Cloud Communication Migration Pitfalls to Avoid

The shift to a hybrid workforce is pushing business leaders to rethink their approach to communications technology. Pressed for better security, reliability, and flexibility, they are investing more resources into cloud-based communications. In 2020, 67 percent of organizations moved significant portions of their unified communications to the cloud. However, cloud migration itself comes with obstacles. Ultimately, to get the most out of your technology, you’ll want to avoid common cloud communication migration pitfalls.

Let’s look at why so many companies are relying more heavily on the cloud and explore the pitfalls you want to avoid during your cloud communication migration.

Why More Organizations Are Adopting Cloud Communications

Cloud-based unified communications and phone systems were already rising in popularity before the pandemic started. By 2019, the worldwide revenue for the unified communications and collaboration market reached $38.8 billion, with 12.1 percent year-on-year revenue growth in the North American market, according to IDC. Small to mid-sized businesses, in particular, have been opting for unified communications to help them compete against larger companies.

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology has also been growing. In 2018, the global VoIP market size was $77400 million, and the predicted compound annual growth rate for 2019 through 2025 was 3.1 percent.

But since the pandemic, cloud communication adoption has accelerated. Rich Costello, senior research analyst with IDC’s Enterprise Communications Infrastructure service, points out that “in light of the current pandemic,” it’s “cloud-based voice/UC, videoconferencing, and collaboration” that are getting a lot of traction.

It is these tools that have enabled organizations to maintain operations with remote teams when offices closed. For some companies, this was their first time using a remote model.

Still, this new way of working turned out to be more than a bridge to get us all through an era of disruption. It’s become the start of something new.

Telling employees to work from home proved to be, for the most part, a success. During the pandemic, we learned that remote teams can be just as productive. The success of remote work during the pandemic paved the way for today’s emerging work-from-wherever organizational model.

However, employees do need the right technology to work securely and to maintain a strong company culture.

This is why we’re seeing the focus on cloud communication migration today – companies aren’t just looking for a piecemeal approach to cloud communications. They know cloud technology is the future of business IT infrastructure, and now is the time to make a holistic change.

What Is Cloud Communications Migration?

With cloud communications migration, your company is not just adopting a handful of cloud-based solutions. You’re migrating your data to the cloud.

This includes email data, which, according to Gartner, contains 80 to 90 percent of a business’s intellectual property.

You’ll also migrate file servers, as well as your phone system.

The end goal is to do a complete migration so your users can communicate and collaborate from anywhere, and through any device, without worrying about security issues or poor performance.

A successful cloud migration will result in a seamless transition to your cloud-based unified communications (UC) platform, videoconferencing, and phone system.

3 Cloud Migration Pitfalls

For most organizations, cloud migration isn’t an in-house DIY job. It’s a complex process that requires specific knowledge and experience. Otherwise, you could end up making these common mistakes.

1. Not using your business goals to drive migration decisions

You don’t want to make any type of substantial IT change without knowing exactly what you want out of the experience.

Every organization that migrates to the cloud wants to realize the top cloud technology benefits – greater resilience, more flexibility, and lower IT costs. But, you don’t want to fall into the trap of focusing on general benefits rather than your company’s unique end goals.

What are the specific gains cloud communications offers your industry? How can migration help you reach your business goals?

Whether you want to scale quickly over the next five years or are laser-focused on simplifying compliance for your company, you should use your business goals when making migration decisions.

2. Only looking at the short-term

When goal-setting, it’s also important to think long-term. Once you migrate, you can’t just switch back to your legacy communications platforms. You’re making a foundational change to set up your company for a better future.

So, don’t just look at what’s going on now. Consider what your business’s needs might be five and ten years down the road. Will you have a hybrid workforce? Will all your employees be remote? What regulations and security challenges will your company need to overcome?

Create a roadmap that factors in both short-term needs and long-term vision.

3. Not supporting your employees with a smooth transition

When migrating to the cloud, your employees will have to adjust to new software and a modified workflow.

To ensure the best possible experience for your teams, create a plan that includes training and create access to IT support, either in-house or made available by your cloud provider. Otherwise, you risk slowing down productivity when you migrate.

You also want to choose a cloud provider that will minimize business interruption and has experience migrating businesses to the cloud.

Experience Cloud Migration with Peace of Mind

At Intermedia, we understand how overwhelming a migration can be. That’s why we offer a custom migration plan at no extra cost. Our Cloud Concierge team will set up your email account, migrate existing data, and shift your users to your new system without data loss.

Our Cloud Concierge experts are certified by Microsoft and Cisco, and they regularly complete training courses to increase their knowledge. Get in touch today and let us make cloud communication migration simple for your business.