If you've clicked on this article, you probably don't need to be persuaded to migrate to the cloud. You know that the future of business networks is based in the cloud and that making the move is a question of "when", not "if".

But you may be less confident about the nuts and bolts of cloud migration. Partnering with a cloud consultant can feel like taking your car to the mechanic when you don't know your clutch from your catalytic converter.

The danger is that an unscrupulous provider will try to blind you with science and sell you a less-than-perfect solution.

That's why we at Ascend Cloud Solutions make it our business to be transparent. We want our customers to trust us – and a big part of that is letting them know exactly what it is we do.

In this article, we show you what's underneath the bonnet. Whether you partner with us or not, you'll know what you need from a cloud consultant – so you won't find yourself up cloud creek without a canoe.

What qualities should a cloud consultant have?

A good cloud consultant will ask you searching, specific questions about what your business needs. They'll want to know what wiggle room you have for downtime or disruption. They'll want to know exactly what infrastructure you have. They'll want to know how they can work around your diary and if they can work to the timescale you desire.

So before you even start discussing migration options, you need to check that this company will be responsive to your business's unique requirements and is not just going through the motions.

This is crucial because if your consultant isn't that interested in your requirements, you'll just end up with a bodge job that needs more time and money to fix.

Hand in hand with this quality of attention goes experience. Who's carrying out the migration? Is it an experienced architect or somebody more junior?

Cloud migration is complicated. You need to work with people with deep skills gained from long experience. As the saying doesn't quite go: buy inexperienced, buy twice.

What should a cloud migration look like in practice?

There are five steps to a successful cloud migration – whether you're a fledgling SME or a thriving multinational.

These steps should be tailored to your needs, requirements and infrastructure. "One size fits all" just isn't fit for purpose when your company's workloads, apps and data are at stake.

1. Discover

This is the "sounding-out" phase of the process. A good cloud consultant will ask:

• What are your existing workloads, apps and sites?
• What are your compute, storage and security requirements?
• What kind of connectivity does your network enjoy?
• Are there tight deadlines you're working to that they should work around?
• How much disruption can you realistically tolerate?

These are the foundations for a successful cloud migration. They establish the destination and any bumps along the road.

2. Design

The design stage is when the consultant puts pen to paper. The information gathered in stage one is collated and conclusions are drawn. Potholes on the road to the cloud are spotted and plans are made to either drive around them or fill them in.

The design should be:

• Robust.
• Tailored to technical and business requirements.
• Clear as to the decisions made about design and validation.

A design that meets these standards will be unlikely to cause disruption once underway. It will tarmac the foundations laid down in stage one and create the conditions for smooth and speedy deployment and validation.

3. Plan

OK, so the cloud consultant knows what you need and has constructed a roadmap – surely they can now get on with the job?

The problem here is that you only have expectations regarding the finished job. You haven't reached any agreements about how and when you'll get there. This can lead to mixed signals and a stressful move to the cloud.

That's why you need to partner with a consultant who works with you and your stakeholders to create a project timeline – something you can both refer to so you're on the same page. This plan should be detailed and personalised. It should contain:

• Itemised waves of migration.
• Workloads categorised by criticality and complexity.
• Potential problems and how they're to be dealt with.

It should focus on your company's key requirements – networking, business continuity and keeping your data secure.

4. Build

Now the plans have been drawn up, your consultant can start to deploy the infrastructure needed for your migration.

But this shouldn't be a case of simply plonking it in place and then starting to lift and shift. Instead, you want the speed and performance of your services to be analysed. This process of validation allows your consultant to spot risks and advance solutions to them.

As the build goes on, your consultant should be keeping you in the loop. Any revisions to the plan or changes to the timeline need to be communicated clearly and promptly so there's no room for misunderstanding.

5. Execute

Finally, the carefully crafted plan is put into action. The more preparation goes into it, the more likely it is to be delivered on time and within your agreed budget.

Again, experience is key. Things don't always work out the way you had them planned – but that's not a major disaster if your cloud partner has ample experience in sorting out issues as they arise.

It's not you, it's them

Just because cloud migration is complex doesn't mean it should be difficult for you. If it is then the issue is probably with the consultant, not you.

But so long as you work with an experienced firm with a proven track record, you should be able to carry on with business as usual while the experts take care of your cloud migration.

How we can help

Here at Ascend Cloud Solutions, we've handled over 400 successful managed cloud migrations – and we're not slowing down.

Whether you're migrating from your premises to the cloud or from one cloud to another, please don't hesitate to contact us for a free initial consultation.