Data Migration 101: Why Migrate to the Cloud?

Szabolcs Kun
Szabolcs Kun
02 Aug 2023 · 4 min read

Today, data is more valuable than ever. As the amount of data companies generate increases, so does the need for robust, efficient, and scalable tools to process and analyze it. 

The rise of cloud platforms such as Databricks has led many companies to consider migrating from their on-premises environments to cloud-based platforms. In this article, we’re going to look into why an organization might want to migrate to the cloud. Here are the advantages of cloud infrastructure over legacy environments.

Cloud Migration Foster Business Strategy 

Transitioning to a more flexible and scalable platform enables your organization to align better its technology stack with its strategic goals, ensuring that its investments are focused on fostering business growth and innovation.

Being Data-Driven, You Become More Competitive

By opting for a platform that can readily accommodate new data sources, workloads, and analytics capabilities, your organization can sustain its competitive advantage, react to market fluctuations more effectively, and ultimately achieve greater success in a rapidly changing business landscape. A move to the cloud is a solid step to becoming a data-driven company that can adapt better and outlast the competition.

You Can Better Adapt to Your Current (and Future) Needs

Cloud data migration is an opportunity to adapt your environment to the current needs. The legacy system was often designed according to the company’s requirements at a particular point in time and has likely undergone multiple patches to keep up with shifting needs. As your organization evolves and its needs change, it is crucial to have a technological infrastructure capable of growing and adapting alongside your business.

The Operational Benefits of Moving to a Cloud Data Infrastructure

Having looked at the overarching benefits to businesses above, let’s dive into specific advantages from a technical point of view.

Operational benefits of cloud data migration.

Reduce Time-to-Insights

In an era where data is the cornerstone of business success, time-to-insight is crucial to making data-informed decisions and maintaining a competitive edge. Migrating from on-premises to cloud-native solutions can significantly improve the speed at which insights are derived from data. By leveraging the scalable, on-demand nature of cloud computing resources, cloud-native platforms enable organizations to process and analyze large volumes of data with greater efficiency and agility. 

Advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities, combined with a streamlined, collaborative workspace, empower data teams to develop, test, and iterate on data models quickly. 

Ultimately, this accelerated decision-making process enables businesses to be more responsive to market trends, customer needs, and emerging opportunities.

ARE YOU CONSIDERING A MOVE TO THE CLOUD?

SPEAK WITH US TODAY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW IT CAN BE DONE – AND THE SPECIFIC BENEFITS YOU CAN EXPECT.

Streamline Your Technology Stack & Free Up Resources

Migrating away from an on-premise ecosystem offers numerous operational advantages that can enhance your organization’s efficiency, agility, and cost-effectiveness. One such benefit is the elimination of duplicated applications throughout the migration process. Such applications can be the result of company acquisitions that inherit the acquired company’s applications portfolio, of incomplete migrations, or of pilotings.

Another advantage of migrating is the ability to perform deferred optimizations, encompassing technology, business, and other workflow improvements. By identifying and removing redundant applications, your organization can streamline its technology stack, reduce maintenance costs, and optimize resource allocation. Additionally, you enhance your security as it is no longer necessary to conduct manual patching for vulnerability fixes. This not only simplifies operations but also frees up resources for more strategic initiatives. 

Unlock New Levels of Efficiency

The migration process provides an opportunity to reassess your organization’s technology landscape and identify areas for enhancement. By addressing suboptimal processes and technologies, your organization can unlock new levels of efficiency and agility, becoming better positioned to respond more effectively to changing market conditions and customer needs.

Reduce Operational Expenses 

Additional cost savings can be achieved by eliminating unused applications, reusing standard components, and optimizing the usage of computational resources. By rationalizing your application portfolio and consolidating resources, your organization can reduce operational expenses, lower licensing costs, and optimize infrastructure utilization. This results in immediate cost savings and lays the foundations for a more sustainable and scalable technology ecosystem.

Eliminate Data Swamps and Silos

Migrating to the cloud can also help eliminate data swamps and data silos. These often arise due to many on-premise ecosystems’ disparate and disconnected nature, hindering data accessibility, consistency, and governance. By consolidating data into a centralized and unified platform, your organization can ensure data integrity, improve collaboration between teams, and streamline decision-making processes. This, in turn, empowers you to derive greater value from your data assets and drives more informed, data-driven decisions.

How to Migrate to the Cloud

Learning about the advantages of cloud-based data infrastructure is an excellent first step to your transformation into a data-driven company. But how do you migrate? What’s the process, and what can it entail? Read DATAPAO’s complete Cloud Data Migration White Paper to learn more – or simply book your free 30-minute consultation to discover exactly how the move can work for you, as well as serve your current and future requirements and goals.