Pat Wright explains how to ensure a successful cloud migration by testing applications, tracking bandwidth, and fixing issues before going live.
Few things in the cloud migration process are more important than testing your migrations. It’s critical to set up a good testing framework for your applications and run through many iterations. Testing is going to reveal all the “unknowns”. It will tell you when an application is supposed to act a certain way but does things a little differently. It may even change some of the steps taken earlier in the migration process. Ultimately, testing should be a repeatable process and, if done correctly, should ensure a successful cloud migration.
Another advantage of testing is that it can also reveal any potential issues with bandwidth. In my experience, most people don’t expect network problems with the migration, but unfortunately the opposite is true. You’re moving a system that has been in close proximity all its life to, essentially, the other side of a big country. As a result, some of your testing needs to include network bandwidth measuring and how much the application is using. Unfortunately, it’s rare to have a migration not be impacted by some sort of network latency or bandwidth.
All that said, here are some steps I take to carry out a thorough cloud migration testing process:
- Determine test plans for each of the applications you need to migrate. For example, at a shipping company, the shipping team could log in and print labels for the packages.
- Try to make the tests as realistic as possible. Being able to log in at 2am is not the same as everyone logging into the system on Monday morning at 9am!
- As you test and then resolve/fix issues, make it’s you’re documenting everything. It’s never just a ‘one-time’ migration you’re doing – you will need to do this again!
- Review what worked/didn’t work and discuss these with stakeholders. Work with them to review the migration in each iteration. Learning from your mistakes is critical.
- Observe and track the bandwidth used during tests. Understand your cloud configuration and settings, and ask questions of any limitations around those settings. It’s critical you understand these: if you don’t, cost and usability could suffer.
Testing is never a ‘one team/one group’ job. Every team should be involved and work together through this process – and remember, taking detailed notes of the process helps this to go much smoother.
Additionally, cost can quickly get away from you with network bandwidth! Make sure you understand what your application is using and what you can do to reduce the amount of bandwidth used.
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FAQs: How to utilize testing to ensure a successful cloud migration
1. Why is testing critical for migrations?
Testing uncovers hidden issues, validates application behavior, and ensures your migration process is reliable and repeatable.
2. What should you focus on during testing?
Test real-world usage scenarios, including peak times, and measure network bandwidth to identify latency or performance bottlenecks.
3. How do you ensure long-term success?
Document issues, refine your process each iteration, and involve all teams to improve efficiency and avoid repeated mistakes.
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