Introduction

In recent years, information technology has commenced on a new pattern of storing information which
is cloud computing. Cloud computing can be referred to as the computing environment where
computing information by one company can be can be managed by another company, and when it’s
time to use these resources or power like emails or database, they can access the through the internet.
The technology of cloud computing is not new but a different computing way to deliver computing
needs. Computing wares and data are migrated into large centers away from portable PCs and desktop.

There has been a change in computing ever since the incorporation of the simple structure of abacus
and the big computing machines present in the corporate icebox. We now have mobile phones that can
access corporate apps, tablets that works like computers with tools for drawing, and business computer
systems that produce quality product and services via its network which processes this computer driven
data. They do this without any external hindrances.

In recent years, cloud technology has dominated the business world for a number of captivating
reasons. Besides the significance of storage and security benefits, cloud computing in terms of cost is an
economical business solution. It gives room for company to take care of unpredictable traffic, makes
sure data is safe with a well-detailed data recovery plan, and reduce fixed operational costs across
board. This might be called “computing as a service”. You pay for whatever you need, whenever you
need it.

Cloud computing is developed with a lot of benefits in business as well as customer point of view. Cloud
computing gives companies an opportunity to be part of cloud environment and benefits from cloud
computing. Also, in clouding computing, the internet serves as a medium of accessing resources anytime
from anywhere. By transferring application data, existing systems and services to the cloud, most
companies began acclimatizing themselves with cloud environment.

The concept of cloud migration

A business migrating to cloud is a good decision. On the other hand, the processes involved in migrating
may seem like a complicated and tiring task, most especially if you are used to the previous way. Here,
we have a complete guide that paves way for an efficient and effective cloud migration.

What is Cloud Migration

Cloud migration is the process which involves transferring business operations into the cloud. There is
the physical aspect of cloud migration, we also have the nonphysical aspect which involves transferring
applications, data and IT processes from one data center to another one. This is done instead of packing
physical goods. It is more like a moves from a small office to a larger office. Lots of advanced work and
preparations are involved and at the same time, the end result is usually worth the efforts because it has
a higher flexibility and it saves costs.

Cloud computing is very much known to be described as the move from legacy infrastructure or on
premise to the cloud. Also, the term cloud migration is applicable to the movement from one cloud to
another.

What is cloud
Cloud is referred to as the server which are accessed over the internet, together with the databases and
software that run on those servers. We have cloud servers been located in data centers round the
world. The use of cloud computing relieves companies and users the stress of having to run software
applications on their own machines or handling physical servers themselves.

Applications and files can be accessed from any device via the cloud. This is because the storage and
computing does not take place locally on the user device but on servers in a data center.

There are three options provided by cloud computing for cloud deployment: private cloud, public cloud
and hybrid cloud.

The private cloud

A private cloud belongs to one organization. i.e. it’s for the absolute use of one organization. There will
be need for businesses to invest in an internal IT personnel and on premise data center or have a
specialized service provider. The most secure is the private cloud and the investment is of a considerable
cost. Banks, fortune 500 companies and entities that manage sensitive data of the consumer will have
private cloud.

The operation and the management of the private cloud by the private entity will be done through its
firewall. There will be data center on premise in the organization in all aspects. Private cloud allows
organization have more control over data security and accessibility. Staffs, especially the IT staff will
possess the ability to be able to build a very strong infrastructure that matches the needs of the
business. All these can be done with cost reduction.

The public cloud

The general public have access to the public cloud. Data centers will serve as a point through which the
cloud is been operated by cloud service provider. Business that want new and latest technologies
without the addition of extra expenses, public cloud is suitable for them. The mode of payment is pay-
at-time of service. This is because there is no need to buy on-site storage and infrastructure.

The Hybrid Cloud

Hybrid cloud is a mixture of private and public cloud. Sometimes, an organizational entity would prefer a
hybrid cloud due to the advantage that user will have access to both private and public data processing
through one system. The hybrid cloud option has a high level of security. Internal apps and data can still
be kept by businesses and at the same time having access to public data at low cost. Using pay-as-you-
use pattern of payment, businesses can make some investment with the resources on premise while
paying for the ones off premise.

Reasons Businesses Migrate to the Cloud?

The maintenance and operation of the server comes with various challenges which prompts businesses
to migrate to cloud server. Few of the reasons why businesses migrate are highlighted below:

 High cost
 The challenge of geographical distribution
 Disaster recovery
 Handling of traffic spikes
 Sudden demand for operations
 Inefficient processes
 The price of in-house disaster recovery processes
 Application-related methods been accessed
 Requirement for data storage
 Unable to scale server resources

Mode of operation of an on premise-to-cloud migration

We have different businesses with different needs, which implies that there will be a slightly different
process for cloud migrations. Businesses can set up the processes involved I cloud migration with the
help of cloud providers. Here are the basic steps in which most cloud migration follows:

 Establishing goals: what do a business stand to gain from a performance? When will legacy
infrastructure be disapproved? Setting targets to meet also helps a business confirm the success
of the migration.
 Create a security strategy: comparing to on premise security, a different approach is needed for
cloud cybersecurity. In cloud, there is no network perimeter and corporate assets don’t longer
exist behind the firewall. The use of web application or cloud firewall may be necessary.
 Copy over data: pick a cloud provider and copy previous databases. This process should be done
all through the migration period so as to keep the cloud database up-to-date.
 Move business intelligence: this might involve rewriting codes which can be done all at once or
bit by bit.
 Switch production to cloud from on premise: the migration is complete when the cloud goes
live.

Depending on the option you want, some businesses keep legacy systems in place as part of a hybrid
cloud deployment or as back up while others at the end of these steps, they turn off their om
premises infrastructure.

Cloud Migration Today

In few years to come, there will be a great turn over for users that made the switch to the cloud
making more than half of the market. About 37% of small business migrated to cloud computing in
America, this happened in 2015 alone. It has been predicted that in 2020, the percentage will
increase to 80. This means that more of the business in America will be in cloud. Other country’s
businesses would most likely emulate them.

Reason why Cloud computing is of importance to Today’s business

Lots of money are being spent by companies in installing and developing software, so as to improve
operations. Cloud computing gives your business the opportunity to success software on the
internet as a service. Cloud computing can also be seen as a way of sharing and storing data. Some
of the reasons why organizations switch to the cloud include:

 Scalability: as per requirement, quality services must be rendered and this saves money for
unused data. It provides a medium of decreasing or increasing resources in line in respect to
business needs. Scalability also enables easy resource allocation and future IT infrastructure.
It gives room to be able to focus other parts on the main business requirements thereby
reducing the workload.
 Cost-effective: another significant use that makes cloud migration a popular strategy is
reduction in cost. When running services in the cloud, 88% of companies save money. This
has been analyzed by Rackspace. The use of a local server adds to the annual budget
because of the coat pf maintenance and support. Asides this, there is no need for businesses
to pay staff that are on-site to manage your systems.
 Remote collaboration: the cloud gives room for organizations to access remotely. There is
direct access to their other services, databases and documents from anywhere with the use
of communication and collaboration software, tools and apps. The allows the workers to
collaborate remotely with increase effectiveness.
 Better work-life balance: it has provided a balance for their work-life by giving the workers a
choice to work from home and comfortably for hours. Many services stand on their own in
this platform and the systems used for operation can be worked in any devices like tablet,
mobile and laptop.
 Integration: combining with other systems is possible in a very easy and also cost effective
way in the cloud environment.
  Better storage: high security data storage at a low cost is been provided by most cloud
solution providers. You can easily expand and compress the storage according to your
requirements in cloud computing. Business that has periodic or seasonal requirements for
data storage go for cloud because of these reasons.
 Disaster recovery: there is cloud-based back up which serves as a backup for all what you
have on the cloud. It is easy to recover those data using cloud-based back up. For mini
companies, the cloud-based solutions are most real. Also, it saves investments and time for
these recovery operations.
 Automation of tasks: it is very easy to update automatically and API also are easy in cloud
environment. It also allows the automation of tasks that are repetitive.
 Flexibility: scaling up to the cloud capacity whenever required is possible and easy. Testing
and utilization of applications is easy and also the removal and installation of any application
is easy in these environment.
 Mobility: the data on cloud has high secure connection access even when the person is on
movement. Even in an uncontrolled situation, such security is possible.
 Security: frequent security problems like: data theft, intrusions, hacking, unauthorized
access and identity theft are kept locked away in cloud computing environments. The
security it provides is far greater than these conditions.
 Faster setup: the setup of applications and data in the cloud is very easy. Transferring to
public cloud will be done in few hours and it is possible complete the set up with an internet
connection remotely.
 Less maintenance: there is nothing like maintenance or high cost of maintenance. This is
because cloud providers manage software, hardware and networks in the cloud. All you
need is an infrastructure with less IT staff. No long term contracts which makes engagement
hassle free and easy.
 Agility: with cloud services, quick decision can be made. It provides time and reduces the
effort that is spent over the infrastructure of systems.
 Zero risk failure: all service provider known gives 99% uptime with no risk of failure. It takes
up workload automatically and make sure that there is continuous and smooth performance
under disaster.
 Maximum uptime: a service provider with maximum up time would be preferable. Cloud
formation is perfect for applications with, customer-facing, web-based and need multiple
users who are from different parts of the world.
 Environment-friendly: long term sustainable solutions which will have less impact on the
environment can be done. This and carpooling are very much alike. The cost is not only
minimal but there is also reduction in the cost of services provided to the customers. Small
business that wish to enlarge their business enjoys this benefit greatly.

Factors that can affect Cloud Migration.

The importance of cloud migration for every organization has been emphasized in the benefits
highlighted above. Most especially in these new era where we have competitive business environment.
Notwithstanding, we have to take cognizance of the factors that can affect cloud migration in other to
affirm a successful cloud migration. By doing this, you can create a solid plan for your migration. Some of
these factors are discussed below.
  People

In any project you want to embark of, people are always a factor. Therefore, they can be an issue or a
problem. Cloud migration is not difficult; it depends on people i.e. the company staff. By nature,
employees are reluctant to change. This is due to the fact that they have been used to a particular
operational process in a certain way. The tend to be adamant to change.

 Culture

If there is need for a change in an organization, it should start from the top. The head of chairs must
show understanding and vision if the company wants to record successful changes in any project. This
basically applies to cloud migration. Both resistance and encouragement to change comes from above.

 Legacy of technology

Introduction of changes can be a serious problem especially is you are running your business on
outdated technology. Old technology consumes resources and budgets which can be diverted in other
projects. Also, the framework is rigid that it cannot be scaled to meet the needs of the business anytime
they are changed.
  Finance

Migrating to cloud is all about large-scale cost savings. If all what you are doing is investing when there
are opportunities to exploit in terms of saving large-scale cost, them there is need for you to change
your financial approach. Your migration project might fail if you don’t.

 Lack of knowledge of the existing infrastructure

Most companies are not fully aware of the existing framework of the organization which poses a great
difficulty when planning cloud migration. Also, they find it difficult to monitor software and hardware
maintenance contracts in which most times are placed between finance and IT with no department
willing to take full responsibility.

 No real-time information

Most companies have data storehouse which cripples them to assess their performance perfectly. Due
to this, the cloud migration plan seems to be like a gamble.

 Lack of untested recovery plans and data protection

Even with the great advancement in protecting data, most companies still remain vulnerable. Disaster
recovery plan is being pictured as an insurance, for this, they see no need to update or test them.
Companies fear the change or in ability to reverse things that go wrong and as a result reduce the
structure or amount of data that is being migrated or even delay cloud migration. Data loss can occur in
most occasions.

Moving your business to the cloud

Having learnt about the benefits and the factors that can affect doing business in the cloud, are you
ready to proceed with the migration? if you feel you are ready to make the great moves but don’t
understand how to go about it, you need not to worry. The following steps highlighted below would
make it very simple for you it integrates the cloud into its operations.

 Work with trusted vendor: if you are still not sure about making a migration to a cloud-based
solution from your local server, find a vendor you know you can trust. If you don’t know where
to get a vendor from, a good way you can do that it to get a recommendation from other
business owners you know and trust.
 Build in “off ramps”: cloud migration is a challenging task involving almost every business
function. Due to this, it is advisable for businesses to build a landmark in which if there is any
reason, the process can be stopped temporarily. For instance, in some aspects are struggling,
you can structure the migration for it to be able to use Amazon S3 service.
 Hire experienced developers: you have the right set of developers for the migration process for
you to consider cloud a secure and reliable place to store your data. Don’t consider opting for
these e-commerce platforms that claim to navigate you manually through the process, it comes
with a huge risk. It is better to find the right set of developers in other to save time and money.
 Consider security: when you migrate your business to the cloud, you risk exposing your details
to anyone with a browser. What you need to do is to focus on your weakest link, it might be an
employee who forgets or fails to secure his/her phone with password. The use of password
management tool such as lastPass which gives room for passwords to be managed thereby
allowing you to close any breach if there is.
 Know how it works fast: it is not advisable to move or use the cloud until you fully understand
the functions properly. Just like many other people, do not assume that you will figure it later or
you get to know the functions as they. The best thing is for you to have a clear picture of you are
doing before doing it.
 Making multiple backups: Before migrating to the cloud, it is better you make duplicate of your
critical systems to cloud drives like Microsoft and google. These drives provide unlimited storage
to business customers. Other services that offer inexpensive backup options are Dropbox and
Amazon web services. Setting up automated multiple backups to multiple locations is the best
strategy you can use. They can be a life saver one day.
 Consider the application you want to use: taking into consideration the business objectives and
cloud strategy, the application might only be able to solve a particular part of your migration i.e.
it is not flexible enough to move all your data. This is because not every cloud application is a
perfect fit. Weigh the cost, efficiency, storage, flexibility of the application before you decide to
go with a particular solution.
  Manage every step of the process: when you decide that you want to migrate to the cloud, you
are taking a big step which can have a positive effect on your business. But, just like any other
change, it carries some risks with it. The process should be organized in such a way that, each
steps should be carefully taken and the security should be maintained.
 Do a dummy traffic test: this is a form of test that allows to you run your website with more
traffic before you actually get the real traffic. The will give you a picture of what you will
experience by the time your website starts running. You will also be able to address any issue
that might pop up during the test making it much more ready for launch.
 Eliminate all points of failure: cloud servers are prone to failure. It is therefore necessary to to
plan for these failures. Take Netflix for instance, they built open-source tools which intentionally
flip the switch on running servers randomly. This is to show how much they planned to failures
and unplanned maintenance.
 Identify what is and isn’t moving: don’t just move all your systems to the cloud because you
want to do it in time, there are certain steps and processes like payroll in which cloud hosting
and technology have an utmost significant over paper systems. On the other hand, there are
some process that needs to be left like that. There are no point fixing things that are not broken.
 Build a cloud-based company: keeping everything centralized and organized on one platform are
important steps to migrating to cloud.

Major challenges Businesses are faced during cloud migration

IT leaders discovered that some of their applications does not work effectively like they would do on
premise. Therefore, there is need to determine the reasons for this failure in cloud computing. Some of
which may be due to concerns about security challenge, poor latency or perhaps compliance challenges.
Below are some of the challenges businesses face during cloud migration.

 Incompatibility

The common issue faced during the migration to public cloud is how they are going to connect what
they have on premise with the service they are going to buy. Over the past few years, many cloud
service providers have tried to create something like the connector to provide more fluidity in
experience. The real problem lies in the fact that the underlying framework are entirely different.

 Data security

Public cloud providers are not responsible for your servers, applications and data security even though
they take responsibility for their cloud’s security. 46 percent of respondent face security of applications
or data as critical challenge. This is according to CDW 2013 state of the cloud Report. Even if you are
being told by your public cloud provider that it fully complies with the regulation, don’t take it as 100%
complaint. There is need for you to still secure and encrypt your data. Also, it will be advisable for you to
invest in suite tools such as antivirus, malware and secure web gateways from various cloud service
providers to protect your data from online threats.

Make sure you get convincing answers to the following questions before hiring a cloud vendor.

 Do you ensure to protect my data?

 Are there professionals on board in case something goes wrong?
 How can you protect my data from being corrupted?
  Lack of expertise

Due to the fast moving growth in cloud technologies, most organizations are now placing their
workloads in the cloud. They however have problem with keeping up with the tools. This calls for a need
for expertise. Businesses can tackle this problem via Azure training of IT along with development staff.

 Segmented usage

Many organizations make mistakes of not having appropriate cloud adoption strategy during their cloud
migration. instead, ad-hoc strategies are boosted and developed by various components. Among them is
what is called the cloud adoption speed. Also, there are individual that uses public cloud for specific
applications and specific projects. These kind of environments have caused premature issues like:

 Ad hoc security configurations

 Absence of cross-team shared resources and learning
 Isolated cloud projects with limited shared standards
 Vendor lock-in

There are three categories here: data lock-in, application lock in and infrastructure lock-in. The risk of
data lock-in happens during the switching and extraction of data to other cloud vendors severs. This risk
can be minimized by taking advantage of transferring large application products along with their
datasets. If you develop a cloud-native application, this is when application lock-in can come into play.

 Downtime

Organizations expects that there should be full accessibility to their data once it’s one the cloud
anywhere at any time. This is a good thing to expect, but they are faced with the problem that these
data can only be accessed through internet connection. Poor connection means access to the data will
be disturbed i.e. disruptive cloud services and there will be high risk in data accessibility. Factors such as
the environment, load and some users affect the performance of the framework. Therefore,
organization need to make sure that the flexibility of their cloud infrastructure even if there is an
interruption.

BANDWIDTH COST

There is need to pay more for bandwidth. For smaller applications, this is less expensive, but for data-
intensive application, its cost is high because they require more bandwidth. For fast and efficient
delivery of complex data over the network, there is need for sufficient band width. As a result of this,
most business wait for a cheaper one before migrating to cloud.
Creating a cloud migration plan

For you to have a successful cloud migration, it is required that you have a well-detailed strategy that
creates timeline, sets migration goals, defines the project’s success and anticipates challenges. Your
migrations must include implementers, cloud vendors, a communicable strategy for organization
leaders, and all stakeholders. The stakeholders include all the users which will be affected by the change
as a result of migration. we have three strategies that companies should consider while making use of
cloud computing for their business. Some companies might decide to settle on one migration plan which
works across board depending on the type of business. Other may use hybrid cloud migration approach
in order to achieve the best outcome of migrating data.

The three approaches are lift and shift, re-platforming and application refactoring. Each of these
approaches are discussed below with their purpose and mitigation process.

Lift and shift

Lift and shift is an ancient strategy used by companies to migrate data. On premise, there is enough
space. Servers are no longer occupying spaces in the office which cost a lot of money to keep them from
overheating. Also, there is a reduction in the cost server maintenance and spending resources to retrain
staffs is of no use since the method pf saving file hasn’t changed. It is just destination that changed. This
reduces work load thereby making cloud adoption easier for employees. this kind of approach has little
or no impact on majority of the staff. Only the security team and infrastructure have a distinct role in the
newly cloud stored data. In terms of cost, it is the least. Is this now the best approach a company can
take? The only setback is that they are not taking full advantage of the whole operation. It’s like being
okay with the tip you are being served. All operations and data are being processed locally. Only the
final data and reports are being stored in cloud platform.

Application refactoring

This is also known as application modernization. For companies that make use of applications, this is a
preferred approach. They would derive great advantage of being refactored for cloud-based usage. the
added advantage in an application being refactored is that aside from pulling data from cloud storage
for analysis, it also completes its computations and analytics within the cloud as well. In refactoring
applications, it is of utmost importance to take into consideration which application can benefit from
migrating to a cloud-based framework and which ones are used mostly. A major and vital importance of
refactoring legacy applications is that it can still maintain his functions locally while the process is taking
place. This can be done with the productivity been affected.

Re-platforming

This approach is the best for companies that has foreseen the potential of cloud adoption and are willing
to embrace it across every aspect of their business. This plan commences after lift and shit and
application refactoring have started with their performances exceeding expectations. This planning is
packaged with advanced planning and cost. At the same time, it is the only one with the ability to exploit
the full functions of cloud-based application. Re-platforming allows for changes, rapid increase and
decrease regarding company resources and capability that wouldn’t be feasible without it. Considering
this application carefully, you will see that it boils down to how much your company likely to change
monthly and yearly.
Key elements of a cloud migration plan

For optimum effectiveness, the following key elements should be included irrespective of your
approach:

 Timetable
 Stakeholder commission
 Workloads being migrated
 Performance metrics
 Migration priorities and sequence
 Definition of processes and roles

Checklist for Cloud Migration

For easy movement to the cloud, you need a checklist. This will assist you in keep track on the project as
it undergoes each processes till it completed. Depending of the project manager, the checklist can be
basic or comprehensive. Below are some items to include:

 Perform a cost assessment for the migration

 Find the best cloud provider suitable to the workloads being relocated.
 Establish KPIs for the migration
 Tell the team the goals of the migration
 Identify the workloads you are transferring to the cloud and sort them based on size, complexity
and production/not production.
 Check in with implementers along the way to review progress
 Delegate a team to execute the migration
 Determine if there is a need to use multicloud approach based on your workloads.
 Test, review and make adjustments as needed
 Confirm if the organization is already using any cloud-based application and whether they
should be replaced by new-based servers or they should be left as they are.
 Find out the amount of migration that would be handled internally by the cloud provider.
 Bring to the awareness of the stakeholder what to expect during and after the migration.
 Make a plan showing the schedule and roadmap for the migration.
 Prepare a security strategy for migration and post migration.
 Prioritize the workloads that are to migrate first.

Cloud migration tools

Just as we have discussed earlier the reasons why organizations are choosing to move their systems,
data and application to the cloud are scalability, cost-effectiveness and security. Although the tools and
benefits of cloud computing are very convincing, the fear of transferring the vital systems your
organization work on daily from one location to another is still present. Nevertheless, migration of data
is one of the important component of cloud computing. So, the decision to transfer only part of your
data or all your data at once which is part of a hybrid approach is a well-analyzed migration strategy
provided it aligns with existing infrastructure and your business goals. Then success will surely take
place. With all the strategies we have, they won’t give optimum functionality if there are no tools
available. So, let consider looking into open source, on premise and clod-based tools organizations can
use to successfully support their transitions.

On premise cloud data migration tools

Cloud migration tool possesses a dual capability of combining all your data sources from inside the
enterprise and transferring your data to the cloud service of your preferred choice. This can be done
when transferring data to a cloud server from the network of your organization. On premise cloud data
migration tools provides a security restriction in other to safeguard systems, processes and data during
migration.

The following are several popular on premise cloud data migration tools:

 IBM infoSphere
 Information PowerCenter
 Oracle Data Service Integrator
 Microsoft SQL
 Talend Data integration
 Centerpride Data Integrator
What to do when setting your Business to the cloud

Recently, creating a new business for a PC workforce was very expensive to achieve. There is need for
you to get server hardware and pay different software licensing fees. With a perfect little outlay,
businesses can check the strength they acquire.

Cloud service providers makes migration easier

Everything is making its ways to the cloud. Be it services, software, infrastructure applications operating
systems and even products are making their way to cloud. This means that there is rapid movement of
businesses into various cloud services. Some of the top 10 most popular cloud providers in 2020
alongside their pricing, offerings and features are:

Alibaba cloud

Oracle

Microsoft Azure

Google cloud

Amazon web services (AWS)

Rackspace Cloud

SAP

VMWare

Salesforce

IBM cloud

This eBook will be only focusing on three cloud service providers which are: Amazon Web Services,
Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Amazon web services

The world’s most comprehensive and widely adopted clout platform is Amazon web service (AWS). It
provides over 165 complete-featured services globally for data centers and millions of customers use
these services.

AWS services

There are hundreds of services offered by AWS. Some of which include EC2, virtual private cloud, AWS
data transfer, DynamoDB, Simple storage service, Elastic compute Cloud, Amazon cloud watch, AWS key
management service, simple notification service, simple Queue services, route 53, relational database
service, simple email service, and cloud trial. The graphic below shows a list of various categories of
services provides by AWS. On the right side, we have featured services.

AWS security

AWS considers cloud security as its highest priority. One you the benefits you will enjoy as a customer is
that network architecture and data center would be built to meet optimum requirements. Services such
as DDoS mitigation, encryption, configuration, infrastructure security, identity and access control,
monitoring and logging and penetration testing.

This is one of the fastest-growing clouds among all of them. It was a year later after the release of AWS
Azure was launched and Google cloud is just having a breakthrough in becoming the top service
provider. Not long ago, the US government gave Microsoft Azure a contract of $10 billion. Microsoft
Azure revenue cannot be predicted. It, therefore, divided its quarterly revenue into three categories.
The three categories are Business processes, productivity and intelligent cloud alongside personal
computing. The revenue was $11.0 billion, $11.4 billion, $11.3 billion respectively and their revenue is
expected to grow between $33 billion to $35billion. With this, they become one of the most profitable
cloud services in the world.

Azure Services

Microsoft Azure provides lots of services within different categories including analytics, AI + Machine
learning, Compute, Blockchain, Developer Tool, containers, DevOps, Databases, Integration, Identity,
Management, Internet of all things, Microsoft Azure stack, Media, Mobile, mixed reality, security,
Networking, web, storage, and windows virtual Desktop.

The intelligent cloud

Azure offers its mouthwatering previous products and services in the cloud. This makes them the most
intelligent and attractive. The dominate through their intelligence. You can now get Microsoft’s
Windows operating system, windows and database SQL server in the cloud through windows virtual
Desktop. You can also get Microsoft’s mixed reality technology (products for HoloLens) in the Azure
cloud. DevOps now offers VSTS and Microsoft’s TFS.

Also, their famous office suite, enterprise products such as Power BI and Sharepoint are now available in
the cloud as PowerXXX tools and office 365. You can also obtain most of the very popular and advanced
compilers and developer tools through different workflow, UI and interfaces. Microsoft tops in the AI +
Machine learning and cognitive services as one of the company’s best-advanced offerings.

Azure Security

Microsoft Azure delivers the most advanced security services and products.
Google Cloud

Google’s cloud is a Google cloud platform and is similar to Azure and AWS. The services
offered by google clouds are similar to that of Azure and AWS in different categories storage,
compute identity, database, security, virtualization, AI and machine learning, DevOps and more.
Below are lists of full services and products categories offered by Google Cloud Platform:
API management, AI and Machine learning compute data analytics, containers, developer tools,
databases, life sciences, and healthcare, Multi-cloud and Hybrid, management tools, Internet of
Things, networking, media and gaming, security and identity, migration, storage, and serverless
computing.
There are google products which are also offered in the cloud, google maps platform, G Suite,
google Identity, google hardware, android enterprise, Firebase chrome enterprise, Orbitera, and
Apigee
How to choose the right cloud provider
Since you now have a detailed knowledge of the top 4 cloud service providers, we will now talk
about how you will determine the most suitable service provider for your organization. Once you
know the objectives all you need to do is to pick the best in that category. Now, let’s discuss
cases you can choose the service providers mentioned above.
AWS: if you have the following situations, then you can choose AWS.
If you don’t have the intention of going into long-term commitment or paying for expenses
upfront. The pay-as-you-go model of payment allows you to pay for as much as you use thereby
saving cost. For startup organizations, you can rest assured that AWS will aid in maintaining and
managing your cloud infrastructure.
You use AWS if you want to adjust your IT infrastructure during peak periods and scale down
during a quiet period within minutes. The feature of AWS allows you to adjust scale the
infrastructure to your satisfaction. This how a Greece-based car app, Beat, used for rentals was
able to handle the volume of traffic on the app during the quiet and peak hours. All their website,
application and CRM application run on AWS which manages the fluctuating application load.
They can take care of more than 100 – 10 000 rides hourly if they move to AWS.
AWS is can be used in Blockchain. They can work efficiently in verifying and tracking of
transactions with centralized ownership and carry out transactions with decentralized ownership.
It assists in developing ledger application and network that is scalable for your business.
Businesses such as banking, manufacturing, retail, and insurance can benefit from this.
Azure: there are thirteen scenarios you can choose Microsoft Azure.
If you have a financial organization or a legal industry where data compliance and security are of
utmost importance, you can select Microsoft Azure. It is the most secure cloud service provider
because it measures up to the requirements of the local and international compliance
certifications.
Microsoft Azure offers a whole lot of Internet of Things (IoT) services which includes
HDInsight, DocumentDB, and Event hubs for data analysis, data collection and much more. This
means if you have the plan to make use of IoT technology, you will require cloud services to
help you receive and send data to carry out certain tasks. For instance, a subsidiary of Exxon
Mobil, XTO, was looking for a cloud service provider to assist the optimize and utilize their
reservoir in southeast New Mexico and western Texas and their reservoir is 90,000 square miles.
The field technicians encountered difficulty in collecting data about the well conditions due to
humid climate, harsh weather and also the distance between the oil wells. What made it even
more difficult was the weak radio and cellular reception. But when XTO deployed Azure’s cloud
and IoT solutions, they were able to obtain high-resolution data and real-time analysis data to
have insights on the well operations and potential drilling possibilities.
Microsoft Azure functions perfectly with different systems and solve information comfortably.
So no matter the complexity of your database, Microsoft Azure can help you manage it.
Google Cloud: if you the following scenarios, then opt-in for google cloud.
Google cloud provides flexible infrastructure which supports a wide area of features and handles
them through a common API. This means that if you want to transfer your complex legacy
architecture to the cloud, google cloud will handle it perfectly for you.
Also, for your app to function perfectly it must be on a responsive cloud infrastructure. Google
cloud infrastructure as a service gives the flexibility and control your cloud application need for
optimum functionality.
Handling expenses during Cloud Migration
Due to popular benefits such as security, scalability, high performance, and cost-effectiveness,
lots of businesses are transferring their on-premise data centers to the cloud. Consequently,
companies face several unforeseen challenges as they begin their digital transition process. This
may, however, force companies to spend more than the initial budget allocated.
Cost reduction for cloud migration
Since migration removes IT hardware and staff, small business owners discovered that migrating
to the cloud gives net savings. Instead of purchasing servers, other hardware and the huge
amount of paying for IT expertise can be diverted elsewhere for other important projects.
Another added benefit is the pay-as-you-go model which gives room to realize economies of
scale. Payment will only be made for what you use. Users and applications can be added or
subtracted as you want. Put in mind that there are plenty of operations you will need to pay for
when it comes to the real migration.

 
Moving your data to the cloud
 Testing software and setting up and hosted desktops
 Setting up permissions and security for various users and departments.
 Training of employees
 The monthly cost you will pay your service provider based on your contract
Everything highlighted above sums up to a healthy bill for cloud migration. The beautiful aspect
of this is that most of these costs are one-time expenses and your mini business will begin to
enjoy cloud capabilities to the fullest while you recover from your expenses over a while.
Tip for a smooth migration
Most organizations out there prioritize moving to the cloud. Statistics have it that 69% of
organizations are planning to transit to the cloud within the next year. Based on a recent survey,
it was discovered that 67 percent of the transiting organizations experience some form of
disruption.
These disruptions don’t have to happen. The following highlighted tips below from the survey by
security firm AlgoSec will ensure that organization can run migration smoothly and successfully.
· Understand that the connectivity of applications is linked to firewall rules.
Close to one-third of the 240IT experts who answered the survey mention above were
responsible for over 100 demanding applications in their data center. Over 200 critical
applications were owned by about 20 percent of those who responded. A high number of vital
data center application is linked to connectivity and security. This is an important consideration
that should be noted when migrating.
· Eliminate access rules when Applications are decommissioned
As time goes on, organizations will evolve, and some applications will be deactivated. To
maintain simplicity, access rules for the decommissioned applications should also be removed.
There is no need to add more controls because the firewall already has complex rules.
· Note risks from the business perspective
Many of the respondents out there show more interest in knowing the risk involving business
applications rather than looking devices or network segment. One of the many ways to attain a
business-oriented height is to combine security policy management with vulnerability scanners.
This enables organizations to analyze risk by the application.
· Beware of shadow it.
Shadow IT is a threat that can be posed by Public clouds. Business owners can easily alter their
services. They do this without informing the IT departments about their actions and this poses a
great security risk. But with a tight inter-agency communication, you can rest assured that your
migration to the cloud is a well-analyzed process.
· There should be a reduction in the complexity of the inherent security change process.
We have whole hundreds or thousands of rules with configurations and interdependencies which
spread across hundreds of devices. By reducing complexity, an organization is aided in reducing
the time it takes to start new services. This reduces the complexity of an organizational goal and
it has been reported by almost a quarter of survey respondents that it takes over eleven weeks to
launch a new application.
The Significance of ROI analysis before cloud migration
Just like the adage: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The same is applicable when it comes to
cloud migration. Based on a new Unisys corporation global survey, organizations that did a
thorough analysis of return on investment (ROI) prior to starting their cloud migration were 44%
more successful in foreseeing their cost-saving expectation compare to those that did not do.
Calculating ROI
To determine the ROI of any project on the cloud, we should understand that different factors
will vary from one company to another. While one business might place a priority on the speed
at which you can add capacity, another might see security as the most important consideration
while others might place a high priority on liability. One of the major factors that many
organizations struggle with when transitioning to the cloud is redundancy.
The cost of developing in redundancy can be much depending on the provider. Take data
storage, for instance, most providers charge twice as much to fully store and duplicate data.
Moreover, architectural decisions are to be considered too. When trying to synchronize the
stores, there can be an issue of latency if two data stores are separated over a long distance.
Latency might no matter for most applications while this could be a major problem for other
applications.
We have different tools that are used to determine the cost-benefit of cloud migration. Most
times, ROI calculations are determined based on the assumption that cloud computing evades
software or hardware investments. This is because customers only pay for what they use. The
cost of those resources must alienate with the amount required. At the same time, it is of utmost
importance to be aware that companies can endorse cloud services for the wrong reasons. This
can lead to the possibility of having more costs and fewer outcomes.
Final thoughts.
Let’s wrap things up and examine what the professionals in the field are saying about the cloud.
 At first, businesses were reluctant to accept the services run by third parties in the cloud, but
over the last few years, they have been rejoicing. The concerns such as reliability, security, the
robustness of the solution, and dependability that have companies worried have been conquered.
The managing director of innovation Group at Wharton said that many organizations in most
sectors cloud solutions are good and even better on the aspect that success can be recorded by
locally implementing infrastructure.
Chicago-based director of cloud services at NTT DATA, Tina DeBrass referenced to a scenario
where a company that was in the business of purchasing hostels and make more profit by selling
them more. One of the properties the company was planning to sell contains its data center. All
he did was to move all these resources to the cloud to meet its IT needs instead of transferring
the servers from one property to another. Doing this saved him a lot of money, time and stress.
You should know that there will surely be some lag time before any savings are gathered when
moving to a new process. DeBraa said the journey of cloud migration does not initially yield cost
savings due to a lot of legacy applications that needed to be modernized to the new environment.
The potential benefits that would be derived from increased agility and cost-saving measures up
to the switch, most especially in volatile periods. Taking into consideration the current level of
economic and political uncertainty agility is very important in most sectors, Huesman added.
Flexibility is another important benefit of the cloud. Flexibility allows a business to diversify
revenue streams through M & A or expand into a new market. We have global cloud providers
who provide servers across the whole world. These servers can serve a company’s employees in
other countries or cities in globalizing the employers without the need to open more offices. We
have proven the importance of cloud servers to businesses. These importance includes scale, an
improved path to innovation, lower IT costs, faster product release, and increased flexibility.
Allowing third parties that are experts in the cloud handle IT solutions that were previously
managed in-house gives companies the time and resources to focus their attention on other
important aspects of the organization i.e. staying upfront of digital disruptors.