3 common pitfalls to avoid when migrating to the cloud

Migration mistakes can be costly and painful, and might even cause a speed bump in your organisation's DX plans. Here are the 3 pitfalls to look out for when you make the move to the cloud.

FacebookTwitterLinkedIn
3 common pitfalls to avoid when migrating to the cloud

Versatile, cost-effective, and highly scalable, the benefits of the cloud are many. And enterprises have taken note as they leverage the cloud to power their IT infrastructure. According to analyst firm IDC, the combined public cloud market is forecast to hit revenues of US$400 billion in 2025 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.8% from 2021 to 20251.

From end-of-life systems to new deployments, enterprises are rolling out new cloud deployments faster than before. As organisations plan their move to the cloud, what are the various types of cloud migration and common missteps to avoid?

Not all cloud migrations are the same

Not every move to the cloud is the same and can vary in complexity. For instance, a “lift and shift” or rehosting an existing system to the cloud is often the simplest form of cloud migration. The idea is to replicate the existing infrastructure directly into the cloud, leaving the system architecture untouched. This offers the advantage of shifting from a capital expenditure (CAPEX) paradigm to an operational expenditure (OPEX) one in the shortest possible time, though without the benefit of advanced cloud capabilities.

On the other end of the scale, some organisations might opt to re-architect their systems for the cloud. This entails making changes to their existing deployment and might necessitate extensive modifications to applications to take advantage of cloud-specific capabilities that can enhance their performance or reliability. This approach is the most resource-intensive but offers the maximum benefits while placing the enterprise in the best position for the future.

A middle ground would be to “re-platform” the system with minor changes that optimises it for the cloud. Because the core architecture is retained, the effort required for these changes is significantly less than an attempt to re-architect it. This strategy is ideal for organisations that, while not ready to commit extensive resources, want to harness additional advantages of the cloud not possible with a basic rehosting.

Things that can go wrong

Any significant IT migration carries a certain degree of risk for complications and failure. Ensuring a smooth migration to the cloud is a combination of finding the right cloud provider, an experienced partner, and ensuring that things that can go wrong are pre-empted and adequately addressed.

Here are the three common migration missteps to avoid:

The wrong migration approach: Not every cloud migration is the same. An incomplete understanding of the benefits and costs inherent to any cloud move can result in choosing the wrong migration approach. This can be disastrous and might result in significant cost overruns, being left without a functional cloud deployment amid a protracted re-architect, or the company embarking on a re-platforming when expectations are merely for a rehost.

Lack of planning: A lack of planning can culminate in temporary downtime or data loss during the cloud migration. Unplanned outages stemming from oversights or lack of business continuity planning in the migration process can negatively impact mission-critical operations or the customer experience. Similarly, poorly configured security controls can also heighten the risks of cybersecurity breaches.

Going too big, too soon: A common misstep in IT projects would be to embark on too ambitious a transition at the beginning. This can be overcome with a pilot to validate specific aspects of the cloud deployment and beef up in-house cloud expertise. Engaging experienced cloud partners with deep skillsets is another way enterprises can get to the finishing line quicker.

Success in the cloud

To power your digital transformation and innovation for your enterprise, it is vital to ensure cloud applications are fully optimised for maximum business value. For instance, a public service agency that had a collaboration management system running on ageing hardware and software hosted in an on-premises data centre.

Singtel worked closely with the agency to move the system to a public cloud based on a framework that outlined the key concepts, design principles, and architectural best practices for designing and running workloads in the cloud. A robust migration plan was developed, and best practices were put in place to manage the system’s backend infrastructure on the cloud.

Elsewhere, an institute of higher learning (IHL) partnered with Singtel to implement SAP S/4 HANA Cloud on a top public cloud platform. The IHL university was hence able to integrate its financial, procurement and budgeting functions quickly and seamlessly.

By right-sizing resources in the cloud, resource utilisation is enhanced, and the total cost of ownership is significantly improved in the cloud. The ability to provision resources on-demand also enables the organisation to respond quickly to changing business requirements whilst maintaining better control over the budget.

Are your applications optimised for maximum business returns? A cloud risk and compliance assessment can help identify compliance status and risks, mitigate, and rectify risks, and optimise workloads. Find out more and book your complimentary review here.

 

1IDC, New IDC Forecast for Public Cloud Infrastructure (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) Workloads Puts Worldwide Revenue at $400 Billion in 2025, 2021.

You may also like

Getting your whole business AI-readyShare
Apr 2025 | -
connectivity
Getting your whole business AI-ready
AI's true power remains locked behind fragmented implementation. While departments benefit individually, organisations miss the transformative impact of enterprise-wide AI integration. Learn more.
6G network: the next leap in enterprise connectivityShare
Mar 2025 | -
5G, connectivity
6G network: the next leap in enterprise connectivity
4G puts the world in our pockets, powering video streaming, mobile apps, and always-on connectivity. 5G raised the bar with real-time responsiveness, fuelling smart cities and autonomous systems, and now 6G is on the horizon aiming to bring the digital and physical world together. How will 6G shape the future of your business? Read more to find out.
Case study: Improve Internet latency with next-gen networksShare
Feb 2025 | -
connectivity
Case study: Improve Internet latency with next-gen networks
A global leader in fresh and processed fruits transformed its remote operations in Sierra Leone, overcoming Internet latency issues, slashing delays from 400ms to a consistent 250ms. Read about how they improved access to systems, streamlined inventory management, and elevated operational efficiency across their global network.