5 Important networking considerations for small businesses migrating to the cloud

5 Important networking considerations for small businesses migrating to the cloud

While the benefits of cloud computing are, without doubt, it does introduce some unique challenges that ideally need to be addressed before you make the move to a service-based infrastructure.

As companies shift more workloads to the cloud to improve performance and enable mobility, they’re becoming increasingly reliant on networks and infrastructure they don’t own or manage directly for themselves. At the same time, cloud computing is entirely reliant on the speed and reliability of the internet connection. The moment there’s an outage, employees will be unable to access mission-critical systems.

Before you migrate to the cloud, here are five key factors to consider:

#1. Evaluating network performance

When you migrate to the cloud, you end up adding more data points to your organization. If you don’t plan carefully, this can greatly increase the burden on information management and performance monitoring alike. Before migrating to the cloud, you need to ensure your internal networking infrastructure is ready. You’ll need ample bandwidth, with the exact amount depending on what sort of cloud services you intend to use. For example, if you’ll be transferring multiple gigabytes of information to and from the cloud, you’ll need to have a suitably fast and reliable connection. Once you have everything ready on your end, you’ll be able to start evaluating the performance of external, cloud-connected networks.

#2. Identifying infrastructure bottlenecks

Some networks are poorly optimized for cloud-based applications, and it’s not all about speed either. For example, if you have branches or outsourced operations located abroad, there may be issues with high latency or accessibility. Some countries are more restrictive than others when it comes to accessing web-based services. In other cases, a cloud provider might not have a regional data center in that area, thus increasing latency. You need to ensure that any cloud-based infrastructure you implement is ready to meet the demands of scale and flexibility in your organization.

#3. Mapping out network traffic

Information can travel at the speed of light, so it’s easy to think that latency shouldn’t be an issue. However, high latency isn’t usually caused by the distance between two points — it’s usually a result of network traffic traveling through multiple nodes. That’s why you need a full map of network traffic between all branches and partners so you can identify bottlenecks and reduce the number of communication points to the minimum possible. You also need to know where your data is being transmitted and stored for compliance and security purposes, hence the need for complete visibility into the wider network.

#4. Preparing for deployment

Before migrating any business-critical operation to the cloud, you should ensure your internal network is in order by getting the best internet service available in your area and upgrading your networking hardware as necessary. Afterwards, you’ll need to carefully evaluate potential service providers to ensure everything stays within budget and aligns with information security requirements. You’ll also need to establish a contingency plan and take steps to avoid vendor lock-in. For example, although most cloud providers let you upload data to their servers for free, some charge egress fees for taking data back on-site or moving it to a new provider. Make sure you’re aware of any potential additional costs, since it can be expensive to rectify any mistakes later.

#5. Monitoring uptime and performance

Before committing to any provider, you should conduct a baseline performance assessment. However, uptime and performance monitoring should go beyond the evaluation period. You should monitor your network around the clock every day of the year to proactively identify and mitigate any potential performance or security issues. Fortunately, this process can easily be automated and backed up with real-time visual analyses that make sense to the average user. Moreover, you can configure automated alerts so that network administrators are always kept in the loop.

Solution Partner helps businesses in Phoenix, Arizona eliminate downtime and drive growth with technology solutions and expertise you can depend on. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.


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