A revolution for small business.

With Cloud-based, Software as a Service (SaaS) PLM there’s no longer a requirement for vast, costly server farms. All you need is a laptop and a log-in. With a large reduction to upfront cost, and the potential for dramatic expansion, this makes for a very appealing offer to Start-ups.

There will, of course, always be an initial resistance to change. But, with the right implementation partner to guide you, your small business will soon be ready to take advantage of all of the benefits that the cloud has to offer. Unlike your bigger rivals, you’re not weighed down by legacy systems and processes. Meaning that it’s much more likely that you’ll make better use of the technology.

So, to help you on your way, here are 4 simple steps to cloud migration for start-ups:

Find your perfect partner

The end result will be more capable, flexible, and ultimately cheaper.

With a cloud computing skills gap cutting across industries, you wouldn’t be alone in feeling that you don’t have the IT expertise on-hand to make the migration. One of the advantages of exporting your IT infrastructure to a Cloud provider is that you gain access to their experts as well.

Find the right partner and they can guide you through the steps of migrating, not only your data and systems, but customizing them to your business and adapting your current processes where appropriate. Find a Cloud vendor that understands your business and is able to help you all the way from implementation to the adaptation of your system as your organization matures.

Communicate with employees

There’s a misconception that cloud migration is purely a technical exercise.

In reality, a successful cloud system needs everyone in the organization to be on-board. You have to be willing to use it and learn how to get the best out of it. To that end, assign leaders within the organization who’ll be responsible for communicating the change with employees, addressing any questions or concerns they have, and producing use cases and Proof of Concept (PoC) trials.

The important thing is to recognize that an IT system change like this has a reciprocal effect across the entire organization.

Cloud PLM implementation is a fantastic time to evaluate current processes and work together to identify ways the organization could be made more efficient.

Plan data migration

Your data is your business.

Ensuring that data makes it to the cloud securely, without causing disruption, is imperative. This is another area where Start-ups have the advantage.

As an organization grows, a complex web of systems and architectures develops that becomes more difficult to untangle over time. And, as Cloud computing is fast becoming the norm, there’s a strong case for migrating sooner, rather than later.

Your cloud provider should be able to help you to devise a strategy that transfers from your current systems to the cloud with minimal downtime, if any. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to migrate the data while it’s still being worked on.

They should also ensure your data makes it to the latest version of the cloud software, rather than being locked in a legacy system.

All you have to do is identify which data needs migrating, and where it’s currently stored.

Evaluate

There’s an old business adage, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

If it applies anywhere, it’s to IT system migrations.

Identify the business outcomes that you’re hoping to achieve from moving to the cloud. Things like increased agility, lower operational costs and improved productivity. Measure immediately before migration, once it’s been completed and regularly thereafter.

You can use these as benchmarks to evaluate the investment and to optimize over time. If the cloud isn’t delivering the results you expected, then the likelihood is that it can be tweaked to do so. This is where an ongoing cloud partner is invaluable.

The process may even reveal opportunities you hadn’t even thought of.

Final thoughts…

Start-ups operate with tight budgets and little room for error. That’s why Cloud PLM platforms can be so advantageous for them.

With the right partner there to ensure that the planning is perfectly in place, migration needn’t be a barrier to entry.

Our hybrid cloud solutions can be tailored precisely to your business.

And we can help you put it in place.

 

Find out how we can guide you on your journey to the cloud at TECHNIA.CLOUD.

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We combine industry-leading Product Lifecycle Management tools with specialist knowledge, so you can enjoy the journey from product concept to implementation. Our experience makes it possible to keep things simple, personal and accessible so that together we transform your vision into value.

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