What is Cloud Migration? Strategy, Process, and Tools
Cloud migration is the process of moving your data, apps, and other assets related to business from your organization’s on-premises infrastructure to a cloud-based digital environment. There are many advantages to this transition or migration, which include lowered expenses, improved scalability, and better security. There are several steps involved in the migration strategy, and commonly the main stages are – evaluating your current infrastructure, planning the migration process, selecting the most suitable cloud service provider, and carrying out the migration. For seamless migration of data and applications, the most preferred tools are AWS Migration Hub, Azure Migrate, and Google’s Migrate for Compute Engine. Since Azure, AWS, and Google are also the top 3 cloud solutions providers and by far the biggest names in the cloud services market, it is no surprise that the related migration tools of these platforms provide complete and the most in-depth solutions to facilitate a smooth migration process.
What’s the Difference Between AWS vs. Azure vs. Google Cloud?
The three leading cloud service providers today are Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Amazon Web Services (AWS), each of which has its own set of features and strengths. The widest global reach and a broad range of services are the highlights of AWS, which came into the market before the other two. Azure has the ‘Microsoft advantage’ and it can integrate with other Microsoft apps & products making it suitable for enterprise software, and it provides robust support for hybrid cloud environments. GCP leverages Google’s extensive search and data analytics services to excel in the domains of big data and machine learning. It is essential to be fully aware of these key differences while choosing the most suitable cloud solutions provider for your company’s unique requirements.
How to Determine the Right Cloud Platform for Your Migration
The most suitable cloud platform for your migration will be based on a number of factors, such as what your long-term objectives are, the present needs of your business, and the existing state of your IT infrastructure, would be among some main factors to consider. When you do a Microsoft Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud to determine the best, there is no particular objectively right answer, rather, it is about the subjective needs of a business. AWS cloud is often chosen by organizations for its extensive service offerings and well-established ecosystem, while Azure is best for organizations that have made major investments in Microsoft technologies since Azure provides smooth integration with Microsoft’s various apps & tools and provides extensive support for hybrid environments. For data-centric apps, Google Cloud is the best option as it gives advanced analytics features and ML capabilities. Each platform has specialized capabilities, and weighing in all these aspects will help make your choice of the perfect platform for your organization easier.
All about Azure vs AWS vs Google Cloud including their features and differences
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure was first released in 2010 and it is a public cloud platform that offers a range of solutions for virtual computing, storage, networking, and other services with its Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) features. Several top corporations around the world use Microsoft Azure for their operations. It is perhaps because one of the advantages of Azure over AWS or GCP is that it can integrate with Microsoft’s tools and applications. Organizations have the option to use Microsoft Azure to either support their on-premises servers or opt to replace them and make a full transition to the Cloud environment.
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Amazon Web Services or AWS is a cloud platform that is the oldest of the 3 major Cloud solutions as it was available in mid 2000s. AWS offers cloud services that are scalable and help business organizations grow & thrive in the industry, with its on-demand features including database storage, high compute power, content delivery network, and other extremely useful functions. AWS is also a very cost-efficient solution since you only need to pay for the services you use at a particular time, as well as only for the duration you use them so it offers its clients a convenient “pay-as-you-go” pricing model.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Google launched its Cloud Services originally under the name ‘App Engine’ in the late 2000s, now known as GCP or Google Cloud Platform. A variety of hosted services are provided by Google Cloud for application development, data management, compute, and more that run on Google hardware. Google Cloud’s suite of services is vast and also includes Big Data, CloudAI, IoT, and data analytics tools. Cloud administrators, app developers, and other IT specialists can access Google Cloud over private or public networks. Just like its other 2 main competitors, AWS and Azure, Google Cloud has a global reach and is available to enterprises in most of the major geographic regions.
Comparing AWS and Azure services to Google Cloud
It’s crucial to take into consideration the primary offerings of AWS and Azure’s services when contrasting them with Google Cloud. To cater to diverse fields of businesses, AWS offers an extensive set of services, in the form of databases, storage options, and processing capacity. Azure is a popular option for businesses due to its strong hybrid cloud capabilities and seamless integration with various software. With its robust machine learning along with helpful data analytics tools, Google Cloud distinguishes itself from the others in the manner that it can help organizations extract meaningful insights from their collected data. The best option will rely on the particular needs of the organization and all three platforms offer something valuable.
The 7 R’s Migration Strategy
A particular tactics to help assist businesses to plan and execute their migration process is known as the “7 Rs of cloud migration”. With this technique, a company can organise, carry out, and optimise their migration process. The 7 R’s or steps of this technique respectively being as follows – Rehost, Relocate, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, R, and Retain. These tactics provide a roadmap for choosing the most effective method of migrating data and apps from a company’s on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. The popular strategy is generally attributed to be an evolution of Gartner’s 5 R’s model that was constructed in the early days of Cloud Computing.
Cloud Migration Strategies by Synergy it Solutions
Synergy IT Solutions, Toronto, specializes in creating customized cloud migration strategies or plans for clients to assist their companies with seamless and efficient cloud migration. Our method involves evaluating your current IT infrastructure in-depth, choosing the ideal cloud platform for your needs accordingly, and carrying out a smooth migration process. To ensure a successful transition, we leverage specialized solutions like Google Cloud’s Migrate for Compute Engine, Azure Migrate, and AWS Migration Hub. Our cloud computing experts make sure that your cloud migration is done successfully, and effectively in line with your company’s goals.
Closing Remarks: Migrating to Cloud to Futureproof Your Business
To sum up, migrating to the cloud is an essential first move towards upgrading your IT infrastructure for the future and driving corporate expansion. By making a in-depth GCP vs AWS vs Azure evaluation and understanding each of them after this cloud computing provider comparison, business organizations can make well-informed decisions to choose the right platform that supports their strategic goals. Synergy-IT offers all-inclusive cloud migration services to ensure a secure and seamless transition of your IT infrastructure to the cloud and prepare you to reap the benefits that come with it, such as maximizing your ROI, preventing downtime, and achieving your business objectives with the scalability of Cloud Solutions. Our knowledgeable staff is there to assist you at every stage of the migration process, regardless of whether you chose AWS, Azure, or Google as your Cloud Platform Solution.
F.A.Qs
Q1: What are the 7 migration strategies for AWS?
The “7 Rs,” or the seven migration strategies of AWS are Rehost, Replatform, Repurchase, Refactor, Retire, Retain, and Relocate. These strategies help companies make their decision in choosing the most effective approach to migrate their workloads and applications to the Amazon Web Service or AWS cloud.
Q2: What is the difference between relocate and rehost?
Rehosting is the process of migrating applications to the cloud with little to no changes. On the other hand, “relocation” usually involves the transfer of entire data centers or large-scale apps to the cloud while maintaining some on-premises components.
Q3: What is Azure Lift and Shift?
“Azure Lift and Shift” is a migration strategy in which an application may be moved to the Azure cloud with little to no changes to the current architecture. With this strategy, organizations may profit from cloud computing much quicker and can avoid the need to do a lot of reconfiguration.
Q4: What are the 4 R’s of cloud migration?
The 4 Rs of Cloud Migration are Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, and Rebuild. These strategies help businesses decide what would be the best method based on their requirements, to shift their workloads and applications to the cloud.
