Disadvantages of Moving and Managing Legacy Data to the Cloud

When moving legacy data to the cloud, companies must address and find a resolution for any barrier that they come across to keep their growing data safe. Here we breakdown five major barriers that may disrupt the process, and some ways to overcome them.

With technology evolving more and more corporate companies are transitioning their data to the cloud. The legacy system is an old data system for your desktop to store data. Cloud computing has been described as an efficient and cost-effective way to handle and store your data. But before you make that leap and cross over to the cloud, it is important you analyse the disadvantages this may also have.

Disadvantages

1. Security – The moment your data begins transitioning from physical servers to the cloud is when it’s most vulnerable. Consider network security and potential vulnerabilities before beginning the migration process.
2. Cost Concerns – Going ‘cloud only’ isn’t the only option, as you can consider a hybrid solution. There is a good possibility that a combination of the legacy and cloud services can offer increased functionality, flexibility, and cost control. It’s also worth noting that a cloud server usually carries a subscription cost per data amount stored.
3. Out of control – Feeling out of control of your data can be a worry, the third-party cloud service provider you are storing your data with will have access to your sensitive information. If your data is particularly sensitive, you need to choose a well-respected and secure cloud provider.
4. Complex data – Unstructured data may be difficult to organise once it has been moved on to the cloud. This can have the knock-on effect of having to work closely with the cloud company, resulting in a loss of time and money.
5. Regulation and Compliance – Global privacy regulations such as the GDPR and CCPA are very important, legislation imposes significant restrictions on companies and forces them to consider customer data security and management carefully. Fines may be applied if breaches of this kind are made.

Overcome the cons

Everything from data requirements, security, compliance, and integration needs should be considered before moving to the cloud. Each of the above barriers can be overcome or worked through, a step-by-step migration strategy and process based on the above will help the transition to the cloud run smoothly. This is best achieved by going to a professional when wanting to carry out a migration, rather than going for the cheapest and easiest option – or attempting to carry it out yourself.

Alternatively, the decision might be to stick with legacy data, this too carries its own risks. Doing your own research on the pros and cons of each data storing method and which one is right for your business, and discussing these options with your IT support provider, will ensure the best possible decision is made for your company.