Moving from on-site servers to the cloud is a complex process that demands careful planning and a thorough understanding of both cloud operations and vendor requirements. It also helps to avoid falling victim to one or more of the common errors that can make a cloud transition more challenging than it has to be. Here are the five top traps you need to watch out for.

Failing to Define Specific Goals

Many new cloud adopters move forward with confused objectives, driving their transition with no clear barometers of success. The cloud is not good for its own sake; it should exist in the service of a business goal. Unfortunately, in the zeal to get out of the data center, this critical detail is sometimes overlooked.

Bad cloud deployment can be more expensive than operating a premises-based solution and can introduce performance and management headaches that aren’t justified by any benefits.

Overestimating the Need for a Cloud Migration

Many organizations rush into the cloud with a lift & shift approach with the expectations that it will work. Yet such an approach often leads to frustration and long-term disappointment.

Migration plans can be hampered by legacy monolithic applications that need to be broken down before their operations can be transferred to the cloud. Although this refactoring makes sense, it’s very difficult to justify the cost of doing so.

The only logical reason for refactoring projects for the cloud is when supporting business initiatives, which generally have their own timing.

Trying to Clone Existing Data Center Workloads

Attempting to drive workload migrations into the public cloud as-is, essentially replicating a data center-like footprint, is a shortsighted approach. Keep in mind that the move to the cloud needs to be powered by capability and new ways of working

Viewing Cloud Migration as a Final Goal

Approaching cloud migration as a “big bang event” that will inevitably lead to instant change does little to help enterprises differentiate themselves from their competitors

When considering cloud migration, enterprises should first understand where they want to go before setting out on the journey.

Failing to Adequately Plan for Post-Deployment Operations

Failing to anticipate and properly plan for post-deployment operations is a common cloud migration oversight with potentially high financial and operational consequences. It goes hand-in-hand with continuously innovating and thinking of cloud migration as a journey, not a project. It can be difficult to keep up the momentum and take advantage of new features when a plan is not in place.