better user experiences by anticipating problems before they occur.

Example: Datadog. Datadog analyses cloud infrastructure and applications, giving you instant access to system health and performance concerns.

Data management solutions

Data storage, management and access efficiency make or break the modern cloud. Data management systems ensure data integrity and security with seamless distributed system access.

Example: Snowflake. Cloud data platform to store, process and interpret huge amount of data, to easily consolidate data from many different sources.

Compliance tools

Industry regulations are important to all companies. Compliance solutions streamline the compliance of security policies and standards so that companies can be compliant under any circumstances.

Example: Drata. With an online solution such as Drata, you can get (and stay) compliant. Automated SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS etc.

How-to for cloud migration success.

Need a cloud migration that is more stable and successful? Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Pre-migration assessment

Review your current infrastructure on several environments thoroughly to understand what is and is not working. Knowing what’s going on in your org is always part of your migration plan and what to work on and when.

2. Migration roadmap and cloud migration strategy.

Next, get strategic and granular. Develop a migration plan with the steps, timelines and tasks to be performed at each stage of the migration process. An integrated plan makes sure that everyone in the organisation has a consistent vision and the execution is planned out properly.

3. Backup, integrity, and redundancy controls for data.

Ensure good data backup and redundancy to prevent data loss during the migration process. Data availability and integrity provides continuity to business and eliminates or minimises known risks.

4. Training and onboarding for staff

Onboard employees with full training and onboarding in the new cloud technologies and processes. Give your employees the skills and information they need to effectively operate the cloud.

Post-migration considerations for cloud environment

Despite migration completion, management and optimisation should be maintained continuously in order to achieve maximum value out of the cloud. Here are some post-migration considerations:

• Constant Compliance monitoring: Maintain and enforce compliance with industry requirements and security protocols. With routine audits and checks, you’ll have a safe and compliance cloud infrastructure.
• Risk mitigation and long-range contingency planning: Build a risk mitigation and contingency planning plan for any potential threats and outages. Intentional planning assures robustness and lowers the incidence of surprise.
• On-going learning and training: Be an ever-learning organization by providing ongoing learning and training to your employees. Staying abreast of all the latest cloud technologies and practices will help your team be better at what they do and spur innovation.

Automate to grow forward

Automated cloud migration is changing the approach taken by companies in the digital transformation journey. With the help of the advancement of the cloud, organizations have access to efficiency, scalability, and lower costs — in other words, the advantage in a saturated marketplace. Getting the hang of automated cloud migration securing your company’s future (without hiring cycles and sluggishness).