Migrating data and databases to the cloud is a critical element of a successful cloud transition. There are numerous questions to be answered before the migration begins. While you need to question data models, data accuracy, and whether data sets should be migrated, there are even more fundamental questions to consider first. These include:

1. Should you use Database as a Service (DBaaS) or support your own database on your cloud infrastructure?

With DBaaS, you offload the bulk of the database administration and management tasks to the cloud provider, but you give up some control. Supporting your own database requires installing and managing the database software on cloud instances just as if you were supporting the database in your data center.

2. Should you use a relational database or a nonrelational database?

Most businesses rely on traditional relational databases, but with the increase of unstructured data and advanced analytics, many are shifting to nonrelational databases.

3. Which database should you use?

Whether you decide to use DBaaS or manage your own instance, whether you intend to remain in a relational database or choose a new one, there will likely be more than one database available in your cloud in that category.

4. How will your data be secured?

Keeping data safe in the cloud is critical. The controls to protect data should be understood before a single byte is migrated. This applies to data at rest, in transit, and in use.

5. How will data be backed up?

DBaaS includes backups, but the default frequency and retention settings may not match your corporate policies.

6. What monitoring is available?

Whether you deploy your own database or use DBaaS, monitoring database health and status is important to keeping your business functioning. Different database choices may have different included monitoring options.

7. What are the costs?

There may be different charges for different types of databases in your cloud provider, as well as costs for usage, replication, and other services. It’s important to understand how much the database will cost you. In addition, different cloud database choices will affect your migration costs, as well.

Cloud success depends on migrating data and workloads successfully. Whether the new cloud environment mirrors the original on premises environment or leverages new capabilities in the cloud, there are many design decisions that need to be made to ensure success. Prescient Solutions’ expertise with Microsoft Azure helps businesses make the right decisions about how their data will be stored and managed in the cloud. Contact us to talk through your concerns about moving data to a database in the cloud.