
Cloud integration is the seamless connection and coordination of diverse software applications, data, and services across multiple cloud platforms, enhancing efficiency and facilitating digital transformation within an organization.
Cloud integration is the seamless connection and coordination of diverse software applications, data, and services across multiple cloud platforms, enhancing efficiency and facilitating digital transformation within an organization.
The 2023 data is in, and Digibee’s second annual annual State of Enterprise Integration survey, is out! We reached out to more than a thousand enterprise IT professionals – from web developers and system architects to CTOs and CIOs – across North America to understand today’s integration trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Now we’re diving into some of the key findings with a series of blog posts – this one focuses on IT budgets and the cost of integration.
Cloud migration is becoming more and more common – and increasingly complex. While most organizations have moved at least some of their digital assets to the cloud, cloud migration strategies remain prone to disruptions and delays.
But failure is not inevitable. A carefully developed cloud migration roadmap can help you remove roadblocks and avoid common pitfalls. Follow this simple cloud migration checklist to ensure you have everything you need in place for a smooth transition.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Digital transformation and cloud migration initiatives have become the number one reason enterprises embrace integration. And while partnering with an integration solutions provider can help minimize disruptions and downtime during the migration process, you’ll still need a cloud migration plan in place to optimize the transition.
Understanding what you hope to achieve is crucial to successful cloud migration. Identify the factors driving your move to the cloud and how you’ll determine if you’ve reached your goals. Is your organization looking to:
The next stage in developing your cloud migration strategy involves planning your target environment in the cloud. This can include selecting a cloud provider – [1] 87% of organizations use a multi-cloud strategy today, so don’t assume your current cloud environment is the right option for new migration plans.
Take an inventory of your data, applications, systems, and infrastructure to determine what will be included in your cloud migration and what will remain in the current environment. Identify any dependencies and data flows that will affect (or be affected by) your transition to the cloud.
Once you’ve identified what is involved in your cloud migration plan and where it will move to, you can start planning how the transition will go.
With your cloud migration goals and roadmap in place, you can begin the task of migrating your assets to the cloud. Working with an integration solutions provider, you’ll need to:
When every step of your cloud migration project plan is complete, it’s vital to validate the success of your transition before going live with the changes. Your new cloud environment should now be an exact copy of your production environment, allowing for rapid testing to confirm all critical services are up and running and all data is accessible.
Transactional histories can be migrated incrementally or in a single operation – your strategy should be determined by the volume and location of your data. Once transactions are replicated, you can flip the switch and adopt the replica environment created in the cloud for production. Shut down integrations relating to the on-premises environment and develop a plan to decommission them.
Integration bridges the gap between your current capabilities and what you hope to achieve in the cloud, reducing the risk associated with cloud migration strategies.
Digibee has developed an Integration Platform-as-a-Service solution that makes it easier for your team to free data from legacy systems and achieve your cloud goals, whatever they may be. Our low-code, intuitive interface simplifies the integration process so developers of all skills levels and experience can create integrations that maximize the value of your investments in the cloud.
Our 2023 State of Enterprise Integration Report highlights the important role integration plays in today’s cloud migration strategies. Download your complimentary copy today or book a no-obligation demo to see our solution in action.
12023 State of the Cloud Report, Flexera
Our second annual survey of the enterprise integration market was published today, unveiling some intriguing insights and generating plenty of discussion.
In reviewing the survey results, I was struck by one constant. Most organizations now consider integration to be a core requirement for their digital transformation initiatives. In fact, coupled with cloud migration (a critical enabler in most modernization projects), digital transformation is the top integration objective in the survey, with almost 30% of respondents ranking it number one.
This is an amazing result, especially when you consider that just a few short years ago, the majority of enterprises were still on the fence about implementing iPaaS technology.
Cloud-to-cloud migration is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the process of moving digital assets (data, applications, etc.) from one cloud environment to another.
You’ve probably read more articles than you’d like to admit about the how, why, and when of moving your systems, data, and applications to the cloud. But cloud-to-cloud migration? Try finding information on that, and your searches will probably yield a lot fewer results.
Google search results on cloud-to-cloud migration tend to just ignore what it interprets as a redundant “cloud” in your query and steer you back toward the benefits of moving to the cloud and comparisons between public, private, and multi-cloud solutions.
Digging into types of cloud migration leads to disagreement on how many types there are – all focusing on types of migration from an on-premise system to the cloud. (Some mix of rehosting, redeployment, repackaging, refactoring, repurchasing, retiring, and retaining, for the record.)
So what is cloud-to-cloud migration? And why would anyone bother with it?
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
If you’ve made the move to the cloud already, why would you bother doing it all again? Even the smoothest, most straightforward transitions still come with a level of stress. Who comes out on the other side of what can be a time-consuming, disruptive project and says, “hey, let’s do that again!”
Obviously, I’m exaggerating. No one is just moving all their data and applications from cloud to cloud in a high-stakes game of Frogger. But companies are embracing cloud-to-cloud migration – more often than you might think. Why?
Just about every company uses cloud in some form. And 87% of organizations have embraced a multi-cloud strategy. With multiple cloud environments on the go, the odds are high that sometimes you’ll move things from one to another, so cloud-to-cloud migration is more common than Google would lead you to believe. But what’s driving inter-cloud traffic?
Your business is continually evolving and changing – and what you need from a cloud environment will fluctuate too. Not every cloud environment is suitable for every use case (hence the widespread adoption of multi-cloud strategies), and that’s where cloud-to-cloud data migration comes in.
Cloud service providers have different strengths and varying weaknesses, just as you have varying priorities for the systems that live in the cloud. Those differences can make a strong business case for cloud-to-cloud migration.
Not all cloud environments are set up to support the same needs. A cloud solution designed for storing a lot of data that rarely moves won’t offer the best rates if you suddenly want to upload and download data regularly, for example.
Business-critical information or sensitive customer data must be stored in a cloud space that can meet specific standards. If the environment you started in can’t meet those requirements, you may opt to migrate vital data elsewhere.
The environment you chose for its high levels of security may not deliver the performance you need for heavily used applications. Any customer-facing systems you have hosted in the cloud need elevated levels of performance and minimal downtime.
If the features or capabilities of your cloud environment don’t match your changing goals or needs, you may have to find a new solution. The need for more control, increased transparency, or better integration between systems all fall into this category.
Because cloud-to-cloud migration doesn’t come with any of the issues that can affect on-premise-to-cloud migrations, many of the challenges typically associated with migration don’t apply. You’ve (presumably) already developed a cloud strategy and laid out what you hope to achieve with migration. You understand cost, security and compliance, and technical needs, and hopefully, secured organizational buy-in for use of the cloud. But that doesn’t mean moving from one cloud to another is guaranteed to be hassle-free.
The main challenges associated with cloud-to-cloud migration are both related to the basic concept of change, and the pain it can induce:
There are compelling reasons to support cloud migration – and there are challenges that make the process unappealing. If you’ve decided, for whatever reason, that moving assets from your existing cloud environment to a new digital space is right for you, there are steps you can take to minimize pain and disruption. Conveniently, most of these steps are the same ones you took (or should have taken) when you migrated to the cloud in the first place:
At Digibee, we’ve developed a low-code iPaaS that can help you make cloud-to-cloud migration easy and pain-free. The flexible, scalable and reusable elements of Digibee iPaaS ensures that moves to the cloud, or migrations from cloud to cloud, happen seamlessly.
See for yourself. Give us your cloud to cloud use case scenario, and book a no-obligation demo (your choice of 15, 30, or 60 minutes) to learn how our solution can simplify the migration process.
Cloud migration isn’t a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. Cloud-based services have become so ubiquitous that we use them multiple times a day without a second thought. But despite the universal nature of cloud computing, what is changing is its importance in the business world.
No longer a “nice to have,” embracing cloud has become vital to enterprises’ growth, success, and ability to compete, as digital natives – companies that have never existed anywhere but the cloud – emerge and leverage new technologies and business models to disrupt the status quo.
Even though most organizations already use cloud technologies in some form, it’s still crucial to weigh the benefits of cloud migration against the risks and challenges it poses to your operations.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Cloud migration is the process of moving digital assets – data, applications, resources, and systems – to a cloud computing environment.
While we typically think of cloud migration as shifting assets from a legacy, on-premises system to the cloud, cloud-to-cloud migration is becoming increasingly common as enterprises work to reduce complexity, reduce costs, and increase the security of their systems.
Your company needs every weapon in its arsenal to continue growing, innovating, and thriving, and the cloud can help you scale, increase agility, grow revenue, and achieve business goals in today’s changing world.
If you’re among the rare handful of businesses that have resisted a large-scale cloud transition up to this point, you might be wondering how much it matters now. Do you really need to make a change?
Maybe your existing infrastructure is good enough – it’s kept your operations on track and your business growing. But the development of new technologies is accelerating, and the pressures organizations must be prepared to face in a post-pandemic world are increasing.
The cloud may not be a suitable environment for every single component of your technology. But your company needs every weapon in its arsenal to continue growing, innovating, and thriving, and the cloud can help you scale, increase agility, grow revenue, and achieve business goals in today’s changing world.
“Everyone is doing it” isn’t reason enough to tackle enterprise cloud migration. But your organization stands to gain a wide range of cloud migration benefits if you make the leap.
Cloud gives your organization the ability to grow as workloads evolve and demands increase. In comparison, scaling up conventional on-prem solutions means purchasing and installing new hardware, software, storage, and networking equipment.
Many cloud providers take on the burden of regular maintenance and updates, meaning your (possibly overstretched) IT department can spend less time on mundane, repetitive tasks and focus on innovation.
Cloud migration can also help enterprises reduce IT infrastructure costs. The scalable nature of a cloud environment makes it easy to right-size resources and adjust as needs change, rather than over-purchasing to ensure capacity for peak demand periods.
One key lesson business leaders took from the pandemic was the importance of flexibility in surviving the unexpected. Migrating key data and processes to the cloud means your organization isn’t tied to a specific business location and can pivot quickly when conditions prevent staff from working on-site.
The pace of technological evolution continues to accelerate, making the life expectancy of investments in IT infrastructure shorter and shorter. Cloud migration puts the onus of updates on your service provider, freeing you from the hassle and costs of dealing with sunsetting solutions.
This cloud migration benefit goes hand-in-hand with the previous one – the rapid development of new technologies and tools means organizations with the ability to embrace new tech like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the Metaverse will have an edge over those who can’t.
The number one driver of failed or disruptive cloud migration experiences is a lack of planning. An end-to-end strategy is crucial to help mitigate cloud migration security risks, minimize disruption, and keep costs down.
Before embarking on a cloud migration journey, your organization must consider the specific requirements of any data or workloads you are moving to the cloud, identify any dependencies related to the transition and define your goals for the move. Companies that make the move without a comprehensive strategy face any number of challenges.
Cost savings is a commonly cited driver of cloud migration, but a lack of planning can leave organizations facing higher-than-expected cloud migration costs. Managing spend remains a top challenge for organizations using the cloud, and data suggests approximately 32% of cloud spend is wasted.
Not all cloud solutions are created equal. Cloud service providers often boast an array of services, but organizations with specific requirements must ensure their needs will be met before cloud migration begins. Signing a contract only to discover the provider can’t deliver what you need is a recipe for disappointment at best – and disaster at worst.
Despite the universality of cloud use, security remains a common roadblock to cloud migration. The process of transitioning digital assets to the cloud can put applications, data, and systems at risk if security threats and vulnerabilities are not carefully considered – and addressed – before migration begins.
The development and execution of a cloud migration strategy are directly related to the complexity of your existing infrastructure. Legacy systems with multiple dependencies can be challenging to migrate, and problems can arise if your migration team doesn’t have adequate expertise in both the system you’re migrating from and the target cloud environment.
Few, if any, businesses can afford to put day-to-day operations on hold while they undertake a cloud migration, but the downtime and delays caused by moving data and systems from existing infrastructure to the cloud can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
The case for cloud migration has never been more compelling: the benefits of cloud migration continue to increase, and the downsides of resisting the transition are becoming more apparent. Let the experts at Digibee help reduce cloud migration risks and optimize your strategy.
Download your complimentary copy of The Future of Cloud Migration for a deep dive into changing migration goals and challenges, tips on measuring success, emerging use cases for cloud computing, and detailed guidance on making the move successful and pain-free.
Once dismissed as a meaningless buzzword among tech circles, digital transformation has become a high priority for organizations of all sizes, across all verticals.
The importance of adapting often-siloed legacy systems to communicate with new technologies and tools became painfully clear amid pandemic shutdowns, and the new reality of hybrid work models and digital-first business has forced even those most resistant to change to acknowledge its value.
But what is digital transformation, really?
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
There are many financial benefits to enterprise integration and employing Digibee’s enterprise iPaaS, such as the cost saving of being able to use more junior developers, but beyond that there are also sizable financial gains to be made through speed, namely the benefits of a faster time to revenue through a faster product release cycle.
A recently-conducted Forrester Total Economic Impact™ of Digibee Report provided an opportunity for a third-party assessment that systematically explored the outcomes of partnering with Digibee for enterprise Integration. Using a composite organization modeled on the characteristics of interviewees’ organizations, this TEI report attributed +$1.3M of the +$5.9M total benefits Present Value (PV) to allowing a faster time to market for new products and services – that’s over one-fifth of total monetary benefits!
The cloud, combined with digital technologies, has reinvented how retailers connect with and serve their customers. Once the domain of megastores and e-commerce platforms with the budget and resources to support on-premises infrastructure, today the cloud is unlocking digital customer experiences for retailers of all shapes and sizes.
And merchants are loving it, able to create personalized and curated experiences across multiple channels while driving up conversion rates and average order value (AOV). But it wasn’t always like this.
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
There was a time when using the cloud was an innovative idea for businesses. But the evolution of technology marches on, taking the corporate world with it. Simply storing organizational data in the cloud or using a cloud-based “as-a-service” solution is no longer enough. Cloud-native is the new cloud. But why is cloud-native important?
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
Remember when we all thought robots were coming to take our jobs? It turns out that was the opposite of the problem we needed to prepare for. Instead of a lack of positions, industries across the US (and around the world) are facing an unprecedented shortage of skilled employees.
This trend is particularly acute in IT departments, and leaders are scrambling to implement IT cost reduction strategies as they compete for a dwindling pool of experts they need now more than ever.
In 2020, only 4% of IT executives said a lack of talent was impeding their adoption of new technology. In 2021, that figure rose to 64%, and experts warn the battle to win and retain much-needed talent will only become more intense in 2023. And Gartner predicts that, by 2025, “‘labor volatility’ will cause 40% of organizations to report a material business loss, forcing a shift in talent strategy from acquisition to resilience.”
>> Book a personalized demo with our team of experts and see how Digibee’s iPaaS will bring efficiency to your business.
The IT talent shortage has been driven by a range of factors, including unreasonable hiring requirements and the pandemic-driven “Great Resignation.” But the point where the skilled labor shortage and rising IT demand converge is the increased pace of digital transformation as companies look to modernize legacy systems to compete with their online-only rivals.
Enterprises looking to unlock siloed data and connect new technologies to aging architecture are turning to integration. The vast majority – 93% – of CIOs, developers, and system architects recognize their organization will benefit from integration. At the same time, just 7% have successfully implemented an integration solution – and a lack of skills ranks among the top five roadblocks.
Faced with an urgent need to modernize and embrace new technologies, compounded by an IT talent shortage, companies are embracing low-code platforms that don’t require the services of niche experts to implement and use.
What a Low-Code Platforms? Low-code solutions use intuitive visual interfaces that simplify development tasks so people without specialized coding expertise can build or customize the tools their organization needs.
Adoption of low-code platforms is increasing by over 20% annually, and Gartner predicts more than half of medium- to large-sized companies will be using low-code solutions next year. Analysts also estimate that 80% of technology products and services will be built outside the IT department by 2024.
An Enterprise Integration Platform-as-a-Service is a low-code integration solution that reduces pressures caused by the confluence of rising demand for modernization and the IT talent shortage, empowering team members with less expertise to take on tasks previously reserved for senior developers.
Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ report 1 on Digibee details the business benefits and cost savings enterprises can realize from implementing an iPaaS.
Source: The Total Economic Impact™ Of Digibee’s Enterprise Integration Platform As A Service (eiPaaS), a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Digibee
Organizations interviewed for the report experienced a variety of developer productivity issues with their existing integration strategies, including:
The implementation of Digibee’s iPaaS dramatically improved developer efficiency in several ways:
Using the iPaaS, smaller IT teams were empowered to accomplish more work, helping enterprises reduce labor costs without compromising their ability to innovate.
Don’t let the global talent shortfall hold back your plans to modernize and compete in the digital-first world. Digibee has proven experience in helping enterprises increase developer productivity and reduce labor costs while dramatically reducing the time it takes to implement an integration strategy.
Download your copy of The Total Economic Impact™ Of Digibee’s Enterprise Integration Platform As A Service to learn more about the measurable benefits your organization could realize when you partner with Digibee… – or book a demo to see our solution in action.
1A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Digibee
Digibee has spent the past few years helping organizations connect the old with the new, allowing them to tap into important business innovations such as cloud migration, automation, and optimized customer experiences.
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