You have migrated your infrastructure to the cloud. Things are way better now – processes are flexible, scalability has improved, and you can make smarter decisions. But, no lunch is free.

Your startup needs to keep scaling, and you must begin strategizing how to manage the easy-to-blow-up cloud migration costs when you move from your on-premises hardware to the cloud. Like always, planning is the key to combat the unexpected costs sure to come your way, and the first step will be to prepare a wise estimate of the cloud migration costs for your startup.

While considering cloud cost management for a startup, you must always consider unexpected costs. Going for a cloud setup means saving a lot compared to an on-premises setup. Now a lot depends on the current software setup of your business. The more bespoke solutions you use, the more money you will spend to migrate to a cloud setup.

Cloud Migration Project Planning Made Easy for Startups

Cloud migration does take time. Plan your cloud setup project so that not only do you save money but also run on time. Here are our top 4 tips.

• Communicate with the team – Your team members must be on board with your cloud migration plan. A lasting change is coming, and they will need time to adjust to this new ecosystem. Assign leaders within teams who will facilitate and communicate changes through learning sessions. You can also provide the team with resources, including user guides, use cases, and proof of concept trials to help them make an informed transition.
• Handle the downtime – Downtime is unavoidable if it occurs during cloud migration. A migration specialist must be on your team when you go for a cloud setup. You can begin by running a test migration to work out how to reduce downtime.
• Take care of your IP addresses – After you are through with migration, your public and private IP addresses change. It is best to plan for these changes because they affect your workload and network traffic interactions. Updating the DNS to reflect the new IP address within the cloud could be one of your key steps, where the incoming traffic gets pointed to the cloud provider instead of the previous address.
• Save your data – Use the latest version no matter what cloud platform you go for. This is the most important. Be very careful and ensure your data is not locked anywhere in a previous version. 

Calculate Unexpected Costs While Going for a Cloud Migration

The idea behind a strategic cloud cost management plan for a startup is to keep unexpected costs in control and stick to the budget. Here’s taking a look at what are the costs involved in cloud migration.

• Cost to Build the Team – To support your cloud migration with the proper architecture, you need a Cloud Architect who can design the cloud infrastructure and cover all the other technicalities. You will also need a development team to get on with the integration.
• Cost to Create the Architecture – Depending on the infrastructure size, you need to determine the size of the DevOps team who will work on it. The more complex and extensive the infrastructure is, the more manpower you need, and the more expensive it becomes.
• Cost of the Cloud Provider: – One of the easiest to calculate, this cost depends on technical factors like the programming language or the database types the Cloud  Architect will use.
• Cost to Transfer Data – Your cloud storage need will likely be similar to the on-premises storage that you had. You can decide between SSD and HDD cloud storage, where the former is more efficient but comes with a higher price point.
• Cost of Post Migration Maintenance and Development – This is about the ongoing payments you make to your cloud provider against usage and maintenance of the cloud setup, and it will be pretty straightforward.

It can get overwhelming while trying to get your head around cloud cost management for a startup. We at Wishtree Technologies estimate the total amount of work you need to do for the cloud setup and take care of further unexpected hidden costs and potential risks. Learn more today to get maximum value from your cloud setup!

Create a Cloud Cost Management Strategy for Your Startup

There are multiple factors and variables in creating a practical strategy for cloud cost management for a startup. Here are the five steps you need to go with.

• Audit the current application inventory – Contact relevant people and ensure you account for all the application resources. Gather asset specifications, performance data, and details about network connections and running processes. Map the application dependencies and get insight into the supporting infrastructure.
• Calculate existing infrastructure and software costs – These include the direct and indirect expenses against purchasing, operating, and maintaining applications on the existing IT infrastructure. Gather relevant documents and invoices. Include all data center costs regarding hosting your applications’ IT infrastructure.
• Estimate cloud infrastructure costs – Cloud setup providers have pricing calculators, including the AWS monthly cost calculator, Google Cloud Platform pricing calculator, and Microsoft Azure’s pricing calculator. These help you get a general idea of costs concerning anything, from virtual servers to storage and other services.
• Estimates costs of cloud migration – Now, it is about migrating your workloads to the cloud environment. Your migration plan must assess which applications you can quickly move to the cloud and which ones you need to redesign. Assign costs for each migration scenario. Do consider the expenses that you need to incur for applications and legacy systems you cannot move to the cloud. Cloud providers charge you for transferring and synchronizing your data. There is also a cost involved when you need to run parallel environments during the cloud migration process.
• Estimate post migration costs – After completing your cloud setup, continued integration and application testing will incur further charges. Training, labor and administration may run some additional costs. Your cost analysis and budgeting must have room for these.

Working with a cloud technology partner with an extensive track record in cloud setup and cloud cost management means you will not be surprised (unpleasantly!) with unexpected costs. For a flexible cloud cost management model for startups, contact us today!

Create the Right Feedback Loop for Your Cloud Setup

With cloud migration, you also create a feedback loop that can provide tremendous value. Start with noting the present state and compare it with the state your business is in after the cloud setup. This will give you a great perspective on how cloud migration has been profitable.

When going for a complete cloud migration, you can often find hidden opportunities to capitalize on. This can help you avoid steps and loops that you do need, and you can also streamline your work way better.

It is easy to measure the changes in your business that going for a cloud setup entails. An experienced partner like Wishtree Technologies further pushes you ahead to cloud success. To take the maximum advantage of a cloud setup for your business, contact us today!

Concluding Cloud Cost Management for Startups

Navigating the world of the dynamic cloud requires a stable partnership of technology experts committed to and aligned with your business goals. Experienced in addressing your cloud requirements,

A Product Engineering Company with an unmatched reputation, Wishtree Technologies is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) partner. We facilitate transition into cloud setup for startups at minimized costs. Wishtree Technologies provides solutions to an array of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, Thoma Bravo, Vista Equity Partners, UN Agencies (WHO, UNDP, World Bank) Nonprofits, and Startups.

Contact us today, for a free consultation on cloud security best practices. Let’s get you started on a safe cloud migration journey.