For many companies, migrating to the cloud is a strategically important step. It promises flexibility, scalability, cost efficiency and access to the latest technology. But as tempting as the advantages are: Getting there is not a sure-fire success. Time and again, projects fail or do not deliver the hoped-for benefits because typical mistakes are made. Below you will find the most common mistakes and tips on how you can avoid them with the right preparation and approach.
1. lack of planning and unsuitable architecture
One of the biggest mistakes is to start without a clear roadmap. Many companies migrate existing systems to the cloud one-to-one in a “lift-and-shift” process without adapting the architecture to the new possibilities and requirements. Although this saves time in the short term, it often leads to inefficient use of resources, unnecessarily high costs and poor performance.
Why this is problematic:
The cloud is not just a different place where your servers are located, it also requires a different architectural approach. Services can be scaled elastically, workloads can be broken down into microservices and orchestrated automatically. Those who ignore these possibilities are wasting enormous potential.
That’s how you do it better:
- Analyze in advance exactly which workloads are suitable and how they are best provided.
- Check whether applications can be modernized instead of just moved.
- Allow sufficient time for a proof of concept to identify technical and economic risks before the actual migration begins.
2. lack of know-how and underestimated complexity
Cloud migration is a complex undertaking that requires both technical knowledge and organizational experience. Many companies lack the necessary know-how to cover all aspects – from networks and security to governance. If the complexity is underestimated, this can lead to enormous delays, security gaps or even expensive misconfigurations.
Why this is problematic:
Without experienced specialists, it is difficult to properly understand the dependencies between the systems, migrate data consistently and avoid performance bottlenecks. Change management and employee training can also easily fall behind.
That’s how you do it better:
- Ensure that your team has the necessary skills, e.g. through targeted training or the use of external experts.
- Rely on a step-by-step migration in clearly defined phases. This allows dependencies to be untangled and problems to be identified at an early stage.
- Actively involve the specialist departments so that processes and workflows not only fit technically, but also organizationally.
3. underestimated costs and lack of FinOps
Many companies are surprised when the bill for the cloud turns out to be significantly higher than expected. The reason: cloud cost models differ fundamentally from traditional license or infrastructure costs. In addition to the pure computing and storage costs, there are also fees for data transfers, support and training.
Why this is problematic:
Without continuous cost monitoring, it can easily happen that unused resources continue to run or services are provided in an oversized manner.
That’s how you do it better:
- Implement a FinOps model to make cost development transparent and optimize it regularly.
- Use the cost warnings and budget limits of cloud providers.
- Understand exactly how your cloud provider charges and plan costs for migration, training and ongoing optimization.
4. security and compliance misconceptions
A common misconception is that the cloud provider is completely responsible for security. In reality, however, the so-called shared responsibility model applies: the provider is responsible for the security of the infrastructure, while the customer is responsible for the configuration, access rights and the security of their data.
Why this is problematic:
Those who fail to take this responsibility risk open security gaps, for example due to incorrectly configured storage buckets, unsecured interfaces or far-reaching authorizations.
That’s how you do it better:
- Develop a clear cloud security strategy with encryption, role-based access controls and continuous monitoring.
- Also check configurations regularly with automated tools.
- Also ensure that legal requirements and industry-specific compliance standards are adhered to – especially for sensitive data.
5. vendor lock-in and limited flexibility
Many cloud services are proprietary and difficult to transfer to other platforms. If you become too attached to one provider, you lose flexibility in the long term and have to reckon with high costs and effort when switching.
Why this is problematic:
A lock-in can prevent you from switching to cheaper or more powerful platforms in the future or implementing hybrid scenarios.
That’s how you do it better:
- If possible, use open standards such as OpenStack and portable architectures.
- Use container and orchestration solutions such as Kubernetes to migrate workloads more easily.
- When selecting the services, consider how difficult it would be to switch providers at a later date
6. lack of monitoring and resource management after migration
After a successful migration, many consider the project to be complete. However, without continuous monitoring, resources will continue to run unnecessarily, costs will rise unnoticed and potential faults will remain undetected for too long.
Why this is problematic:
Unmonitored cloud environments quickly lead to cost explosions and security risks. In addition, optimization potential remains unused.
That’s how you do it better:
- Set up comprehensive monitoring and reporting systems right from the start.
- Automate the deactivation of unused resources.
- Also establish clear processes for the lifecycle management of your cloud resources.
7. insufficient data backup and synchronization
Migration without prior, tested backups is risky. Data loss, inconsistencies or long downtimes can have a massive impact on operations.
Why this is problematic:
Once lost or damaged, data can often only be recovered with great effort – or not at all.
That’s how you do it better:
- Make full backups and test the restore before you migrate.
- Use real-time synchronization instead of pure batch transfer for critical workloads.
- Also allow sufficient time to validate the migrated data.
Conclusion: view migration as a continuous process
Cloud migration is not a one-off project, but an ongoing process. Knowing the typical mistakes and consciously avoiding them lays the foundation for a future-proof IT landscape.
With a clear strategy and adherence to the tips mentioned, the full potential of the cloud can be exploited without any nasty surprises.
Do you need support with your migration?
We will be happy to help you and support you as a reliable and confident cloud service provider during your move to the NWS Cloud.
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