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Keeping Cloud Migrations Affordable: Unlocking Cost-Efficient Transformation

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affordable cloud migration A silent trend in cloud computing for small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) is the rising cost of migrations and data integration.  While many cloud computing costs have dropped, the cost to get data into the cloud continues to rise at a steady trend. Affordable cloud migration is a strategic approach that enables businesses to transition their operations, data, and applications to cloud infrastructure while optimizing costs. The shift to cloud computing offers numerous benefits, including scalability, flexibility, enhanced security, and improved collaboration. However, concerns about the potential expenses associated with cloud migration can be a significant barrier for organizations.

In the following sections, we will explore key considerations, cost-saving techniques, and best practices that can help businesses achieve affordable cloud migration and reap the benefits of cloud technology without straining their budgets.

The complexity of cloud migration is the reason for the decrease in affordability

SMEs are moving more workloads and more data into cloud solutions. These systems and data must co-exist and work together as well as they do on-premise. Where 12 to 18 months ago, SMEs were moving email, calendaring, and contacts into the cloud, today SMEs are also moving complex file systems and, in some cases, key line of business applications. It makes sense that moving a user’s full environment is more costly than moving just email.

Affordability in cloud migration focuses on finding cost-effective strategies, solutions, and service providers that align with an organization’s budget and objectives. It involves careful planning, evaluating various options, and leveraging cost-saving measures to ensure a smooth and budget-friendly transformation.

By adopting affordable cloud migration practices, businesses can optimize their IT infrastructure, reduce operational costs, and access advanced cloud services without overspending. This approach allows organizations of all sizes to embrace the advantages of cloud computing while maintaining financial stability.

Value is Increasing in Cloud Migration

Even though costs may continue to rise, the value of moving should rise even faster.  Moving multiple workloads and data sets to cloud should support key business objectives and should lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time. The value proposition is unique to each SME and should be considered when looking at broad cloud adoption.

Mitigating the Cost of Migration

Structuring your cloud migration to maximize near-term and long-term value delivers an ROI on the change that should cover your migration costs.  Even so, there are steps and you can take to mitigate migration costs.

  • Bundle migration efforts into a single project, even it requires multiple phases
    • You will benefit from an economy of scale.
  • Work with a service provider than can handle or manage all aspects of your project
    • Ask the service provider about the range of migration tools it will use for the various aspects of the project.
    • A good partner will prevent you from having to learn multiple migration tools, particularly for a “one time use”.
    • You will benefit from a more efficient project with more predictable results.
  • Look for migration costs on a per user or per system basis, not on a per GB basis
    • For most migrations, the cost to move the data is not the major factor.
    • Tool licensing and expertise are the cost-critical factors.
    • A migration structured on the value of expertise and tools will be more cost-effective

Affordable Cloud Migration Services

With some up-front analysis, a focus on value, and a properly structured engagement, you can get the most value while holding the line on cloud migration costs. By partnering with service providers that offer cost-effective solutions, organizations can navigate the complexities of migrating to a cloud platform without compromising on quality or reliability.

Seeking assistance from cloud migration experts or engaging with a reputable cloud service provider for a comprehensive assessment can greatly benefit organizations. These assessments typically involve evaluating the existing infrastructure, identifying potential cost-saving opportunities, assessing security requirements, and developing a roadmap for a successful and cost-effective cloud migration.

By leveraging affordable cloud migration services and conducting a thorough assessment, organizations can navigate their cloud migration journey with confidence. They can optimize costs, streamline operations, enhance security, and unlock the full potential of cloud computing, all while maintaining financial stability. It is a strategic investment that empowers businesses to stay competitive and agile in today’s digital landscape.

Let’s discuss your cloud migration plans. Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.

 

 

 

Moving to the Cloud: Cost Savings

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Green_GaugeThis post is the second in a series addressing concerns organizations may have that prevent them from moving the cloud-based solutions.

Will moving to the cloud save money?

The answer is a definite, absolute … maybe!

Whether or not a move to the cloud saves money depends on the in-house services being replaced and the cloud-based services taking their place, as well as the impact the change will have on related IT services and your business.

In our experience, most companies see savings over 3-year and 5-year periods of 30% or more.  Some companies see total cost of ownership (TCO) savings of up to 70%

When looking at 5-year TCO, organizations must make honest projections on IT spending to maintain the status quo and/or upgrading systems.  Beyond projected hardware and software replacements and upgrades, the analysis should include the cost of services and supporting systems (backup, anti-virus, security, etc.).  The analysis should also assess soft costs for administration, support, and estimated down time.

The challenge remains making the comparison equivalent.  For example, moving from a single in-house Exchange server to Google Apps for Business is a move from a system with several single points of failure to a highly redundant and highly available service.  If improving availability is an objective of the move to the cloud, the comparison should include the cost of upgrading the Exchange environment for redundancy.

A final consideration should include any business enablement that comes from the move into the cloud.  Will the cloud service enable the business to operate more efficiently and/or in new, more productive ways?  Improved collaboration, real-time communications, and access to information are all examples of how Google Apps for Business enables businesses over traditional email services.

In straight dollars and cents, not every company will see savings when moving to cloud-based solutions.  With better availability and expanded capabilities, cloud computing solutions can deliver better value, even when the price tag is higher.

Next Post in the Series:  Provider Reliability

Previous Post in the Series:  Moving to the Cloud: Security

 

Guest Post: What is my Gmail account really worth?

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Originally posted on the by Jay Garmon, here is a way to assess the value of your Google Apps account … or at least just the email.

What, exactly, is your Gmail account worth to you?

That’s a complicated question but, at first blush, we’d guess about …roughly…$3,588.85.

That’s the value of the time invested in the average Gmail account, given how many emailsFile:Moneyenvelopeemail.png the average Gmail user has written (5,768), how long it takes to write the average email (one minute, 43 seconds), and the most recent U.S. Depart of Labor statistics on average annual salary ($45,230). In other words, if the average Gmail user were paid to recreate all the Gmail messages he or she’s ever written, it would cost $3,588.85.

How much is your Gmail account worth to you (and how do you stack up to the average Gmail user)? We built a Gmail Value Calculator to help you find out.

Just log in with your Gmail account, input your salary data, and the Gmail Value Calculator will determine:

  • How much your Gmail account is worth to you, in dollars
  • How many messages you send and receive per day
  • How much Gmail storage you use per day
  • Your average Gmail message size
  • Your Gmail Personality Index, which compares your Gmail usage to the average and determines whether you’re more extroverted or verbose than the typical Gmail user

Head over to Gmail-Value.Backupify.com, click the Autofill with Google button (it’s much easier than manually filling out your data), specify your salary, and in seconds you’ll learn what your Gmail account is worth to you.

It’s important to note that this number — how much of your time have you’ve spent writing emails multiplied by how much your time is worth — determines the minimum value of your Gmail account. In truth, your Gmail account is probably worth a lot more.

The $3,588.85 average figure doesn’t include the value of all the email you’ve received, the value of the time spent reading email, the value of any attachments included in your emails, or the simple fact that some emails are simply irreplaceable — especially if you lose them at the worst possible moment. (We’ve got a whole whitepaper devoted to parsing out the math on this issue.)

The average Gmail account is worth at least $3,588.85, but very likely a great deal more. Still, even that minimum figure is pretty impressive — as our Gmail Value Infographic explains. The text-friendly highlights are:

  • Your Gmail is worth $3,588.85, and increases by about $1,196 per year
  • You “spend” as much in Gmail every year as you do on your car
  • Your Gmail is worth five times as much as your laptop
  • Your Gmail represents over four weeks of wages
  • You store one old-school floppy disk (1.44 MB) of Gmail data every day

The complete Gmail Value Infographic is below. Click the image to view it all full size.