Cloud Migration Checklist: 7 Tips from the Experts

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Considering a move to the cloud? We want to make sure you do it right. Here are seven best practices for cloud migration, straight from our top experts, Brian Wineland, Director of Microsoft Services, and Carlo Finotti, SVP of Service Delivery! 

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Seven Best Cloud Practices

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1. Security and Access 

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Your cloud migration checklist should begin with the assessment of your existing security measures, including firewalls, access controls, and encryption protocols.  Evaluate your chosen cloud provider’s security features, certifications, and compliance standards. Consider factors like data residency and privacy regulations.  Decide whether you’re migrating entirely to the cloud or adopting a hybrid model (combining on-premises and cloud resources).  Keeping on-premises and cloud environments in sync can be complex. Ensure consistent configurations and data across both.  Choose encryption methods and security policies that align with your business requirements and compliance standards.   

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2. Availability 

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Eliminate single points of failure by replicating resources across multiple failure domains (e.g., VM instances, zones, or regions).  Architect your application to use pools of resources distributed across multiple zones.  Example: To help mitigate the load on OLTP databases explore using read-only replicas for reporting and other read-only workloads.  Consider the tradeoffs between cost and reliability. While HA improves uptime it may come at a higher cost. 

3. Monitoring and Support 

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Cloud platforms offer native monitoring solutions that offer dashboards, alerts, and insights for better visibility into your cloud resources.  These solutions can require quite a bit of customization to work correctly with your organizational model and business needs.  Several third-party monitoring solutions exist that can help provide a single pane of glass when monitoring hybrid and multi-cloud setups.  Evaluate your current monitoring posture, making sure to identify any known deficiencies.  Also, consider a crucial part of cloud monitoring is not just performance but monitoring your cloud costs as well.  Work with the native cloud provider monitoring solution or 3rd party monitoring tools to bring a comprehensive monitoring solution to the cloud. 

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4. Compliance and Governance
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A. Compliance Requirements: 

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• During migration, it’s crucial to ensure compliance with data privacy regulations and industry-specific standards. This involves understanding the legal obligations related to data protection, confidentiality, and user rights.
• Conduct a thorough assessment of existing compliance frameworks and identify any gaps that need to be addressed. For instance, if your organization deals with personal data (such as customer information) ensure that you comply with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). 
• Implement mechanisms to safeguard sensitive data during transit and storage. Encryption, access controls, and secure communication channels are essential components. 

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B. Governance Policies: 

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• Governance plays a pivotal role in maintaining control over your cloud environment. Establish clear policies and procedures to guide decision-making and enforce best practices. 
• Access Controls: Define roles and permissions for users, applications, and services. Limit access to only what is necessary. Regularly review and update access rights. 
• Auditing and Monitoring: Set up robust auditing mechanisms to track user activities, system changes, and security events. Regularly review logs and investigate any anomalies. 

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C. Regulatory Compliance: 

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• Cloud providers operate in various regions, each with its own legal and regulatory landscape. Understand the specific requirements applicable to your cloud deployment. 
• Geographic Considerations: Choose cloud regions strategically based on data residency laws. Some regulations mandate that certain data must remain within specific geographic boundaries. 
• Service-Level Agreements (SLAs): Review SLAs provided by your cloud provider. Ensure they align with your compliance needs. For example, availability, data durability, and disaster recovery provisions. 
• Third-Party Audits: Many cloud providers undergo independent audits (such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001). Leverage these certifications to demonstrate compliance to stakeholders. 

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5. Cost Management

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Develop a cost management strategy to optimize cloud spending and avoid unexpected expenditures. Utilize the cloud analysis tools that look at your cloud costs. This will allow you to forecast expenses, identify opportunities for cost savings, and implement cost optimization techniques such as rightsizing instances, leveraging reserved instances, and utilizing spot instances for non-critical workloads. 

6. Resource Allocation

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Optimize resource allocation by monitoring usage patterns. Unused or underutilized resources should be decommissioned to reduce costs.  For example: Development and Staging environments could be resourced less or not at all outside of non-production times. 

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7. Data Retention

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Finally, determine how long data should be retained in the cloud. It’s critical to consider legal requirements, organizational needs, and storage costs. Implement automated data lifecycle management to help control monthly expenditures. 

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In Conclusion…

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We hope you gained relevant insights about what it takes to undergo cloud migration! Cloud migration requires careful thought, but it has the potential to catalyze business growth and drive innovation. By adhering to our cloud migration checklist, your migration will be successful. DataStrike will ensure a smooth journey to the cloud while providing proper guidelines for a smooth transition. With best-in-class cloud management support, we will be there every step of the way, from deployment to continuous monitoring, ensuring minimal downtime to streamline your operations. 

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About DataStrike 

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DataStrike is the industry leader in 100% onshore data infrastructure services and enables companies to harness IT changes as a catalyst for growth. With a network of highly specialized experts, strategic partnerships with the world's biggest technology providers, and a platform agnostic approach, DataStrike provides innovative solutions and practical guidance to accelerate digital transformation initiatives and drive better business outcomes for small-to mid-sized businesses. Click here to learn more about our service offerings.