What Is the Financial Cost of Migrating to the Cloud?

What Is the Financial Cost of Migrating to the Cloud?

Cost savings are easily the biggest driver behind the increasing popularity of cloud computing. However, while predictable costs and long-term flexibility are enormously beneficial, that doesn’t necessarily mean that migrating to the cloud is either cheap or easy. Understanding the implications of making this major shift from one system to a completely different one will make the migration go much smoother.

Before we start looking at the costs of moving the cloud, it’s important to highlight the major cost savings. These cost savings should easily offset all expenses involved in moving to the cloud in the first place.

  • No major upfront capital investment
  • Greatly reduced upgrade and maintenance costs
  • Enhanced scalability for meeting future demand
  • Reduced spending on technical support
  • Lower utilities bills thanks to reduced dependence on in-house hardware

Calculating the cost of migrating to the cloud is often complicated, since it depends on a multitude of factors, such as employee onboarding, the time it takes to implement the new systems and the size of your business. The scope of your present infrastructure and the number of resources you plan to move to the cloud will also have a major impact on costs.

Moving Data to and from the Cloud

Naturally, moving data over to the cloud is the biggest and most important step of any migration. Most cloud providers don’t charge anything for moving data into the cloud in the first place because they want to encourage new customers to join their services. However, transferring data out of the cloud or to another online storage service can quickly become very costly.

Another major concern is correctly synchronizing data between local storage devices and cloud-based systems. This can become quite labor-intensive, particularly if you have large amounts of data and a complicated infrastructure to synchronize. There’s probably no way out of this one either, since there’s a good chance that you will still be relying on your current systems to stay operational during the migration.

App Testing and Integration with Existing Systems

Most companies make the move to the cloud one step at a time to give employees a chance to get accustomed to the new systems and to overcome any unforeseen compatibility problems and other issues. Many legacy applications, for example, are not very suitable for migrating to the cloud, even when running the same operating system through a virtual desktop experience delivered through a browser.

Careful preparation, which should include a complete audit of your current computing infrastructure, will help you choose the most suitable cloud-based apps and services and reduce the chance of costly problems occurring during the migration. You should then determine which changes will be necessary for any existing systems that your business relies on to work in the new cloud environment.

IT Consultancy and Employee Training

Chances are, your employees do not have the skills and experience necessary for carrying out a complicated cloud migration strategy by themselves. Even if they are fairly tech-savvy, having them work above and beyond their assigned duties is hardly the best use of their time and your money. To keep your systems running smoothly during the migration, you’ll likely need to hire a consultant.

Cloud migrations ultimately lead to many crucial benefits, but they are complicated processes that require a strategic approach. Consultants can also train your team to get the most out of the new systems while ensuring that the migration itself goes smoothly. Hiring a consultant will be one of the biggest expenses, so partnering with someone who understands the strengths and goals of your business is essential.

Complete Technology understands that IT doesn’t always work the way you want it to. That’s why we offer responsive helpdesk support and on-premises visits for those times when you can’t fix problems remotely. Call us today to shift your IT burden!


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