In an era of relentless digital evolution, cloud migration is more than just an upgrade—it’s a strategic catalyst that unlocks new realms of efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. To move to the cloud, you need a well-orchestrated cloud migration strategy. Seibert Solutions, an Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner with decades of experience, has developed a comprehensive six-step cloud migration process. In this guide, we’ll break down each stage—Assess, Plan, Prep, Test, Migrate, and Launch—so that you can make informed decisions and confidently steer your organization through a seamless migration.
About Seibert Solutions
Seibert Solutions stands at the forefront of Atlassian services, helping enterprises navigate complex migrations with a proven methodology. With a focus on delivering holistic cloud solutions, we assist organizations in moving from on-premises data centers or legacy servers to Atlassian’s Cloud environment. Seibert ensures that your migration is successful and aligned with your business objectives. This article outlines the six-step process we employ to drive cloud migration.
Step 1: Assess – Laying the Groundwork
A Comprehensive Cloud Assessment
The journey begins with a thorough assessment of your current IT landscape. This initial phase is pivotal in understanding the scope and scale of your migration. Seibert’s experts conduct an in-depth evaluation of your server or data center, analyzing key elements such as system architecture, existing integrations, and user management practices.
Key activities during the assessment phase include:
- System Analysis: Examining your existing infrastructure, identifying critical components, and mapping out data flows to pinpoint potential bottlenecks.
- Stakeholder Identification: Collaborating with IT leaders and department heads to ensure that all relevant voices are heard. This ensures that migration decisions align with both technical requirements and business goals.
- Security, Legal, and Compliance Review: Evaluate current security protocols and compliance mandates to ensure the migration does not expose your organization to unnecessary risk.
- App and Integration Inventory: Taking stock of all Atlassian products, third-party integrations, and custom applications. This helps identify each app’s migration paths and highlights potential challenges, such as unsupported functionalities or necessary workarounds.
By the end of this phase, Seibert delivers a detailed report outlining possible migration strategies, an estimated timeline, and any potential roadblocks. This foundational insight informs the subsequent planning stage and sets clear expectations for the entire migration journey.
Step 2: Plan – Strategizing for Success
Crafting a Migration Roadmap
Once the initial assessment is complete, the next step is to develop a clear, actionable plan. This phase revolves around building a migration roadmap that minimizes risk while maximizing the benefits of a cloud environment.
Key elements of the Plan phase include:
- Migration Strategy Selection: Depending on your organization’s complexity—whether you have a medium-sized setup with 2,000 to 10,000 users, a smaller team with fewer than 2,000 users, or a large-scale deployment with over 10,000 users—Seibert tailors the migration strategy. Options might range from a “lift-and-shift” approach to a phased migration that reduces downtime.
- Scope and Sequencing: Defining which components, applications, and data sets will migrate first and establishing a precise sequence for subsequent phases. This structured approach ensures that critical services remain operational during the transition.
- Resource and Vendor Alignment: Coordinating with internal teams and external vendors to ensure all necessary support and resources are in place. This includes confirming that third-party solutions have a viable migration path to the cloud.
- Runbook Drafting: Develop detailed documentation that outlines every step of the migration process, including fallback strategies in case of unexpected issues. This runbook is vital for ensuring consistency and for troubleshooting during the migration.
This phase provides the strategic blueprint that will guide every subsequent step. With a well-defined plan, organizations can proceed confidently, knowing that all potential challenges have been anticipated and addressed.
Step 3: Prep – Preparing for Migration
Getting Your Environment Ready
Preparation is a critical step that involves preparing your current systems and data for the transition. Seibert works closely with your team during this stage to ensure all elements are aligned for a smooth migration.
Key preparation activities include:
- Server Housecleaning: Reviewing and cleaning up your existing servers or data centers to remove redundant, obsolete, or trivial data (ROT). This ensures that only necessary information is migrated, optimizing time and cost.
- Access and Identity Setup: Setting up identity providers (IdP) and ensuring that user access controls, Single Sign-On (SSO), SAML, and user provisioning systems are in place. This step is crucial for maintaining security and seamless access post-migration.
- Vendor Solution Integration: Coordinating with third-party vendors to set up the necessary tools and integrations to support the migration process.
- Runbook Build-Out: Finalizing the detailed migration runbook with your team. This document is the central reference point during the migration, outlining pre-migration checks, execution steps, and post-migration validation processes.
By investing time in the Prep phase, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of unforeseen issues during migration, ensuring a smooth transition and a more predictable outcome.
Step 4: Test – Validating the Migration Strategy
Ensuring a Smooth Transition
Before the full-scale migration, testing is essential to verify that all planned processes work as intended. This phase minimizes the risk of downtime and operational disruption.
Testing activities include:
- Pre-Migration Checks: Run a series of checks to confirm that all systems are ready for migration. This involves verifying data integrity, ensuring that access controls are properly configured, and validating that the migration tools are functioning correctly.
- Reliability and Time Trials: Conducting tests to simulate the migration process and measure system performance. These tests help identify potential issues that could affect the migration timeline.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Engaging with key stakeholders to test the migration outcomes in a controlled environment. This step ensures that the end-user experience will not be compromised once the migration goes live.
- Runbook Finalization: After successful testing, the runbook is finalized. This document now reflects the latest insights and adjustments made during the testing phase, providing a reliable guide for the actual migration.
Testing is not just a precaution—it’s a strategic investment ensuring every migration component is fine-tuned for success. By validating your strategy in a controlled environment, you pave the way for a seamless and risk-mitigated transition.
Step 5: Migrate – Executing the Transition
Moving to the Cloud
The migration can now commence with a robust plan, thorough preparation, and validated testing procedures. This phase culminates all previous efforts, where strategy meets execution.
Key activities during the Migrate phase include:
- Executing the Runbook: Following the detailed runbook to systematically move data, applications, and configurations to the cloud. Seibert’s team manages the process precisely, ensuring minimal disruption to your operations.
- Phased vs. All-at-Once Migration: Depending on the size and complexity of your organization, migration can be executed in phases or as a one-time, comprehensive move. Phased migrations help reduce downtime and allow for incremental validation, whereas a single-stage migration might be more suitable for less complex environments.
- Monitoring and Troubleshooting: Continuous monitoring during the migration is essential. Seibert’s experts are on hand to address any issues in real-time, ensuring that any disruptions are quickly resolved.
- Communication: Keeping all stakeholders informed throughout the migration process is crucial. Regular updates and open lines of communication help manage expectations and foster confidence in the migration strategy.
The migration phase is a delicate balance between speed and accuracy. With expert oversight, you can ensure that the transition to the cloud is executed seamlessly, preserving data integrity and operational continuity.
Step 6: Launch – Empowering Your Team Post-Migration
Post-Migration Enablement and Training
Once the migration is complete, the final step is to ensure that your team is fully equipped to leverage the new cloud environment. Seibert doesn’t just stop at migration—it provides ongoing enablement to maximize the value of your cloud investment.
Key components of the Launch phase include:
- Post-Migration Checks: After the initial migration, a series of checks are performed to validate that everything is functioning as expected. This includes verifying data accuracy, system performance, and user access.
- User Training and Workshops: To help your team quickly adapt to the new cloud environment, Seibert offers comprehensive training sessions. These workshops are designed to familiarize users with Atlassian Cloud features, best practices, and troubleshooting techniques.
- Ongoing Support and UAT: Continuous user acceptance testing (UAT) and support ensure that any issues are promptly addressed and the migration’s long-term benefits are fully realized.
- Celebrate the Success: Finally, recognizing the team’s efforts and celebrating the successful migration is integral to the process. This boosts morale and reinforces a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
The launch phase is where the strategic vision is transformed into operational excellence. With proper training and ongoing support, your organization is well-positioned to harness the power of cloud technology.
Transform Your Future with Seibert Solutions
Migrating to the cloud can be a complex and challenging endeavor. However, with Seibert’s methodical 6-step process, organizations can navigate the intricacies of cloud migration with confidence and precision. From the initial assessment to the final launch and enablement, each step is designed to mitigate risk, ensure data integrity, and empower your team to drive innovation.
If you’re ready to transform your IT infrastructure and unlock the full potential of cloud technology, don’t leave your migration to chance. Contact Seibert today to get expert guidance for your cloud migration. With our decades of experience and proven methodology, we’re here to help you achieve a seamless, efficient, and secure transition to the cloud.