Migrate Physical Servers to Cloud

How to migrate physical servers to the cloud

It's easy for small businesses to get swept up in the trends of the day, but it always pays off to take a step back and look at what resources are worth investing in. Cloud computing is an excellent example of this. Just think of all the time you'll save on system administration, IT staffing, physical server hosting costs, power consumption...the list goes on. In this article, we'll step through the process of migrating from physical servers to the cloud.



1. Assess your current infrastructure needs

This is the first step to determine which servers you want to move. Start by determining what size your organization is. Large corporations may need hundreds of servers, so don't go from physical to cloud computing all at once. Work on it a little bit at a time until both you and your organization are comfortable with the transition. For example, if you want to migrate enterprise vault to Office 365, it might make more sense to start by moving a few databases from a local copy to the cloud. When you've got the data needed for day-to-day operations and are ready to move on, you can then move larger applications and databases.


2. Leverage your vendors

Talk with the IT staff of vendors you're already working with - if they offer cloud computing services, chances are they know their way around this area better than anyone else. They should also know what works best for your business, so use their expertise to guide you on this journey.


3. Set up a pilot program

Moving from a physical environment to cloud computing is a big change, and you must go about it in a way that works for your business. A pilot program is like a small-scale test, where you have one or two employees work with the new system to see how well it will work for your company. If a pilot program works, you'll be able to move forward with the transition.


4. Consider cost savings

The biggest benefit of going from physical servers to cloud computing is cost savings. Make sure you work with your IT staff to figure out the best way to manage these costs. If you have a fixed cost, try negotiating with your cloud provider to get the price down on your monthly bill. If you're paying hourly, make sure you don't exceed your budget and get charged more.


5. Use System Center to orchestrate server migrations

System Center Orchestrator (SCOrch) is a powerful tool that can help control server migrations in the cloud. If you're already using System Center Configuration Manager, SCOrch can help automate the process and reduce the workload of IT staff.


6. Consider your server infrastructure upgrades and maintenance

Your server infrastructure needs to be updated to keep up with cloud computing's rigorous demands. When running on a physical server, most of your equipment requires regular upgrades and maintenance, but this can be done remotely through System Center in cloud computing. This gives you more time to focus on keeping your company running smoothly.


7. Look into cloud computing disaster recovery services

Just as important as cloud computing's cost-saving benefits is its disaster recovery services, which can help keep your business running if something goes wrong with your servers. When using cloud computing, you might not have to worry about things like physical server crashes, but it's still important to make sure your business is protected from other problems that can arise. This can include data security issues and natural disasters.


8. Make the most of your cloud computing investments

Making the switch to cloud computing can save your company money and give you much more flexibility. If you're new to this industry, using a cloud-based disaster recovery solution is a great way to get started. This is just one example among many; make sure you talk with your IT staff to figure out what type of migration will work best for your business.


9. Stay informed

New technology is constantly emerging in the cloud computing industry, so it's important to stay updated with the latest news. Consider keeping a subscription to Cloud Computing Journal to stay on top of new trends and developments in this field.


10. Experiment and learn from your mistakes

Nothing goes a long way toward success, quite like experimentation, so use cloud computing as a great way to test different business strategies for your company. Your business may have been successful with a different cloud computing model; keeping an open mind is the best way to ensure your company can make the most of this new technology.


11. Explore add-ons and components for System Center

System Center has many tools that can help you manage your cloud computing resources. Consider investing in add-ons that help you with things like virtualization.


In conclusion, the ability to operate a small business from the cloud is a great way to save time, money, and, most importantly, energy. The key is to have properly researched what needs to be done. By using this article as your guide, you will find the process of migrating servers to the cloud much easier than you thought it could be.


Previous
Next Post »