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Cloud Migration: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

2025-02-04Highway 99 Technology Solutions Inc.

Are you considering moving to the cloud? You’re not alone.

By the end of 2024, nearly half of all organizations already had workloads and data on the public cloud, and 8% of enterprises planned to offload even more data and workloads to the cloud.

But is cloud migration the right move for your business? This article will help you answer that question. Read on and learn the benefits, hurdles, and pain points to expect when migrating to the cloud.

The Good

Let’s start on the bright side. Here’s how your enterprise could benefit from cloud migration:

  • IT cost savings: Cloud computing reduces your capital IT expenditure, particularly on hardware and the associated operational costs such as maintenance, management, and power consumption.
  • Instant computing scalability: The cloud is a highly flexible resource. You can instantly dial up or scale down your cloud infrastructure sometimes with the simple press of a button.
  • Easy collaboration: Hosted data, software, and workloads can be accessed from anywhere using any supported device. That means remote teams can easily collaborate on common or shared tasks.
  • Guaranteed uptime: Most cloud providers guarantee 99.99% uptime. That minimizes the risk of costly unplanned downtime.
  • Enhanced digital security: Cloud service providers are very keen on security. If configured correctly, the cloud could elevate your cybersecurity and compliance posture.

The Bad

Now, on to the bad side of enterprise-scale cloud computing. These are some of the main hurdles in the cloud migration journey.

  • Complex migration processes: Transitioning to the cloud is not always easy since there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The migration process can be intricate, laborious, and time-consuming depending on the complexity of your existing IT workloads and data estate.
  • Internet dependency: You can’t access cloud systems without an internet connection. And not just any internet connection. The connection’s speed and bandwidth must be able to handle your cloud workloads and data transfers.
  • Limited control: You only pay to temporarily use hosted computing resources; you don’t own anything on the cloud (unless it’s your own private cloud). So, you have minimal control over cloud systems. Sure, you can adjust high-level features, but you can’t do anything about the underlying infrastructure or cloud model.
  • Data security and privacy concerns: While cloud systems feature decent security protocols, many entrepreneurs are never at ease with storing sensitive data on the cloud. Those concerns are valid too, given that cloud-based resources remain the biggest target for cyberattacks.

The Ugly

Cloud migration has an ugly side too. These are the nuanced little foibles that make cloud computing a tad frustrating, especially for new users.

  • Hidden costs: Some cloud providers are not entirely transparent about costs. You might encounter surprise charges for some obscure privileges such as data transfers, premium support, and service termination.
  • Poor cloud management: A poorly managed cloud infrastructure can easily deny you the benefits of cloud computing, potentially costing significantly more than your previous on-premises infrastructure. It takes high-level cloud expertise to run smooth and efficient cloud operations.
  • Vendor lock-in: Relying on a single cloud vendor can make it difficult to switch cloud solutions or return to an on-premise setup. Some vendors deliberately make exporting data and other resources to other computing systems difficult or impossible.
  • Too many options: There are way too many unique cloud technologies, vendors, and solutions, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Choosing the best cloud solution for your business can prove tricky and overwhelming.

Seamless Cloud Migration with Highway 99

Cloud migration is an intricate maze full of costly pitfalls and confusing choices. Luckily, Highway 99 Technology Solutions Inc. is here to help you navigate the long cloud transition journey. We’ll walk with you every step of the way, from defining your cloud objectives and developing a solid cloud strategy to implementing the various hosted solutions.

Contact us to get started on stress-free cloud migration.

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