Cloud 101: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation June 6, 2024 – Posted in: Cloud Computing, IT Support – Tags: cloud 101, it support, ITServices, ITSupport, SoftwareSupport
Making major changes to your IT will always have some effect on your users, the planning stage is the key to making it a relatively painless change vs a project nightmare. If you are intending to move to the cloud every minute you spend at the start of the project planning will save ten at the end bugfixing and significantly reduce the disruption to users.
Whether you are replacing an on-premises server or going to the cloud you will be moving:
- Your entire authentication, permissions and login setup.
- Every mailbox, calendar and distribution list you have.
- Every file you have.
- Printing setups, shared drives, scanning setups, DHCP and DNS setup…
There will always be some disruption to users, the aim of the planning stage is to keep it to a minimum.
Key Things to Consider
Does everyone currently have access to only what they need access to? You can replicate your current setup exactly. But a migration is a great opportunity to clean things up. Make sure accounts for staff members who have left are removed or disabled and the access rights and requirements are formally reviewed.
How many licensed mailboxes do you need? With 365 the exact function and cost of a user mailbox vs a shared mailbox vs a distribution list are very different.
What geographic areas might your users log in from? Geographic limiting is an important part of cloud security. It can be altered to allow for business trips or short term changes of location but the basic should only permit login from locations you have staff.
Is your file structure ideal for your business? If you are running into trouble with overlong document paths or you have an organically grown setup complete with the inconsistencies that tend to build up over time – this is an ideal time to review and rework it into a coherent setup.
Do you use any apps that need a server? Installing these on a cloud server or moving to a cloud solution takes time and preparation.
What will you do if your office power or internet goes down? Going serverless makes it much easier to send people home to work, but only if they have laptops to take with them or PCs at home to work on.
What needs backing up and how will you back it up? Cloud providers will usually keep backups against issues with their servers. You should consider whether you want to keep your own backups to recover edited documents or items that may have been accidentally deleted.
Where are the servers you’re storing data on? Microsoft is allows you to choose to keep data within required geographic areas, but you will need to make sure any other cloud suppliers keep their data in a location that complies with the relevant legislation.
Who is responsible for the maintenance and support for each area of your new environment? If you’re using a cloud-based remote desktop service or cloud-based apps you may need to speak to the suppliers for some issues and your IT Company for others. Making sure you’ve worked out in advance who looks after what will give staff the quickest route to support.
It’s important to create a detailed plan, and stick to it. If you have any questions about how a cloud migration might impact your environment give us a call on 01245 265 100 or email ">.