The future is now when it comes to cloud migration. Worldwide investment in cloud computing is predicted to double from almost $70 billion in 2015 to over $141 billion by 2019 according to a report by Forbes, so it's vital that rest of the world's companies keep pace.

Bringing your business into the cloud is an excellent move, which shows your commitment to continued growth as a company by embracing new technologies and offering a great array of services to your users. However, preparing for migration is a painstaking process that requires careful planning and strategizing. We'll show you how to avoid migration's pitfalls with this short guide.

Selecting the right cloud provider

The first step in beginning the migration process is choosing the best cloud provider for your business. With so many providers on the market, it's important to weigh your options carefully. While Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are the most popular options in 2017, these cloud providers aren't necessarily the best fit for your company's unique business model.

Getting ready for migration

After you've selected your cloud provider, it's time to start strategizing. Migration isn't a process that happens overnight. Careful planning and strict followthrough are crucial to its success.

First, ensure your staff is ready to embrace the new cloud system. Schedule group training seminars, so everyone can learn together and ask questions in a comfortable learning environment. A certain level of downtime is expected during the migration process, but try to minimize it by preventing confusion among your employees and your users.

During this transition period, the business has to decide which applications and data should migrate first.

It's a good idea to start small by moving a few items into the cloud, and then pausing to troubleshoot for errors and to fully monitor your progress. Networks, servers, and applications don't always behave as expected post-migration. So, allow ample time to make any necessary changes, such as fixing code scripts and renegotiating bandwidth. 

Remember that businesses often use different techniques to migrate everything over.

For instance, internet transfers aren't always feasible for large files. Check with your cloud provider to see if they offer alternative methods, such as shipping the physical drives by mail. 

Time to make the big move

If everything goes to plan, your company's data migration should offer smooth sailing into the cloud. Once the migration is complete, be thorough and diligent in your final assessment. Your data should be fully migrated, working properly, and accessible to your employees and to your users.