Why migration and re-platform are needed?

As businesses grow and evolve, so must their technology systems. Often, this means migrating to a new platform or updating an existing one. But, as any IT professional knows, migration can be a daunting task. That’s why many companies turn to migration and re-platform services.

Migration and re-platform services offer businesses a way to modernize their IT infrastructure without disrupting their day-to-day operations. At its most basic level, migration involves moving data from one system to another. But there’s much more involved than just moving data.

Re-platforming, on the other hand, involves upgrading or changing a system’s architecture — often to improve functionality or reduce costs. Re-platforming is typically seen as a more complex process than migration because it involves not only moving data, but also reconfiguring the underlying architecture of the system.

Benefits migration and re-platform

Reduced Downtime

One of the biggest benefits of using migration and re-platform services is the reduced downtime that businesses can experience. By working with expert IT professionals, businesses can make the switch without interruptions to their daily operations. This is particularly important for companies with a lot of users who need consistent access to their systems.

Improved Functionality

Newer platforms or updated systems provide better functionalities. Using migration and re-platform service, businesses can avail these added functionalities and features.

Cost savings

In the long run, migration and re-platforming can help businesses save money. For example, older systems may require expensive maintenance, which can add up over time. By switching to a newer system, businesses can avoid these costs and invest in technology that will better serve their needs.

Increased Scalability

As organizations grow and expand, their technology needs to keep pace. Migration and re-platforming can help businesses scale their systems to meet their growing needs.

Better Security

Older systems can be more vulnerable to security risks. Modernizing a system through migration or re-platforming can help mitigate these risks and provide greater security overall.

Why is migration necessary?

Businesses are always looking to upgrade their systems to stay competitive. An upgrade may involve moving data from an old system to a newer one, which could be based on a different platform or developed by another provider. Data migration can help companies address changing customer needs, respond to regulatory requirements, and improve their operational efficiency.

Migration is also important when systems are merged or decommissioned. The merger of two organizations may require the transfer of data from different systems into a single, unified system. Similarly, when a system is decommissioned, data needs to be migrated to a new system to ensure it remains accessible.

Challenges of data migration

Data migration is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. There are several challenges that businesses could encounter when migrating data. These include:

Data mapping

Before migrating data, organizations must map the data fields of the source and destination systems. This process can be time-consuming and requires a thorough understanding of the data sources.

Data quality

Data migration may reveal poor data quality issues, such as duplicate records, incomplete data, or inaccurate data. This could be due to differences in data platforms, database schemas, or coding standards.

Data volume

Large amounts of data can be difficult to migrate, particularly when the source and destination systems have different capacities. This can also cause problems with data integrity and performance.

Data integration

Consolidating data from different sources can be difficult, especially when the source systems are using different data structures, formats or encoding.

Data compliance

When migrating data, organizations must ensure that they comply with regulatory requirements regarding data privacy and security.

Successful data migration

To ensure a successful data migration, organizations need to follow a methodical approach. Here are some of the steps:

1. Planning

Identify the scope of the migration, define the target architecture, and prepare a detailed plan.

2. Data preparation

This step includes data profiling, de-duplication, cleansing, and testing.

3. Data validation

Validate the migrated data to ensure that it is complete, accurate and consistent.

4. Testing

Test the target system against the source system to ensure that all data is correctly replicated.

5. Deployment

Move the data to the target system and verify that it is functioning correctly.