What is cloud migration? “In the simplest terms, according to PCMag.com, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. [It] goes back to the days of flowcharts and presentations that would represent the gigantic server-farm infrastructure of the Internet as nothing but a puffy, white cumulus cloud, accepting connections and doling out information as it floats”.

So, it’s about storage, but it’s also about communications. Cloud communications blend multiple modalities, including voice, email, chat and video. Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications or other business elements from onsite computers to the cloud.

Getting it right: 5 key tips

Within just one year, 83 percent of enterprise workloads will be operating in the cloud. There’s no doubt that organizations are migrating in droves, and it’s ongoing. However, satisfaction with the experience is low (27 percent). So a strong project manager (PM) can make the difference in planning and implementing a successful cloud migration. And a strong PM should have the following specific skills for managing any project around cloud computing: pricing and ROI analysis; understanding of enterprise architecture; and vendor contract negotiation.

To best navigate a successful migration, PMs should plan ahead to ensure these areas are covered:

1. Choose the Right Cloud Provider

The Cloud Industry Forum recommends using these eight criteria to select your provider:

• Certifications and standards
• Technologies and service roadmap
• Data security, data governance and business policies
• Service dependencies and partnerships
• Contracts, commercials and SLAs
• Reliability and performance
• Migration support, vendor lock-in and exit planning
• Business health and company profile

2. Assess Your Current Infrastructure

You have to match workloads in considering your best strategy, including which migrates first.

3. Plan for the New Infrastructure

Consider these important factors:

• Number of processor cores
• RAM
• Storage capacity and performance
• Server performance and schedules
• Other features

4. Consider Various Issues Specific to Your Environment

Think through factors that impact your company’s specific environment such as disaster recovery and related security issues, backups, stability issues and of course budget directives to cover all this.

5. Create the Timeline

You’ve planned the migration including budget considerations. Now you need to create a timeline that suits your needs for migrating, deploying and testing.