Cloud computing has quickly become one of the premier tools of organizations everywhere.
Migration experts now predict eighty-three percent of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud by 2020.
If you aren’t familiar with cloud migration, it’s the process of moving data, applications or other business elements to a cloud computing environment.
Most business applications can be migrated to the cloud, including accounting systems, sales CRMs and project management tools to name a few.
Migrating business applications to the cloud can vastly improve efficiency and security, but the task of transferring vast amounts of data can appear daunting.
Application migration testing is crucial to successfully migrate your legacy application to the cloud without any data loss or downtime. But many businesses fail to create and execute an application migration plan properly, especially when it comes to testing.
In this post, we’ll break down what application migration testing entails and a series of questions you should keep in mind when you’re in the planning stage to ensure a successful migration.
Why Application Migration Testing is Important
Cloud migration can be a complicated, painful experience if done incorrectly. Data can become lost or compromised without adequate security measures in place, and the possibility of a large number of migration defects is high.
Application migration testing compares the migrated application with your legacy application to uncover discrepancies or errors.
The goal is to ensure legacy data transfers over to the new application with minimal downtime or disruption with all essential data and functions intact. It also makes sure the new, upgraded application is compatible with all hardware and software your legacy application currently supports.
Application migration testing applies to all types of migrations, including application consolidation, development and lift and shift migrations.
The Basics of Application Migration Testing
While the scope, strategy and testing scenarios differ depending on the application, there are three phases of application migration testing:
- Pre-migration testing: Determine the scope of the project. This is the most time-consuming phase but a critical component of application migration testing. During this phase, thoroughly study the old and new system. Plan out the test scenarios and your migration testing strategy.
- Migration testing: Testing the data during the migration ensures 1) all data is present and 2) the data is migrated to the correct locations.
- Post-migration testing: Once the application migration is complete, you need to perform follow-up tests to determine if cloud migration was correctly executed. This includes analyzing application performance, looking for potential disruptions and reviewing database security are crucial to the transition process.
Application Migration Testing Challenges
Application migration testing is also unique because it’s not just a data migration.
Think of how you use your business applications every day. It may be your accounting or CRM system. Another organization might use a human resources application, time logging or project management system.
Applications directly impact business flows, processes and how your employees work every day. Downtime or missing data in a botched application migration can negatively affect revenue.
Questions to Assess If Your Application Migration Went Well
Use these questions to guide your application migration planning strategy and post-migration follow-up.
Will Performance Improve?
Legacy applications can slow business down and reduce profitability. Assess application performance with a fine tooth comb. Look out for slow response times and system errors. If the transition results in degraded performance, the migration likely won’t have a favorable outcome.
Organizations must measure performance both before and after migration to measure migration success. Benchmarks must be accurately reviewed to gauge the success of the transition.
Do You Foresee Any Potential Disruptions?
Cloud migration should improve daily operations.
Disruptions are to be expected when transitioning to new systems, but they should not compromise the business as a whole.
Migrations can be time intensive. Your application migration strategy should address any potential disruptions and mitigate downtime.
Will the Databases Be Secure?
Protecting databases from hackers and potential viruses are more critical today than ever before. One of the most significant benefits of switching to modernized legacy applications is security. During the migration process is when data is most vulnerable.
Cloud providers will not manage security or compliance for you. Your application migration plan should include security tests to ensure files are protected and address any vulnerabilities. Migration experts can help ensure new applications meet all industry compliance standards.
Are All Users Actively Involved?
Power users are employees and partners who use your systems daily. They can provide feedback on both old and new systems to ensure functionality is protected. They can also help improve user experience and provide recommendations to optimize performance.
The migration process shouldn’t happen in a bubble. All future users should be able to interact and use technology early on to minimize mistakes and ensure a successful post-migration transition.
Is the System Stable?
Load testing involves checking how systems perform under heavy usage conditions over a specified period. Testing should not be limited strictly to new data applications but should be an ongoing process for maintaining optimal functionality.
Stress tests should also be performed under intense loads to find memory leaks, review system speeds, and address any potential security issues.
All systems must be able to withstand the data demand during peak usage conditions.
Migrate to the Cloud with Helixstorm
Are your sales CRMs taking forever to load? Are you struggling to find data when you need it? Are outdated programs slowing employees down and restricting your IT resources?
Outdated legacy applications can be both frustrating and time-consuming. Although you may have considered migrating your business systems to the cloud, it can be stressful and overbearing.
Don’t let outdated systems hold your business back from performing at peak functionality. With Helixstorm, you can quickly and painlessly move business applications to a more cost-effective cloud-based network.
At Helixstorm, we provide data migration services to help lower maintenance costs, increase security, and improve business operational efficiency. We’ll help migrate workloads to the cloud by:
- Assessing Your Current IT Environment
- Designing an Application Migration Plan
- Performing a Test Run
- Migrating Your Application
- Optimizing and Managing Your Application
Migrating legacy applications can be stressful — that’s why we’re here to help.
With over 50 years of industry experience, our team of experts will review your existing infrastructure, identify potential areas of consolidation and design a path forward to migrate your application seamlessly to the cloud. Our certified team of engineers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Contact us today and take the first step towards a successful legacy migration. Don’t be stuck in the past. Let us help your business move forward.
