Moving your business to the cloud: a step-by-step guide

To move your business to the cloud, list every site, app, database and email account, choose AWS, Google Cloud or Azure to suit the workload, move low-risk systems first, transfer data over encrypted connections and switch DNS at a quiet time. Keep the old server running for two weeks in case you need to roll back.

Cloud hosting gives you better uptime, automatic backups and the ability to scale during busy periods. The move itself is where most businesses get nervous, because a badly planned switch can take a website or app offline for hours. This guide sets out the order we follow on client migrations.

Step by step

1. Audit what you have. List every website, app, database, email account, domain and scheduled job, with who uses it and how much storage it holds. Note anything only one person knows how to restart. Forgotten scheduled jobs and old email forwarders cause most surprises after a move.
2. Decide what to move, rebuild or retire. Some systems can move as they are. Others are cheaper to replace with a managed service, such as moving a self-hosted mail server to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Tools nobody uses can be switched off.
3. Plan the order. Move low-risk systems first, such as a staging site or an internal tool, and test each one before the next. Leave the system that takes payments or orders until the team has done at least one move.
4. Migrate data safely. Use encrypted transfers, and compare record counts and file totals at both ends. For a live database, copy it once in advance, then sync only the changes during the switch so the final cut-over takes minutes.
5. Switch over off-peak. Lower your DNS time-to-live a day before so the change spreads quickly. Update DNS at a quiet time, such as a Sunday night, and watch error logs and payment confirmations for the next few hours.

AWS, Google Cloud or Azure?

All three are reliable and run data centres around the world. The better choice usually depends on the tools you already use and the skills on your team.

1. AWS has the widest range of services and the largest pool of engineers. It opened a Local Zone in Lagos in 2023 for workloads that need low latency for users in Nigeria or need data kept in the country.
2. Google Cloud suits businesses that already use Google Workspace, and is strong for data analysis and machine learning.
3. Microsoft Azure fits companies that run Microsoft 365, Windows servers or .NET applications, because sign-in and licensing tie together.
4. Simpler hosts such as Vercel, Render or DigitalOcean are often enough for a business website or small app, with lower running costs and less to manage.

Most cloud services bill in dollars, so exchange rate changes affect the monthly cost. Check that your business card works for recurring dollar payments before you commit, or pay through a local reseller that bills in naira.

How do you avoid downtime during the move?

1. Run old and new side by side. Keep both live during the switch so you can point DNS back if something fails.
2. Test with a few users first. Have some staff use the new system through a test address before you switch everyone.
3. Write a rollback plan. Note the exact steps to go back, who makes the call and how long you will wait before deciding.
4. Tell customers in advance if any service will pause, even for a few minutes.

Keeping costs under control

Cloud bills grow when servers are larger than they need to be, or keep running when nobody uses them. A few habits keep costs in check.

1. Right-size servers. Check CPU and memory use after the first month and move to smaller machines where usage stays low.
2. Commit for steady workloads. Reserved instances and savings plans cost much less than on-demand prices for servers that run all the time.
3. Switch off what sleeps. Turn off test and staging servers at night and at weekends.
4. Set budget alerts. Every provider can email you when spending passes a limit you set.
5. Clean up storage. Delete old snapshots, unused disks and logs you no longer need.

After the move

Cancel the old server once two weeks have passed without needing it. Turn on automatic backups and test a restore. Set up uptime monitoring so you hear about problems before customers do, and review the bill every month for the first three months.

If you would rather hand this over, our cloud team plans and runs migrations for Lagos businesses, including the late-night switch.