Page 15 - Campus Technology, October/November 2018

GAMECHANGER
CLOUD COMPUTING
RETHINKING HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN EDUCATION
7 STEPS TO CLOUD SUCCESS
Before embarking on a cloud migration, keep these key considerations in mind.
MOVING TO THE CLOUD can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A well thought-out cloud migration strategy can make this process go much more smoothly. Here are seven steps that will improve your chances of success.
1) IDENTIFY A STRONG BUSINESS CASE.
Before moving to the cloud, consider: What are the goals of your college or university — and how can cloud technology support these? For instance, are you looking to improve the experience of students or staff? Support student success? Improve operational efficiency?
“IT leaders must promote a cloud strategy that focuses on delivering the most business value to the institution,” said Betsy Tippens Reinitz, director of the Enterprise IT Program for Educause. “An understanding of institutional goals is vi- tal to decision-making.”
2) ASSESS YOUR NEEDS.
Once your goals in moving to the cloud are clear, you need to understand your business process requirements so that you can choose the right solution for your needs. Make sure you consult with all stakeholder groups who will be affected by the change to learn what they are looking for in a solution.
3) CHOOSE THE RIGHT SOLUTION.
When evaluating possible solutions, consider not just the tech- nology but also the provider. This should be a company that will serve as a trusted partner in your move to the cloud, not just a technology vendor. Your cloud solution provider should be a responsible steward of your institution’s data and should support you through every step of the migration process.
4) PREPARE.
Just as moving from one residence to another is simpler when you get rid of the things you don’t need, migrating to the cloud becomes much easier if you prepare for the move by cleaning up your data. Use this as an opportunity to cor- rect or remove corrupt or inaccurate information before moving data over to the new system. Evaluate any custom- izations that have been made to on-premises applications, to determine which will be important going forward — and which will not. And make sure you’re running the latest ver-
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