The processes needed to move data, applications, and infrastructure are often outlined efficiently by a cloud transformation strategy. This involves working on either on-premises or cloud-based environments. However, very few organizations manage cloud privately in current times. Hence, the most common approach is to use public cloud services as a provider.
Businesses can easily leverage cloud infrastructure by embracing migration, modernization, and cloud security. This ensures efficient performance and minimizes downtime while protecting sensitive data. It also allows organizations to take advantage of cloud computing solutions.
The revenue from database and analytics, infrastructure, development services, and cloud applications is projected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2026. This implies an increased focus on cloud infrastructure services to support growing business demands.
Strategies for Effective Cloud Migration
Cloud migration efforts are many, but they usually involve following the below strategies, also called the 6 Rs. These include:
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Rehosting
Rehosting is also known as the “lift and shift” method. It begins with moving multiple applications and data to the cloud. Moreover, there are minimal or no modifications to the systems and their respective functionalities during this migration.
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Retiring
Several organizations identify and decommission unused or outdated applications and data during cloud migration. This cloud transformation strategy can help reduce complexity, costs, and security risks. Most of these challenges are often associated with maintaining legacy applications.
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Retaining
A few applications or data may need to remain on-premises because of technical, security, or compliance requirements. The retaining cloud computing consulting strategy acknowledges that not all components of an IT landscape are suitable for migration.
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Replatforming
Replatforming is one of the efficient cloud computing solutions that involves making minor modifications to infrastructure components or applications. Organizations can easily work with cloud-native features while witnessing changes in the application database, runtime, or middleware layer.
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Refactoring
Refactoring involves rewriting and rearchitecting applications to leverage the capabilities of the cloud services. This cloud transformation strategy leads to improved performance and greater scalability with enhanced agility.
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Rearchitecting
Rearchitecting helps businesses design and build new cloud-native microservices and applications to replace legacy systems. This cloud transformation strategy helps organizations modernize their IT infrastructure and work with various innovative technologies.
Modernization Strategies for Long-term Cloud Success
Cloud modernization involves changes to applications and systems. These specific alterations allow businesses to take advantage of modern cloud infrastructure services.
They can easily maximize returns on investment made when switching to cloud computing from on-premiss infrastructure. The effective strategies associated with cloud modernization are:
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Application Modernization
This approach involves adapting business applications to leverage cloud-based technologies for improved performance. This can be as simple as switching to a cloud-native application with improved functionality or updating a legacy application to its latest version.
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Database Modernization
This method focuses on cloud-based upgrades for a particular application’s databases.
Database modernization can apply to organizations with their entire infrastructure in a hybrid or multi-cloud setup of cloud-based data storage and on-premises applications.
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Process Modernization
It is a part of efficient cloud computing solutions that involve redefining methodologies for managing applications and infrastructure. With all the changes made to databases, applications, and infrastructure in a cloud environment, the team’s operations must also change to take advantage of the new efficiencies.
Cloud Security for Resilience
Cyber threats, compliance complexities, human error, misconfigurations, and securing third-party integrations are some of the common challenges in cloud security. They often require proactive strategies, as mentioned below:
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Understand the Shared Responsibility Model
Active collaboration between service providers and users is the main prerequisite for cloud security. Providers can easily handle the cloud infrastructure services. Users can secure the same data, applications, and access controls within cloud environments.
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Enable Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)
Businesses can add a second layer of protection to cloud infrastructure services by using the MFA method. It easily reduces the risk of unauthorized access when certain user credentials are compromised.
The same step involves considering factors such as YubiKeys or WebAuthN for critical accounts, like admin roles. This enables them to strengthen effective defenses against phishing and other cyberattacks.
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Follow the Least-privilege Principle
The principle of least privilege (PoLP) demands every user and process should have only minimal access to perform their functions. The potential damage from breaches or insider threats is minimized by adhering to PoLP.
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Perform Regular Audits
Configurations can drift from security best practices when cloud environments grow and change. Regular audits can easily identify and rectify these discrepancies. Audits also ensure continuous compliance with security standards. This helps reduce the risk of breaches due to misconfigurations.
Bottom Line
Businesses that work with resilient cloud infrastructure must follow a well-structured approach to cloud migration, modernization, and security. This enables them to leverage cloud computing solutions to their fullest to ensure efficiency and security. This also involves implementing the most effective cloud transformation strategies.
Cloud computing consulting solutions are already known for streamlining transactions and optimizing costs. This is how businesses can easily enhance cloud resilience by leveraging these services.
As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation, investing in the right cloud services will be critical for long-term success.
