By Ty Kelly
SAP migration to the cloud occurs when companies transfer their SAP applications, data, technology and infrastructure to third-party managed cloud services. As the migration is typically from one server to another, there are some things to be done for best results. SAP migration is often mission critical, so they must be performed properly and with maximum flexibility within the defined time frame. Here are some tips to help companies achieve successful migration:
– Determine your migration goals. There are several tips for businesses on how to migrate their SAP application to the public cloud. Depending on the size of the company, it may vary from only minor changes in configuration, to migration of the entire database, and even moving entire applications. A good idea is to get as much information as you can regarding the possible migration as well as to ask for guidance from migration experts or consultants.
– Maintain continuity during migration. Migrating to the public cloud needs to go hand in hand with maintenance of continuity. This means that any expected functionality issues must be addressed before the process goes into full swing. You may have to take some steps to ensure that your existing servers and workstations continue to function normally while the migration goes on.
– Choose the right choice for migrating source systems. Migrating from on-premise SAP to the public cloud requires careful decision making. On-premise SAP solutions are very costly to deploy and require extensive customization. Since most companies use SAP tools internally, some prefer to deploy them on-premise, while others opt for leveraging the functionality of third party open source systems like Jira and Basecamp.
– Make use of virtual machines. Most companies use virtual machines (VMs) for SAP migration process because VMs provide access to the entire system through a web browser. These allow for a more streamlined approach to migration process and better scalability as well. VMs also provide easier access to SAP application servers. One of the benefits of using VMs for SAP migration process is that you can easily adapt the code and workflows to fit the SAP architecture without making drastic changes to the source code.
– Maintain flexibility. Migrating to the cloud requires considerable flexibility. Depending on the nature of business needs, different cloud providers provide different levels of flexibility when it comes to migrating data from on-premise systems to the cloud. Businesses need to evaluate their current processes to determine their requirements in terms of scalability. The ability to rapidly adapt to changes in the business environment is one of the prime factors why businesses choose to migrate to the cloud. Flexibility can also help companies minimize potential risks of implementing SAP software in the wrong way.
