Keep in mind the following 5 steps to Ensure Successful Transition to the cloud:

1. Plan Thoroughly Before Implementing

For businesses today, it is critical that all projects are kept in alignment with the strategic goals. Agility and efficiency are necessary as well, but for successful implementation, planning ahead is the single most important aspect, particularly when it involves migrating to Cloud services. So working to keep the project on track as part of the complete strategic vision requires doing so from the beginning and mapping it all the way to delivery and acceptance. Teams must build a cross-platform unity with open lines of communication in order to Ensure adherence to the scope of work, and complementary aspects of project workflow. It is also necessary to plan in risk factors and any unexpected challenges – project plans should account for these cases.

2. Carefully Plan Data Migration with Expert Assistance

More and more, data is the primary aspect of business services, rather than a physical product or experience. So lifeguarding it is part of managing project plans. It is recommended that the primary stakeholders and the subject-matter experts all work together when crafting a data migration plan in order to ensure that the project moves forward as quickly and efficiently as possible. Businesses therefore may want to consider contracting it out to other experienced companies, who would have a complete knowledge of the sensitivity and valuableness of the data, and can cater to your exact needs. In many cases, they offer the capability of pre-testing before implementation in order to ensure the best possible outcome.

3. Carefully Analyze Integration and Customization Requirements

Transitioning a legacy system into Cloud-based systems can be a complex affair. This can be a result of aging or redundant systems which all need linked together in the new Cloud system. This underscores the importance of analyzing all portions of a business’ workflow and data systems, in order to match it to the applicable Cloud system. When working with an outside contractor for the data migration, be sure to send along all documentation and prioritize resource management. This is crucial, as such information is necessary to customize the Cloud system and integrate the data intakes and outputs.

4. Rope in Employees, Customers and Partners in the Migration Process

In order to ensure that the company is all in alignment with its strategic goals and project implementations, the major stakeholders must have buy-in from all aspects for the company, from the end-users to business partners. When working on a data integration, it may be necessary that prior to implementation, a business run test-cases for all the major applications, including on the consumer side. Sample transactions should be processed through the e-Commerce systems, and any other related workflows. Additionally, it is recommended that businesses devote the time and effort to offer training on an ongoing basis for the new systems.

5. Make Data Security No 1 Priority

Aside from successful implementation and customization requirements, the single most important factor when creating a data migration plan, is security. It is difficult to overstate the risks involved in an increasingly-interconnected world, so a business needs to prioritize its information security management. Working with subject matter experts and top-of-the-line enterprise resource products and CRM teams requires all disclosure of Business Recovery and Disaster Management (BR/DM) operations. The contractors will be able to integrate this information and provide comprehensive knowledge of regulatory and practical applications in order to protect your data. While at the same time, businesses must control and safeguard their own data access, and understand how all the systems work together. Again, this is critical in order to successfully implement a data migration.

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