There are several factors to take into account when choosing an appropriate target destination for enterprises wishing to migrate their legacy mainframe, OpenVMS, or VME applications.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but a phased or hybrid approach to cloud migration may be optimal choices for organisations looking to increase the value of their legacy applications whilst utilising the flexibility and significant cost savings that the cloud brings - offering a balance between control, scalability, and cost.
Hybrid cloud deployments can be ideal for some legacy modernisation use cases because they allow administrators to decide whether to place certain business functions on-premises or in the cloud to maximise the effectiveness of that particular service. This can be done using a phased, microservices approach of migration that includes business rules extraction, batch offloading, or even database replication. It can also include services that remain on-mainframe. However, because it combines on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments, it can be a difficult procedure. To achieve a smooth and effective migration, thorough preparation, implementation, and administration are necessary – and that starts with careful consideration and selection of a migration partner (or partners). So, what are the most important factors to consider?
Security and risk reduction
Risk reduction is a crucial advantage of cautious partner selection for full, or hybrid cloud migration, and security is an increasingly prominent consideration. A badly planned or carried out transfer could lead to data loss, downtime, or security breaches, which would be devastating for your company. Your partner can assist you in reducing these risks by spotting possible issues and putting in place efficient mitigation measures. Also, they can assist you in preserving the confidentiality and accuracy of your data throughout the migration process.
Experience and knowledge
Access to specialist expertise and experience for full, or hybrid cloud migration is an important benefit of intelligent partner selection. A competent partner should be knowledgeable about the source and destination environments whilst possessing the necessary abilities to effectively handle the modernisation process. The tools and technologies needed to accomplish a flawless migration should also be known to them. Insights and best practises from a partner with considerable modernisation experience will help you avoid expensive mistakes and ensure a smooth transfer to the target state.
Flexibility and scalability
The key components of full, or hybrid cloud migration are scalability and flexibility. A capable partner can assist you in designing a solution that can grow to accommodate your shifting business requirements. To ensure that you can react rapidly to changes in demand, they may also assist you in utilising the advantages of cloud computing, such as elasticity and on-demand provisioning. By focusing on a destination that can support various workloads, applications, and services, a partner may also assist you in maintaining flexibility.
Recovery from disasters and business continuity
Business continuity and catastrophe recovery can both benefit greatly from full, or hybrid cloud migration. You may construct a cloud infrastructure that delivers effective disaster recovery capabilities with the assistance of a partner with the necessary knowledge and expertise. Also, they can assist you in making sure that in the case of an outage or disaster, your vital apps and services continue to be accessible. If you choose the correct partner, you may have faith that unanticipated disruptions won't stop your company from running.
Cost optimisation
Full or hybrid cloud migration can be a costly process, especially if it is not managed efficiently. A good partner can help you optimise costs by identifying cost-saving opportunities and implementing strategies to minimise unnecessary expenses. They can also help you manage your cloud resources effectively to avoid over-provisioning or under-provisioning, which can result in wasted resources and increased costs.
Further resources
- 10 steps to ensure a successful mainframe migration
- Telia Finance selects Tietoevry and Advanced for application modernisation initiative
- Mainframe modernisation FAQs