As a CEO: Lowering The Barriers To Migration

As a CEO, I've seen many businesses struggle with the complexities of user and data migration. It can be a daunting process and is often initially difficult to perceive a tangible return on investment. But with the right guidance, it doesn't have to be. In this post, I wanted to share with you my step-by-step guide to making the migration journey as smooth as possible.

Preparation: Before diving into the migration process, it's important to take the time to determine the scope of the project and assess the identities and amount of data needed to be moved. Generally, we see the bulk of the stress and worry associated with migrations focused on the company’s applications and servers. It's vital to the success of the project to have a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved and to create a detailed plan that outlines each step. This will help you stay organised and ensure that the migration runs smoothly.

Data Backup: This is an absolute must! Before starting to move any identities, systems or data, make sure you have valid backups of your current systems in case anything major goes wrong. This will give you peace of mind and ensure that your business is protected.

Choosing the Right Tools: There are many tools available to help with migrations, and it's important to choose the right one for your business. We do this by considering factors such as cost, ease of use, and compatibility with current systems and the approach required for each migration.

Testing: Before going live with the migration, it's important to perform thorough testing to ensure that everything is working as expected. This will help identify any issues before they become a problem and provide adequate time to make any necessary adjustments. Co-existence during the migration period between environments is always key. Typically we go through cycles of base functionality testing (are the tools working?), testing (is the process working with dummy accounts?), pre-pilot (lets test the process with a few real users), pilot (lets test the process with a broader subset of users in different departments using different applications day to day.)

Post-Migration Clean-Up: After the migration is complete, take the time to ensure that all identities, data and systems have been migrated and that you can decommission the old environment. Clean up your systems from the remnants left over by the migration tools (to track the migration and provide co-existence and statistics.)

In conclusion, migration can be a complex process, but with the right preparation and guidance, it doesn't have to be. By following these simple steps, we're able to ensure the migration journey is a success and that our clients' businesses are protected.

To find out how we can help you make the migration journey as smooth and easy as possible, reach out to us at solutions@symbiosys.it and we’ll be happy to help you plot the right course of action for your business needs.

By Patrick Assheton-Smith, Founder & CEO of Symbiosys IT