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FAR FROM THE MADDING CLOUD How to successfully migrate your business systems to the Cloud

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+44 (0)203 058 7770 | [email protected] | www.astro.co.uk 2

Table of Contents ExecutiveSummary..........................................................................................................................................................4Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................5

CloudDefinitions................................................................................................................................................5

WhatexactlyistheCloud?.................................................................................................................................7

WhatCloudisnot..............................................................................................................................................8

BenefitsofCloud?............................................................................................................................................................9Reducecapitalcost............................................................................................................................................9

Availability..........................................................................................................................................................9

Simplicity............................................................................................................................................................9

Flexibilty.............................................................................................................................................................9

Resilience.........................................................................................................................................................10

Continuity.........................................................................................................................................................10

Security............................................................................................................................................................11

Compliance......................................................................................................................................................11

Considerations?.............................................................................................................................................................11Location............................................................................................................................................................11

Datasovereignty..............................................................................................................................................12

Power...............................................................................................................................................................12

Environment....................................................................................................................................................12

Space................................................................................................................................................................12

Performance....................................................................................................................................................12

Connectivity.....................................................................................................................................................13

Support/SLA.....................................................................................................................................................13

Amenities.........................................................................................................................................................14

Security............................................................................................................................................................14

Trust.................................................................................................................................................................14

Mentoring........................................................................................................................................................14

ApplicationAudit...........................................................................................................................................................14ApplicationstomovetoCloud.........................................................................................................................14

Applicationstostayonthepremises...............................................................................................................15



Migration.......................................................................................................................................................................15Wherearethesystemsmigratingfrom?.........................................................................................................15

ProjectPlanning...............................................................................................................................................15

ProjectTeam....................................................................................................................................................15

ProjectManagement.......................................................................................................................................15

ThirdPartyLiaison............................................................................................................................................16

StatementofWork..........................................................................................................................................16

Downtimeestimation......................................................................................................................................16

Databackup&restore.....................................................................................................................................16

Regressionplanning.........................................................................................................................................16

Projectfollowup..............................................................................................................................................17

CloudContol..................................................................................................................................................................17Proactivemonitoring.......................................................................................................................................17

Servicedesk.....................................................................................................................................................17

Capacityplanning.............................................................................................................................................17

IfitisthiscomplicatedshouldImigrate?........................................................................................................18

Abouttheauthor...........................................................................................................................................................19



Executive Summary Many sales and marketing documents extoll the virtues of migrating business systems into the Cloud. Some make bold claims that by doing so you will see the end of all of your IT problems and responsibilities. If this really is the case, then why do so many Cloud migration projects go wrong? If you are considering moving one or more of your applications from on premise equipment to a Cloud environment it can actually be very daunting. With all the hype from IT service providers about moving over to the Cloud, it is almost impossible to decide whether you are getting good advice or marketing spin. Migrating business applications to the Cloud is much the same as migrating any application whether you are relocating your office or upgrading hardware or software. Your business systems and maybe even your ability to trade are at risk during and after migration. When migrating to the Cloud there are some additional factors that must be taken into consideration because your business systems and data will be in a different location to all of your users. This document explains what the Cloud is, what the Cloud is not, and how migrating your systems to the Cloud may benefit your business. It then discusses the key factors that must be taken into consideration during the planning, migration and ongoing support stages to ensure you are far from the madding cloud.



Introduction Cloud Definitions Cloud Computing True cloud computing solutions can be described as ubiquitous computing platform that is geographically non-specific highly scalable and resilient. There are three categories of Cloud Computing: • Public • Private • Hybrid Public Public Cloud refers to cloud services accessed via the public internet outside the corporate firewall, typically via a www internet address. Organisations may subscribe to these Cloud services on a per named user basis or on a quantity of concurrent users basis.



Private Private Cloud makes use of private network connections between an organisations premises and the Cloud. The applications accessed via the private network are dedicated to the organisation but may be on hardware shared by other organisations. The Private Cloud is inside the corporate firewall where the corporate firewall is under the management of the organisation. Cloud services are accessed via private network services or secure VPN.

Hybrid Hybrid Cloud refers to a Cloud solution made up of Private Cloud and Public Cloud elements.



Cloud Computing Business Process as a Service - BPaaS Business Process as a Service is the delivery of business process management from the Cloud enabling enterprises to be much more agile in response to market changes. BPaaS may be horizontally aligned such as financial or HR process management to maintain compliance and governance, or vertically aligned providing industry specific process management such as hospitality, logistics and retail. Software as a Service - SaaS Software as a Service refers to software that is licensed and delivered from a central shared host. Users may access the software using a secure browser session via the internet. Platform as a Service - PaaS Platform as a Service refers to a Cloud service that provides centrally hosted hardware, operating system and software. The subscriber or a third party working on behalf of the subscriber would typically develop, load, manage and deliver business specific applications from the platform. Infrastructure as a Service - IaaS Infrastructure as a Service provides access to hardware, storage and networking. In the same way an on premise solution is managed. The subscriber or third party working on behalf of the subscriber is responsible for loading the operating system, software and applications. The hardware may be physical servers or a virtualised system. What exactly is the Cloud? All of the above can be categorised as services delivered in the Cloud. So what exactly is 'the Cloud'? The Cloud is a network. It is connectivity. If the systems and data you use to run your business are in 'the Cloud' your business depends on this connectivity. What Cloud is not



New and untested Cloud is not new. It was first referred to back in the 1950s by mainframe systems developers. The principles of Cloud Computing is very similar to the mainframe computing of the 1960s. Network designers have been drawing networks as clouds since at least the 1970s when Packet Switching networks were drawn as a cloud. Packet Switching networks did very much the same job as the Cloud available today. They provided connectivity between geographically separate users and centralised system resources. The diagram below was taken from a training course I ran in 1982. The topology is the same but the implementation was significantly more complex back then.

There have been many flavours of Cloud over the past 50 years including Packet Switching, Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode and MPLS as well as some proprietary Clouds such as IBM Systems Network Architecture and DECNet. The same as virtualisation Virtualisation is a technology in its own right that happens to be very complimentary to Cloud computing. Cloud computing does not need virtual servers but it is a very cost effective method of providing servers in the Cloud. Applications requiring high speed real-time processing may not be suited to virtualised systems but they can be deployed in the Cloud on dedicated hardware.

Suitable for all applications Not necessarily. It is very important to audit any systems being considered for Cloud migration. In particular it is important to understand traffic flows and dependencies on other servers and services.



Easy to migrate to Some Cloud providers promote the fact that it is easy to migrate to the Cloud. Without having a full understanding of the on premise systems including servers, network, storage, operating systems and applications it is impossible to say. Migrating to Cloud has the same complexities as any other IT upgrade or migration with the added complexity of moving part or all of the above components off premise.

Benefits of Cloud? Reduce capital cost Many Cloud services providers promote this as the main reason to migrate IT services to the Cloud. The fact that there may be a significant reduction in capital cost may be attractive to some organisations. But, as with any IT upgrade or migration a detailed analysis is required before the cost benefits can be determined. It is more appropriate to base your decision on a cost versus benefits basis rather than operational expenditure versus capital expenditure. Availability Cloud computing enables 'access anywhere' computing which is especially beneficial to organisations with a mobile workforce. It is also highly beneficial to organisations providing online services such as shopping or booking web sites. Cloud computing is accessible to anyone with internet connectivity. Simplicity Cloud computing can simplify the IT delivery across the entire enterprise. When all business applications are delivered from the cloud and are accessed through a browser or thin client the on premise IT required becomes very simple. Simple to provide, maintain and manage. Flexibilty Scalability The ability to add users as and when required through additional user licensing is a major benefit for some businesses. Removing the need for the organisation to install and maintain infrastructure or application software.



Cloud computing offers the ability to scale on demand. This is one of the major advantages of Cloud computing. If your enterprise requires scalability on demand it is important to discuss this with your service provider at the outset. Some Cloud computing solutions are inherently scalable while others are fairly rigid will depend on the type of cloud deployment. Elasticity Elasticity can be a very desirable benefit of Cloud computing giving the ability to increase reduce resource on demand. This will suit businesses that have long periods of low demand interrupted by short periods of exceptionally high demand, whether planned or otherwise. Agility Cloud computing is inherently agile (depending on the type of cloud computing). It provides the ability to add servers and/or applications as and when required without the traditional long lead times associated with introducing new IT applications. This in turn enables business agility by reducing time to market with new services or processes. Resilience The Cloud is inherently resilient in terms of systems housed in purpose-built data centres. Cloud data centres typically have redundant power supplies with generator back up, computer room air conditioning units and environmental monitoring. Full system resilience will be determined by the facilities on premise as well as the Cloud computing facility. Cloud data centres usually have more than one route to the internet providing connectivity resilience. Organisations requiring resilience across the enterprise must ensure the connectivity between their offices and the internet also have the required level of resilience. Continuity Cloud computing comes with inherent continuity. If an enterprise suffers a disaster affecting their premises, users can relocate to anywhere with internet access to carry on working.



Security

It is possible to choose a Cloud services provider with security appropriate to your organisation’s needs. The Cloud provider will take responsibility for maintaining physical system security. Application, server and network security will depend on the type of Cloud deployment. Public Cloud application, server and network security will be the responsibility of the Cloud services provider. For private and hybrid deployments, responsibility for security may lie with the provider, the organization or shared. Compliance Maintaining compliance on premise can be very onerous and expensive. This can be simplified significantly by choosing a Cloud partner with the relevant compliance to host your systems.

Considerations? Location The importance of location is more relevant to Private Cloud deployments and will depend on the amount of access required by your own staff. Many Cloud service providers offer a remote hands facility which negates the need to have constant access. Other aspects of the location for Private Cloud deployments are important in terms of overall site safety. Ideally the data centre will not be adjacent to and in the flight path of an airport or adjacent to a railway line.



Data sovereignty Your organisation may require your data to be stored within UK or EU jurisdiction. You may also be concerned about foreign governments and agencies having access to your data without your permission. If these are concerns it is important to carry out due diligence to establish where your data is stored and who has access to it. Power Power is one of the most important aspects of Private Cloud computing. Take time to understand the power delivery into the equipment serving your applications to ensure it is aligned with your requirements. Also, make sure your Cloud provider has sufficient power available for future expansion should you require it. Environment The environment is also very important for Private Cloud deployments. Make sure the data centre has adequate air conditioning and environmental monitoring. Space Rack space is very important consideration for Private Cloud. Make sure there is sufficient rack space for any anticipated future growth. Performance Application performance is a very important aspect of Cloud computing whether Public, Private or Hybrid. Performance is often blamed for many Cloud implementation failures. Performance is affected by so many factors including processing power, storage, local network and WAN connectivity. Your chosen Cloud service provider will be able to help with this element of the design. If performance is an issue it points to lack of resource or poor design.



Connectivity Carrier diversity We have already established that the Cloud is connectivity. The Cloud is the network that enables access to a vast array of services in the Cloud. Carrier diversity is a basic requirement for a resilient Cloud service. When subscribing to Cloud services it is important to carry out appropriate due diligence to ensure your chosen service provider has the resilience required by your organisation. This is especially important for Private Cloud deployments. Data flow Understanding data flow from users to systems and from user facing systems to back end processing and storage systems is vitally important. For example, a business may have a customer facing web server that places calls on a number of other servers within the same on premise data centre. If the business decision is to relocate the web servers but leave the other servers in situ the dynamics of the system may change considerably to the point where the system becomes unstable. Many Cloud migrations have failed to proceed to plan because the data flows were not fully understood. Understanding the way corporate data flows between servers and external services may also be a fundamental requirement for network security and compliance. Latency Moving your business systems off premise will increase the data transit time from user to host. If there are any inter-server communications and the servers are split between the Cloud and on premise the transit times may increase significantly. National Ethernet WAN links generally exhibit low latency but latency should not be taken for granted. Support/SLA When you relocate your systems into the Cloud your chosen provider will ideally tune their service offering to your business requirements. No two organisations are the same and it is reasonable to expect your provider to fully understand your business and your requirements. Their response package can then be aligned to your business.



Amenities The Cloud provider’s amenities at their data centre may be important in Private Cloud deployments if your staff are going to spend time building and maintaining systems in the data centre. Some Cloud providers have build areas set aside for customers as well as rest areas and vending machines. Security In practice some Cloud providers are more secure than others. It is important to carry out relevant due diligence to ensure your chosen Cloud partners' security is aligned with your business requirements. Trust Ultimately, you are putting your business in the trust of your chosen Cloud services partner. Your chosen partner must carry out their own due diligence to understand your business, not just the systems. A good Cloud provider will be a true and valuable extension of your business. Mentoring This is vitally important yet often forgotten. It is important to detail what needs to be monitored. Your chosen Cloud provider will help you to identify the parameters to be monitored along with the thresholds and actions to be taken in the event of any of these thresholds being breeched.

Application Audit Applications to move to Cloud Many organisations test the water by deciding to move one or a small number of their business ations into the Cloud. One of the first decisions will be to decide which application(s) to move. Email is a popular choice as is CRM. Once the decision is made on the applications moving to the Cloud, compile a user list and identify any potential training needs. Compile a list of user hardware that will be used to access the systems in the Cloud. If there are any changes to the applications moving to the Cloud this may require an upgrade to the operating system, application and in some cases, even the hardware.



Applications to stay on the premises Having decided on the applications that are being moved to the Cloud consideration should be given to the possible affect on the applications remaining on premise. This is where a thorough understanding of data flows is very useful. If there are any operating system, application or hardware changes required on the end user hardware to enable the Cloud migration, will these end user devices still be compatible with the applications remaining on premise?

Migration Where are the systems migrating from? On premise to Cloud This is where the systems are installed within your organisations own premises or in a data centre within your organisations control. Cloud to Cloud Cloud to Cloud is when your systems are already in the Cloud but you wish to change Cloud provider. This has the added complication that your organisation is dependent on a certain amount of good will on the part of the outgoing Cloud partner to liaise with the new Cloud partner. Project Planning Project planning is the most critical part of migrating any systems to the Cloud. Your chosen Cloud partner should have the relevant experience to put a detailed project plan together. Project Team The Project Team is a multidisciplinary team made of members from your organisation, the Cloud partner and any other relevant third parties. Project Management Cloud migration requires meticulous project management delivered by an experienced Project Manager. Again, this is something your Cloud partner should provide as part of the migration project.



Third Party Liaison There may be third parties with no representation on the project team. For example, if this is a Cloud to Cloud migration it may not be appropriate to have a member of the outgoing partner on the team. The Project Manager or a nominated member of the project team must take responsibility for all communication with any third parties not represented on the project team. Statement of Work The provider should create and continue to develop a detailed Statement or Work. This needs to document every aspect of the project including risks, implications, regression plans and must include contact details for all stakeholders, including out of hours contact details. Downtime estimation Some organisations may expect a zero downtime migration. Unless the existing on premise solution is highly resilient Zero downtime may be impossible to achieve. Planning and setting expectations for a realistic downtime will increase the chance of project success considerably. Some Private Cloud migrations (on premise to Cloud and Cloud to Cloud) may require physical hardware or backup media to be physically transported between data centres in geographically separate locations. The equipment or media transport time will have a bearing on the downtime required. Data backup & restore Migrating organisation owned systems into a Private Cloud environment will require a backup and restore process. For Cloud to Cloud deployments the backup is likely to be the responsibility of the outgoing Cloud partner. This can be politically very sensitive so there is a dependency on the Project Team to make sure adequate contingency is allowed should there be any data loss when restored into the new Cloud location. Regression planning Regression planning is often overlooked. The Statement of Work must include a regression plan with documented timing and actions should the migration not go according to plan. A 'point of no return' time may be required. When the migration goes past that particular point in time with agreed actions achieved, then the migration must continue to completion.



Project follow up There will be loose ends to tie up once the Cloud migration is completed. This may take one or more weeks depending on the complexity and number of applications moved into the Cloud.

Cloud Contol Proactive monitoring Proactive monitoring will be extremely useful as soon as the power goes on or the servers are brought up in the Cloud. Alerts should be set to bring attention to any performance or capacity issues. This will enable any potential user affecting issues to be addressed before the users suffer. Service Desk Make sure the Cloud provider’s Service Desk staffing, skill and experience are appropriate to your migration project requirements. The first days following migration are critical. The Service Desk team will be essential to the success of your project during go live. Capacity planning The proactive monitoring and information gathered by the Service Desk during the early stages following the migration will be invaluable. This information can be used for capacity planning to ensure the systems are configured with adequate and appropriate resources for your organisation.



If it is this complicated should I migrate? The answer to this is potentially yes. There are risks involved with upgrading or moving any IT systems just as there are risks involved with inaction. As discussed earlier, the Cloud and Cloud Computing offers many benefits that far outweigh the challenges of migration but it has to be right for your organisation and ultimately only you will know. The majority of these migration challenges can be mitigated against by engaging an experienced Cloud services provider with a track record of success with on premise and Cloud solutions. By carrying out the relevant due diligence and if required, engaging with an experience Cloud partner, you will be...

...far from the madding cloud.

Need some help? Our team has extensive experience delivering Cloud, on premise and connectivity solutions for a wide range of corporate clients.

On premise and Cloud services and solutions

www.astro.co.uk +44 (0)203 058 7770

[email protected]



About the author Steve Smith started out in the industry in 1973 as a Post Office Telecommunications Apprentice. After six years he joined Cable & Wireless UK Services and embarked on a retraining exercise at the C&W training school in Porthcurno. In January 1985 Steve co-founded Astro Communications with Rob, who was a colleague at C&W at the time. Steve has been responsible for the design and delivery of some very innovative technology solutions including a satellite overlay system for Wide Area Networks, safety systems for the North Sea Oil industry and many others. As CTO at Astro Steve still loves the industry and the daily challenges it provides. Steve is a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman in the Information Technologists Livery Company and is a member of The ITP, The IET and The IEEE.

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