It is estimated that, by the year 2020, more than 60% of IT spending will go towards services based on the cloud. With those estimates, it is easy to see how tomorrow’s network is going to be mostly cloud-based. How do you get there from where you are, though?

Well, it will be a gradual evolution like everything else in IT. This article will offer you four tips on how to effectively and gradually move your applications and IT infrastructure to the cloud. If you follow these tips, you will take your business further by fully taking advantage of the elasticity of the cloud, and its almost constant upgrades.

1. Assess your current infrastructure: this is an important step so you can inventory the IT infrastructure you already use to determine the elements that you will need to phase out soon and whether or not there is a replacement option that is viable on the cloud. By keeping a cloud mentality when it’s time to replace parts of your infrastructure, you will slowly get your systems to a cloud environment.
2. Manage latency in your network: After moving your applications and infrastructure to the cloud, it is important to make sure that end-users don’t have issues with performance as they use these new resources. This mostly means that you must ensure there isn’t a major amount of excessive network latency. There are a few things you can do to help with this, such as using acceleration technologies, connecting to multiple major centers for colocation, and using network monitoring tools to help you better understand any performance issues and network behaviors.
3. Develop a security plan: just because your application and data are now on the cloud doesn’t mean they are handling your security responsibilities as well. It is important to ask any prospective provider questions regarding how they change management procedures, how they provide network and physical security, and more. You will need to understand their security policies and make sure they are in sync with your own. You will also want to ensure they have an access management plan and effective identity measures that ensure only users you authorize can access your cloud-based resources. This plan will ideally include a single identity solution, because otherwise, it may take too long for users to log into individual cloud-based services.
4. Prepare for a change in the environment: as you move more of your resources to the cloud, new skill sets and knowledge may be required of your IT staff so they can manage the new environment effectively. This can create an entire culture shift in many companies, so it is best to prepare for it as much as possible. As humans, we resist change, so changing over to the cloud is not only a physical and virtual move but also a psychological one. Your employees will require training to help them adjust to the new approaches. You may need to exchange some workers with those with a new skill set. It is best always to make every effort to keep the workers that have been with you for a while, though, because they understand how your business runs and have institutional knowledge.

It is obvious to anyone in the business world that the cloud will be playing a more important role in the near future. In fact, within the next several years, nearly all businesses will be cloud-based. By using the above tips, you can help your business make the transition to the cloud more successful and seamless. Contact RedWave Technology Group, LLC at (205) 917-5757 for assistance with transitioning to the cloud and many other technical support services.