Cloud
The Adaptavist Group's cloud solutions accelerate your digital transformation goals, making your organisation more agile, resilient, and future-ready.
What is cloud computing?
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet rather than through physical servers. Instead of buying and maintaining physical data centres, organisations can use the cloud to access remote technology services—such as computing power, storage, and databases—from providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Businesses work more flexibly and can respond quickly to market changes, scaling up and down demand as needed. Its usefulness cannot be understated in the world of work; 78% of business leaders reported using cloud services in all or most areas of their business.
What are the benefits of cloud computing?
Increased security
Increased security, data protection, and compliance
Cloud providers invest enormous sums of money into significant security features that the vast majority of companies cannot match. They implement robust security, data encryption features and compliance protocols, so your data is protected against a wider range of cybersecurity threats.
Automated updates
Automated software updates
As providers automatically roll-out software updates faster than on-prem instances, your company doesn't have to worry about keeping on top of installing the latest updates and patches. Without hours of manual upgrades, your team can focus on more productive work.
Improved disaster recovery
Improved disaster recovery
Cloud-based services provide speedy data recovery via automated backups and geographically redundant servers (servers located in multiple distant, remote locations to prevent downtime during regional outages or natural disasters). If a local hardware failure or cyberattack occurs, your work can be restored in minutes with minimal disruption to your operations.
Better scalability
Better scalability and flexibility
You can scale cloud infrastructure resources up or down instantly in response to fluctuating demand. This allows you to support a sudden influx of users or a new project without the delays of installing new physical equipment.
Faster client responses
Respond to client needs faster
Accelerate your time-to-market and deploy new products and features. React to your clients’ needs with speed and precision to keep them happy and you ahead of your competitors.
Reduced upfront operating costs
Cloud computing removes the need to buy, install, and maintain on-premises hardware and software. There are no expensive upfront costs, as it uses a pay-as-you-go subscription service, saving you money.
Increased security, data protection, and compliance
Cloud providers invest enormous sums of money into significant security features that the vast majority of companies cannot match. They implement robust security, data encryption features and compliance protocols, so your data is protected against a wider range of cybersecurity threats.
Automated software updates
As providers automatically roll-out software updates faster than on-prem instances, your company doesn't have to worry about keeping on top of installing the latest updates and patches. Without hours of manual upgrades, your team can focus on more productive work.
Improved disaster recovery
Cloud-based services provide speedy data recovery via automated backups and geographically redundant servers (servers located in multiple distant, remote locations to prevent downtime during regional outages or natural disasters). If a local hardware failure or cyberattack occurs, your work can be restored in minutes with minimal disruption to your operations.
Better scalability and flexibility
You can scale cloud infrastructure resources up or down instantly in response to fluctuating demand. This allows you to support a sudden influx of users or a new project without the delays of installing new physical equipment.
Respond to client needs faster
Accelerate your time-to-market and deploy new products and features. React to your clients’ needs with speed and precision to keep them happy and you ahead of your competitors.
What is cloud migration?
From a purely technological standpoint, cloud migration is the process of moving digital assets from on-premises data centres or legacy infrastructure to a cloud environment. It can also encompass cloud-to-cloud migration (moving between different providers, like AWS and Microsoft Azure) or moving workloads into a hybrid cloud setup (a combination of on-premise data centre or private cloud and a public cloud instance). The assets that are migrated can include data, apps, IT resources, and workloads. It modernises rigid, physical hardware with agile, internet-based services.
The most successful transformations also account for how the move between platforms affects the ways of working of the people involved and the business processes they operate within. This is called cloud transformation.
Key benefits of cloud migrations for organisations:
Reduced IT costs
Make savings in upfront costs, equipment, maintenance, utilities, and real estate.
Improved reactive infrastructure
Only pay for the resources you need when you need them, and scale up or down appropriately.
Robust security
Significant security concerns are handled for you by the cloud provider, so you don't have to keep up with the latest threats.
Better data recovery
Boost business continuity with one-click backup recovery, and store data across different regions.
However, cloud migration is part of a broader digital transformation framework that drives long-term value from cloud adoption. It equips organisations with better alignment, scaled delivery, responsive infrastructure, improved compliance, and quicker time-to-market to meet operational goals.
Types of cloud migration
Data centre migration
Moving on-premises servers or mainframes to a cloud provider service.
Hybrid-cloud migration
Some resources are left on a data centre or a private cloud server, which runs alongside a public cloud instance.
Cloud-to-cloud migration
Some organisations prefer to use multiple cloud servers as redundancy, for load balancing, or to ringfence different products or services with different providers.
Application migration
Moving software workloads to the cloud, often involving refactoring the code to use cloud native features.
Database migration
Transfers data stores, requiring meticulous schema mapping and synchronisation for data integrity and zero loss.
Mainframe migration
The complex modernisation of legacy, high-volume computing systems by transitioning them into agile, cloud-based microservices.
Key features of a good cloud migration
Data integrity management
Ensuring no information is lost or corrupted during the migration.
Workload refactoring/re-architecturing
Modifying apps to run more efficiently by using cloud-native features, like auto-scaling (automatically adjusting computational resources up or down based on real-time demand), serverless computing, and microservices.
Connectivity mapping
Identifying how different apps communicate with each other to prevent broken interactions after the migration.
Identity synchronisation
Aligning user permissions with cloud-based security protocols, allowing seamless authentication and authorisation across platforms.
Process protection
Securing the organisation's existing work processes and workflows, ensuring they remain the same or are improved where appropriate in the cloud.
How to migrate to the cloud successfully
2. Choosing the right migration strategy
2. Choosing the right migration strategy
Success is often dictated by the method of migration you choose. Common strategies include:
- Rehosting ("lift and shift"): moving applications to the cloud with decisions made that prioritise minimal configuration changes of the target platform—fast, but staff are more likely to report a sense of functionality loss due to reduced time spent on personalisation.
- Replatforming: making minor adjustments to take advantage of cloud features, without changing the core architecture.
- Refactoring: completely re-imagining the application using cloud-native features for maximum resilience and security.
3. Establishing a landing zone
3. Establishing a landing zone
A landing zone is a pre-configured, secure environment within your cloud provider. By setting up your identity management, governance rules, and network security before the data arrives, you avoid security gaps that often occur during rushed migrations. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least privilege access (where users are granted the minimum permissions to perform their tasks) for all users.
4. Incremental data migration and testing
4. Incremental data migration and testing
Sometimes, the best migration is one that does not move everything at once and uses a phased approach instead, moving non-critical workloads first to test the integrity of the migration process. Use a secure transfer tool and encrypt the data being transferred. Once a workload is moved, it must undergo rigorous UAT (user acceptance testing) to ensure that security configurations and performance metrics match your migration specification.
5. Post-migration optimisation and governance
5. Post-migration optimisation and governance
Security in the cloud is a shared responsibility. Safety is maintained through regular automated backups, cost-optimisation audits to prevent resource sprawl, and keeping up to date with the latest security patches from your cloud partner. However, once the migration is complete, you must use continuous monitoring to detect threats in real-time. You should consider how you'll manage deactivating users, remove old permissions to protect sensitive data and have the right number of user licences for billing purposes. Work with the software development team to archive outdated and irrelevant spaces, tickets, and projects.
1. Assessment and strategy
Before moving any data, you must conduct a thorough audit of your existing on-premises infrastructure. This involves identifying which applications are cloud-ready and which may require refactoring. Understand your data dependencies and compliance requirements (such as GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, etc.), ensuring that your target cloud environment is configured to meet these legal standards from day one. This Adaptavist blog has some key planning steps you should consider before cloud migration.
2. Choosing the right migration strategy
Success is often dictated by the method of migration you choose. Common strategies include:
- Rehosting ("lift and shift"): moving applications to the cloud with decisions made that prioritise minimal configuration changes of the target platform—fast, but staff are more likely to report a sense of functionality loss due to reduced time spent on personalisation.
- Replatforming: making minor adjustments to take advantage of cloud features, without changing the core architecture.
- Refactoring: completely re-imagining the application using cloud-native features for maximum resilience and security.
3. Establishing a landing zone
A landing zone is a pre-configured, secure environment within your cloud provider. By setting up your identity management, governance rules, and network security before the data arrives, you avoid security gaps that often occur during rushed migrations. This includes implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and least privilege access (where users are granted the minimum permissions to perform their tasks) for all users.
4. Incremental data migration and testing
Sometimes, the best migration is one that does not move everything at once and uses a phased approach instead, moving non-critical workloads first to test the integrity of the migration process. Use a secure transfer tool and encrypt the data being transferred. Once a workload is moved, it must undergo rigorous UAT (user acceptance testing) to ensure that security configurations and performance metrics match your migration specification.
5. Post-migration optimisation and governance
Security in the cloud is a shared responsibility. Safety is maintained through regular automated backups, cost-optimisation audits to prevent resource sprawl, and keeping up to date with the latest security patches from your cloud partner. However, once the migration is complete, you must use continuous monitoring to detect threats in real-time. You should consider how you'll manage deactivating users, remove old permissions to protect sensitive data and have the right number of user licences for billing purposes. Work with the software development team to archive outdated and irrelevant spaces, tickets, and projects.
Supporting your cloud journey
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for cloud, so The Adaptavist Group focuses on understanding your company's unique needs first to determine which model will work best for you. Rather than a quick fix for modernising your business, cloud migration should be seen as the foundation for helping your teams deliver their best work on the new platform.
As Atlassian Cloud specialists, we can help you migrate your Atlassian products and add-on apps to Cloud, alongside offering licensing, admin support, and managed services. As well as supporting your Atlassian goals, we can help you achieve your broader cloud goals, enabling seamless integration between your teams, processes, and tools.
We are proud to be an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Advanced Consulting Partner, which enables us to help our clients unlock the potential and maximise the benefits of AWS. With our AWS expertise, we can leverage best practices, processes, and innovative solutions, including hosting, migrations, and managed services.
Make the most of Atlassian migration with FastShift Complete
Atlassian's FastShift programme creates a standardised framework for fast migrations to Cloud, without compromising data integrity. Adaptavist offers FastShift Complete, a proprietary end-to-end service with a custom-built cloud strategy just for your business. Manage custom integrations, carry out user acceptance testing (UAT), and unlock AI features like Atlassian Rovo immediately after your migration.
Cloud case studies from Adaptavist, part of The Adaptavist Group
Diechmann
How Adaptavist migrated shoe retailer Deichmann's eight server instances to the cloud, with targeted training, a productivity boost, and maximised security.
Sun Life
How Adaptavist migrated insurance company Sun Life to Atlassian Cloud to boost collaboration, agility, and the ability to support future growth better.
A global beauty leader
How Adaptavist helped a global beauty leader migrate their on-premises instance to AWS Cloud, including tools such as Confluence, Bitbucket, and Jenkins.
Talk to us
The Adaptavist Group has been providing cutting-edge cloud solutions to organisations for over 15 years. No matter where you are on your cloud journey, our team of experts can provide advice, support, and tools to help you succeed.
