Strategy Considerations
Project Planning and Time Management
A well-planned timeline with milestones, phased execution, and proper testing ensures a smoother cloud migration and reduces risks.
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Set a Realistic Time Frame
- Align the migration timeline with the project plan.
- Allow time for testing, phased implementations, and multiple deployment methods.
- Ensure enough buffer for unexpected issues.
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Define Milestones
- Identify key checkpoints such as deploying core cloud resources.
- Helps track progress and measure success.
- Communicate milestones to keep the team aligned.
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Phased Approach
- Implement migration in phases for better control.
- Review and learn from each phase before moving to the next.
- Reduces risk and improves overall execution.
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Testing and Security
- Conduct thorough testing at each phase to detect issues early.
- Configure proper security and governance with compliance teams.
- Secure data while maintaining operational efficiency.
Importance of Security
Applying layered security, controlling access, and leveraging encryption ensures a secure cloud migration and protects your organization.
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Multi-Layer Security
- Apply security to network, user, application, and service layers.
- Prevents unauthorized access and deeper breaches.
- Regularly review configurations for effectiveness.
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Access Control and Permissions
- Define who can access what services and data.
- Use multi-factor authentication for critical users.
- Grant minimum permissions required to reduce risk.
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Data Encryption and Management
- Encrypt data at rest and in transit according to compliance needs.
- Decide whether to manage encryption keys internally or use vendor services.
- Ensure monitoring and logging to detect suspicious activity.
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Shared Responsibility
- Cloud vendor secures infrastructure, users secure applications and data.
- Follow internal policies and regulations to meet security standards.
Selecting a Cloud Vendor
Choosing the right cloud vendor depends on your specific requirements and expected benefits.
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Determine Cloud Usage
- Identify workloads and architecture needs.
- Choose vendors with services that match current and future requirements.
- Market leaders can offer comprehensive solutions even for small projects.
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Evaluate Security and Services
- Check vendor data center security and compliance adherence.
- Assess available services for current and future use.
- Ensure the vendor can handle workload and data retention needs.
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Assess Cost and Support
- Understand pricing for compute, storage, and data transfer.
- Evaluate vendor support and past performance in handling incidents.
- Consider multi-vendor strategies for resilience and optimal fit.
Cloud Deployment Models
Different deployment models offer flexibility, security, and scalability depending on your needs.
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Public Cloud
- Shared infrastructure accessed over the internet.
- Vendor handles maintenance; scalable on demand.
- Suitable for global access with minimal upfront cost.
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Private Cloud
- Organization-owned infrastructure with direct control.
- Enhanced security and compliance.
- Requires investment in hardware and maintenance.
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Hybrid Cloud
- Combination of public and private clouds.
- Allows workload distribution based on requirements.
- Useful for testing, development, or regulated workloads.
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Community and Distributed Cloud
- Community cloud shares resources among organizations with similar needs.
- Distributed cloud spreads services geographically for local access and performance.
Cloud-Readiness of Services
Ensuring cloud-readiness through decoupling, testing, and re-architecture leads to a reliable and optimized migration.
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Understand Cloud-Readiness
- Applications should be decoupled to operate independently.
- Decoupling improves flexibility, scalability, and reliability.
- Reduces the impact of failures on other components.
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Performance and Compatibility
- Test applications in a cloud environment for speed and reliability.
- Identify legacy systems that may require re-architecture.
- Address dependencies on external services before migration.
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Re-architecture for Optimization
- Redesign applications to use cloud features effectively.
- Enhance security, scalability, and performance.
- Focus on flexibility to maximize cloud benefits.
Alignment of Services
Aligning services with cloud capabilities maximizes flexibility, performance, and overall cloud benefits.
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Identify Services
- Categorize applications, databases, and infrastructure components.
- Break down complex systems into smaller, manageable parts.
- Use a cloud architect for guidance.
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Map to Cloud Services
- Match components to corresponding cloud services.
- Leverage extra services to enhance flexibility and performance.
- Continuously update the mapping as cloud offerings evolve.
Cloud Migration Design
Cloud migration provides an opportunity to improve legacy infrastructure and adopt best practices.
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Avoid Lift and Shift
- Avoid simply moving systems without redesigning.
- Re-architect solutions to fully leverage cloud capabilities.
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High Availability and Scalability
- Design for auto-scaling, load balancing, and resiliency.
- Ensure applications can grow or shrink based on demand.
- Plan for failure to reduce risks.
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Microservices and Monitoring
- Break large applications into microservices for independent scaling.
- Use cloud monitoring tools to track performance and detect issues.
- Learn from past mistakes to improve design.
Migration and Deployment Options
Different deployment strategies help manage risk and ensure smooth migration.
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Blue/Green Deployment
- Maintain two environments; switch from old to new after testing.
- Allows immediate rollback if issues arise.
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Weighted and Canary Deployment
- Gradually shift traffic to new environments for testing.
- Minimizes impact on users and identifies potential issues.
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Virtualized Server Migration
- Move existing virtual servers using vendor tools.
- Saves time compared to building new instances.
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Data Transfer and Encryption
- Use secure methods to transfer sensitive data.
- For large datasets, consider physical disk shipment.
- Ensure encryption during transfer and at rest.
Optimization and Cost Management
Effective cost management ensures resources are used efficiently and cloud spending remains predictable.
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Budgeting and Alerts
- Set budgets for resources and services.
- Enable billing alerts to monitor spend and adjust as needed.
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Right-Sizing and Storage
- Adjust instance sizes based on performance metrics.
- Select storage options that balance cost, speed, and durability.
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Cost Optimization Tools
- Use tools to identify underused resources.
- These tools can be vendor tools or third-party solutions
- Implement recommendations to save costs over time.
Business Continuity in the Cloud
Cloud enhances resilience and disaster recovery capabilities.
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High Availability
- Design systems to operate even during failures.
- Use multiple geographic locations for redundancy.
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Disaster Recovery Models
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Backup and Restore
- Store backups for recovery.
- Recovery depends on backup size and network.
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Pilot Light
- Minimal core services running.
- Scale up quickly when needed.
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Warm Standby
- Partially running environment.
- Shortens downtime during failover.
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Multi-Site
- Fully replicated environments.
- Achieves near-zero downtime.
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RTO and RPO
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RTO
- Time to restore service after failure.
- Helps plan disaster recovery steps.
- Maximum allowable downtime.
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RPO
- Time window for acceptable data loss.
- Guides backup frequency and replication.
- Maximum allowable data loss.
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