IT professionals already know that tenant-to-tenant cloud migrations are on the rise. A few factors are driving this increase—the resurgent mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, divestitures, and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). But for all the different reasons that companies migrate to the cloud, one thing is clear. Each migration must be seamless for users and customers.
A busy M&A market is driving more companies to the cloud. According to Brian Levy of PWC, “The lower levels of M&A activity over the past two and a half years have created pent-up demand (and supply) ….” Levy also says that the AI-driven changes rippling through the business world are pressuring companies to reinvent themselves to keep pace.
In April, IBM announced its acquisition of HashiCorp, a $6.4 billion deal driven largely by HashiCorp’s investment in AI. In July, Robinhood acquired Pluto Capital Inc., an AI research platform, to improve its investment strategies and analysis. Microsoft Start also highlighted the rise in M&A activity in the biotech sector, largely thanks to the increased pace of drug development and innovations in healthcare being driven by AI.
Each new deal and each reinvention means a tenant-to-tenant cloud migration.
See also: Visibility into Costs Critical for Cloud Migration Success
Migrations Come with Challenges
As anyone who’s worked on migrations knows, they come with their own complexities. Moving data from one environment to another is neither straightforward nor painless, especially when data configurations aren’t directly comparable. There is the challenge of different architectures—which often results in IT teams having to revise applications to fit the new environment.
Moving between Google and Microsoft calendars and meeting applications, for instance, requires significant planning and preparation. Databases, too, often require adjustments to maximize their use in a new environment.
Then there’s the data itself. IT Teams may need to convert all migrating data to be compatible with their new environment.
Given the complexities and stakes of migrations, choosing the right tool is one of the most important decisions IT teams will make. However, some migration tools come with limitations that can threaten to throw your migration off track.
Not All Tools are Equal
It’s one of the worst feelings in the middle of a migration: discovering the tool you chose cannot handle the complex tasks required. There are several reasons that tools come up short in tenant-to-tenant cloud migrations. Make sure that you don’t discover these limitations before it’s too late.
Some migration tools are not equipped to handle the differences in data schemas and formats between the environments. For instance, Google Cloud might not have data structures similar to those of Microsoft Cloud. Migration tools might not support complex schema mappings, especially if your migration involves custom configurations or proprietary formats. Shortcomings like these can lead to data loss or corruption.
Other differences throw into relief the limitations of some tools. Applications often have custom, intricate configurations and dependencies that some tools aren’t equipped to handle. The results? Partial or failed migrations.
API variations, unique security protocols, differences in compliance standards, and complex access controls can stress-test the best migration tools. To optimize performance, it’s often necessary to manually fine-tune performance-related settings and resources. Automated tools might not be up to such a precise task. That’s where manual interventions come in.
Overcoming Limitations
Like any complex process, tenant-to-tenant migrations have best practices that help ensure success. Supplementing a migration tool with these manual interventions is a good idea.
Pre-migration planning is one of the most important steps for IT teams. It includes a thorough assessment of identity configurations that will require manual adjustments. As part of this planning, IT teams should clearly define migration strategies for handling specific data.
Before migration, IT teams also want to develop custom scripts for data conversion. This includes data transformations, schema conversion, and any configuration settings that tools can’t manage.
After the migration, it’s essential to perform a detailed check to ensure all data is configured correctly in the new environment. The check should include security settings. Also, an essential part of this step is reconfiguring applications and performance optimizations to match the setup of the original environment.
Finally, it’s always best to consult with cloud migration experts who have experience in both Microsoft and Google Cloud. Their expertise can serve as a bridge for any gaps that tools cannot cover.
Tenant-to-tenant migrations are no simple matter. They routinely involve complex challenges with incompatible architectures, different service configurations, and variations in data formats. This is why a good migration tool can be invaluable.
Some tools lack the detailed configurations and dependencies necessary for a smooth, successful migration. But you can overcome these limitations. All it takes is an understanding of best practices, a thorough pre-migration plan that foresees the contingencies, and a detailed post-migration adjustment process.
Migration experts are there to help. Their expertise and additional insights can bridge gaps and make any migration smooth and free from business disruption and data loss.
Aaron Wadsworth, General Manager at BitTitan, is a seasoned leader with nearly two decades of experience in high-tech sales and executive management. His expertise lies in company management, team empowerment, and customer success. Aaron has successfully spearheaded client relationship management initiatives, resulting in improved customer retention and exponential business growth. His career highlights include significant revenue growth and successful M&A support, making him a prominent figure in the corporate arena.
