Considering relocating your data to a different system or the cloud? You're not alone. Data migration is set to be a critical element of modern data and AI strategies, with the global cloud migration services market expected to reach $69.73 billion by 2032, according to Forbes. With the emergence of cloud computing, the market capitalization of the data migration market is building up quickly, with the dominance of a few big names like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This increase reflects the growing shift of enterprises toward new technologies and their data so that they can remain ahead and be future-ready.
No matter if you are modernizing your tech stack, migrating your platform, or whipping out legacy tools, data migration is massive, and you certainly do not want to go into it blind.
The good news? It does not have to be a daunting task if you have a proper data migration strategy in place. Having a defined data migration plan can avoid the biggest migration mistakes, decrease your downtime, and make sure everything works right from the ground up.
This guide takes you through everything you need to have a solid strategy for your data migration. You will discover the importance of planning your migration, what the different types of migration approaches are and how you can select the right one and finally, the best practices you need to consider to migrate successfully. Let's dive in.
What is Data Migration?
Data migration is the method of transferring data from one location to another or from one format to another or from one application to another. One reason a company might move its data is if, say, it adopts a new product that needs different file types or it opts to go from an on-prem data centre to the cloud.
If it is about data migration, then it can be complex and fragile when Big Data is at work. Moving Data From A to B is never that simple; in fact, involving different steps, teams must select data, prepare it, extract it, transform it, and then move it permanently between apps or locations. Having a plan for data migration from the get-go, therefore, is essential.
Types of Data Migration
Since data migration can be categorized into various types, it is a strong process. The classification is mainly based on the differences in the goal and the needs of the migration.
Database Migration
Database migration can mean either of two things: it may mean moving data from one database vendor to another or upgrading your database software (or both) to a new version. However, since the data formats can vary between different vendors, a transformation process may be involved. Typically, no or little impact should be seen in the application layer when DB tech gets changed, but please do a test to check!
Storage Migration
Storage migration means getting rid of old hardware and migrating data from one physical medium to another medium or from physical to the virtual domain. For example, moving data from paper to digital formats involves migrating storage.
Data Centre Migration
A data centre is a physical infrastructure of a business which houses critical applications and data. Put another way, a data centre is a place where you have servers, switches, networks and all your IT hardware. In some cases, data centre migration refers to moving an organization's existing systems and infrastructure across facilities, and in other cases, it may refer to migrating all assets (data and applications) to servers and storage.
Cloud Migration
Cloud migration means moving data, applications, and other elements with business needs to a cloud computing environment, such as a cloud data warehouse. These packages can keep an eye on dedicated servers' territory to the open door, furthermore, beginning one cloud stage to the next. The process of leaving the cloud includes moving the data or applications from the public cloud to the on-premises data centre.
Legacy System Migration
A Legacy System is the obsolete computing software or hardware still in use. These systems may still work fine and provide all the necessary functions, but they are built on legacy technologies which have long been out of fashion. A legacy system migration is the process of migrating an old IT system (a legacy system) into a more modern hardware or software platform.
Data Migrations Challenges
Now, the teams have to specially keep a note of the following challenges while executing data migrations:
Source Data
Failure to prepare the source data being migrated can result in data duplication, gaps or faulty data when it is migrated into the new system or application.
Wrong Data Formats
The data has to be opened in a format compatible with the system. Improperly formatted files before migration could lead to the loss of access controls on a new system.
Mapping Data
Data, when saved in a new database, should be mapped well to avoid confusion.
Sustainable Governance
A clearly defined data governance plan will allow organizations to track and report on data quality, helping them to establish the integrity of their data.
Security
Security includes controlling access to, editing of, or deletion of data.
Best Practices
The process of moving critical information is complex and needs time to be treated. Best practices here to conduct a seamless migration project:
Develop a Migration Plan and Stick To It
Analogous to moving house, we need to prepare, where is the data going, what is essential to move, and how are we going to get it there! It should also establish parameters of access permissions. The migration strategy is where each action is taken, and who is involved is planned out also, factor in the system downtime and other technical or compatibility hurdles as well. Your data migration plan should also emphasize data integrity and protection.
Assemble Bold, Partner-Like Teams to Migrate Data
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