The trickle of organizations who are moving their data and operations to the cloud is turning into a flood, but how can you be sure that your information is secure during the transition period? Many CIOs now believe that cloud is a viable option for data storage, especially in circumstances where on-premise storage isn’t ideal. However, there are still lingering concerns about cloud security. Seventy-four percent of CFOs stated in a recent study that cloud computing will have an impact on their operations in the next year, meaning this trend isn’t going away. Your data is the cornerstone of a successful cloud implementation and there are inherent challenges to quickly moving mass quantities of data in a way that maintains security at all times.
Data Migration Challenges
Let’s face it, the process of shifting a great deal of data from place to place is fraught with risk. Will your data center be sure? Is your partner the best long-term solution? There is a great deal of trust involved with taking this big step. Fortunately, working with a trusted cloud provider means you’ve got someone by your side each step of the way. Preparing your data and executing the actual move to the cloud requires a few steps as well as some specialized tools and knowledge. Sensitive and personal data are amongst the biggest concerns, and you will need a process in place to identify and protect PII (Personally Identifiable Information) as needed.
Prepping for the Move
Rounding up your data is likely to be the most time-consuming task, as organizations tend to have information stored in a variety of different locations and formats. In a perfect world, you would standardize and consolidate data sources in the months leading up to a major shift in data storage strategies. While easier said than done, long-term this investment of energy may pay off greatly in terms of data usability. This could include everything from corralling multiple CRMs into one major customer data source, educating users on the value of not storing anything on their desktop and migrating data from aging servers into a single source of truth. Each step could potentially take months. Again, this is where a trusted partner can help you find the minefields — and avoid them.
Scanning Your Data
Once you’ve completed any necessary cleanup of your data and identified the assets that you will be migrating to the cloud, the next step is to perform a thorough scan of your data for PII and also review the security settings for data availability. This is particularly important with GDPR looming large, as you may need to pare down the access of individuals within your organization. Appropriate protections will need to be added to sensitive data, such as adding encryption and deleting files that will no longer be used. Once you’ve resolved the issues that are found with a scan of your current data, you’re ready to move on to the next step of the actual migration.
Get Moving
You’ve prepped your data. You’ve scanned for sensitive information and managed access to it or removed it. Now you’re ready for the big shift! Actually moving your data may be a bit anticlimactic after what could be up to a year or more of preparation, but the payoff can be huge. Whether you’re adding a data warehouse or enterprise service bus to help with data trafficking or simply enjoying easier access to data both within and outside your organization, moving data to the cloud can be a game-changer.
It’s impossible to distill all of the minutia required for a massive data migration to the cloud down to a few short paragraphs. If you want to learn more about keeping your data safe during a cloud migration, contact the security professionals at Coretelligent today! CoreCloud is a private cloud that is fully managed and hosted for high availability, rapid deployment and enhanced security.
