Why Businesses Are Moving to the Cloud
Cloud computing has completely changed how companies think about IT. Instead of constantly buying servers, storage, and software, businesses can now rent exactly what they need — computing power, databases, and applications — all over the internet. Many businesses are moving to the cloud to address IT challenges and gain flexibility. It’s faster, more flexible, and often more cost-effective than maintaining your own data centers.
But here’s the thing: moving to the cloud (a process called cloud migration) isn’t just about flipping a switch. It’s about carefully moving digital assets, applications, and workloads in a way that avoids downtime, unexpected costs, cloud migration cost overruns, and headaches for your IT team. Done right, it’s a strategic advantage. Done poorly, it can become a budget buster.
That’s why a well-thought-out migration strategy is so important. Every company’s IT environment is unique, so the approach needs to be tailored to things like scalability goals, compliance requirements, and long-term growth plans. Proper planning is essential to avoid pitfalls and control costs.
The Real (and Hidden) Costs of Cloud Migration
When people think about moving to the cloud, they often imagine a straightforward cost swap: “We’ll stop buying servers, and instead we’ll just pay for what we use in the cloud.” That’s partly true, but the reality is more nuanced.
Cloud migration costs can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the size and complexity of the migration project, data transfer requirements, and the specific cloud services selected.
Migration costs can be shaped by:
How much data and how many applications you’re moving. (The bigger and more complex, the more time, people, and resources it takes. Migrating large volumes of data can significantly impact migration costs.)
Which cloud provider you choose. Each has its own pricing models for computing, cloud storage, and data transfer. Some even charge “egress fees” for moving data out of their cloud, especially when transferring large volumes of data. Data egress fees can add up quickly and should be considered when evaluating overall expenses.
The migration strategy itself. A “lift-and-shift” approach (moving apps as-is) might be cheaper upfront, but refactoring those apps to fully embrace cloud-native features could save you far more over time.
Before you start, it’s important to be aware of the most common hidden costs organizations face during a migration project.
And then there are the hidden costs:
Training IT staff on new tools and cloud environments.
Unexpected data transfer charges.
Idle or “orphaned” resources left running (and billing).
Integration challenges with legacy systems.
The good news? Most of these can be managed with solid planning, cost calculators, and proactive monitoring. Focusing on cost optimization and cost efficiency is essential for managing cloud migration costs and ensuring you realize the expected savings. Moving to the cloud can reduce infrastructure costs by eliminating expenses related to physical hardware, data centers, and ongoing maintenance.
Choosing the Right Cloud Service Provider
Selecting the right cloud service provider is one of the most important decisions you’ll make during your cloud migration journey. With so many cloud providers out there, each offering a different mix of features, pricing models, and support, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The key is to match your business needs with what each provider does best.
Start by evaluating how well a cloud service provider can scale with your business. Look for cloud native features like auto scaling and load balancing, which help your applications handle peak periods without a hitch. Next, dig into their security measures and compliance certifications to ensure your data stays protected and your industry requirements are met.
Cost is another major factor. Take advantage of provider cost calculators to estimate your expenses based on your expected usage. Compare pricing models carefully—some providers offer pay-as-you-go, while others have reserved or committed use discounts that can lead to significant cost savings over time.
Don’t forget to consider the provider’s support for the latest cloud technologies and their ability to deliver the computing power you need. The right choice will help you improve performance, optimize costs, and take full advantage of everything cloud computing has to offer.
Looking for help with Cloud Migration?
Contact us today to learn how Ascend can seamlessly migrate your business to the cloud and unlock capabilities that fuel your business's success.
Cloud Security: What You Need to Know
When it comes to cloud migration, cloud security should be at the top of your checklist. Moving your data and applications to a cloud environment means trusting a cloud provider with some of your most valuable digital assets. The good news is that leading cloud providers invest heavily in security measures like data encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring to keep your information safe from cyber threats.
However, it’s important to remember that cloud security is a shared responsibility. While your cloud provider secures the underlying infrastructure, your team is responsible for configuring security settings, managing user access, and monitoring activity within your cloud environment. This means staying on top of best practices, regularly reviewing permissions, and ensuring compliance with any regulatory requirements that apply to your business.
By working closely with your cloud provider and taking an active role in security, you can minimize risks and ensure a smooth, secure cloud migration.
Strategies That Work
There’s no one-size-fits-all migration path. Migration strategies and cloud migration strategies provide structured approaches to moving IT infrastructure and applications to the cloud. Most organizations end up using a mix of these strategies:
Rehost (Lift & Shift): Quick and simple, but doesn’t optimize for the cloud.
Replatform: Make a few upgrades (like using managed databases) while migrating.
Refactor: Redesign apps to take full advantage of cloud-native features like autoscaling.
Retire: Shut down outdated systems that no longer serve a purpose.
Repurchase: Swap an old app for a SaaS-based one, often moving to a cloud based product.
Retain: Keep certain workloads on-premises for compliance or performance reasons.
Before starting application migration, it’s crucial to perform an application assessment to evaluate and modernize applications for efficient refactoring and optimization. Each migration strategy comes with trade offs—balancing immediate costs, complexity, and long-term cloud benefits. Relying on a single cloud provider can increase operational risks, costs, and reduce flexibility, so migration strategies like multi-cloud or hybrid cloud can help mitigate vendor lock-in.
The trick is knowing which workloads fall into which bucket.
Training and Team Readiness
One of the biggest surprises for many companies? Skill gaps. Even seasoned IT teams may not have experience with cloud platforms, which means investing in training, certifications, or working with migration partners. Adopting new cloud platforms and cloud specific tools often comes with a steep learning curve, requiring additional time and resources for teams to become proficient. While this adds to upfront costs, it prevents expensive mistakes later and sets the team up for long-term success.
What Happens After Migration? (Post-Migration Optimization)
Successfully moving to the cloud is just the beginning—what you do after migration can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Post-migration optimization is all about making sure your cloud infrastructure is running efficiently and cost-effectively.
Start by rightsizing your resources: make sure you’re not overpaying for unused computing power or storage. Use cost management tools to monitor your cloud spending and identify areas where you can cut back. Keep an eye out for common hidden costs, such as unexpected data transfer costs or egress fees when moving data out of the cloud. Regularly reviewing your setup helps you catch these surprises before they add up.
Ongoing cost management is key to realizing the full benefits of cloud migration. By continuously optimizing your cloud environment, you can achieve significant cost savings, reduce operational costs, and improve scalability as your business grows. Remember, the migration process doesn’t end when your data lands in the cloud—staying proactive ensures your cloud journey remains successful and cost-efficient.
Final Thoughts
Despite the challenges, the benefits of cloud migration are hard to ignore:
Lower costs over time with reduced operational costs, as you no longer need to buy and maintain expensive hardware.
Improved scalability and flexibility to adjust resources instantly as demand changes.
Better reliability and uptime with disaster recovery and backups built in, helping to minimize downtime.
Faster innovation thanks to access to tools like AI, machine learning, and analytics.
Remote-friendly collaboration since employees can securely access what they need from anywhere.
In short, cloud migration isn’t just about saving money — it’s about building a more agile, resilient, and competitive business.
Final Thoughts
Migrating to the cloud is a journey, not a one-time project. It requires planning, clear strategy, and continuous monitoring to avoid hidden costs and unlock long-term benefits. After migration, it is crucial to maintain visibility into your cloud environment to ensure ongoing control and efficient operations. Businesses that take the time to plan carefully — or partner with experienced migration experts — position themselves to not only save money but also move faster and operate smarter.
Yes, there are bumps along the way. Assessing the current environment before starting migration is essential, as the process can be time consuming but is ultimately worthwhile. But for most organizations, the journey to the cloud pays for itself many times over in scalability, innovation, and resilience.
We’ve guided organizations through migrations of every size — helping them cut costs, avoid pitfalls, and embrace cloud innovation. Ascend Technologies Group is here to do the same for you. Contact us to get started.
Looking for help with Cloud Migration?
Contact us today to learn how Ascend can seamlessly migrate your business to the cloud and unlock capabilities that fuel your business's success.
