Cloud Migration — Practical Guide for Businesses 2024

What 'cloud migration' means for a small/medium business

Cloud migration involves moving data, applications, and IT services from local physical servers (on-premise) to data centers operated by specialized providers (Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Amazon AWS). For a small business, this concretely means: email moves to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, files move to OneDrive/SharePoint or Google Drive, and business applications (ERP, CRM) run in the browser.

It's not just about technology — it's a paradigm shift. Employees access data from anywhere, backup is automatic, security updates are managed by the provider. But migration must be carefully planned: a botched migration can cause data loss, costly downtime, or security issues.

Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or another solution — comparison

The two dominant solutions for SMEs are Microsoft 365 Business and Google Workspace. The choice depends on the company's specific needs, existing applications, and budget.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic (EUR 5.60/user/month) — Exchange email, Teams, OneDrive 1TB, Office web apps
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard (EUR 11.70/user/month) — Basic + desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Google Workspace Business Starter (EUR 5.75/user/month) — Gmail, Meet, Drive 30GB, Docs/Sheets/Slides
• Google Workspace Business Standard (EUR 11.50/user/month) — Starter + Drive 2TB, Meet recording

If the company already uses advanced Excel, macros, or Windows-specific applications, Microsoft 365 is the natural choice. If the team works predominantly in the browser and on mobile devices, Google Workspace may be more intuitive. The Geseidl IT team performs a free needs assessment before recommending a solution.

Real costs: on-premise vs cloud (3-year calculation)

An on-premise server for 20 users costs between EUR 3,000-8,000 (hardware) plus Windows Server licenses (EUR 800-2,000), perpetual Office licenses (EUR 300/user), and annual maintenance (EUR 1,500-3,000). Total over 3 years: EUR 15,000-25,000, not including electricity costs, space, and hardware failure risk.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard for 20 users costs 11.70 x 20 x 36 = EUR 8,424 over 3 years, including email, full Office, 1TB OneDrive, Teams, and automatic updates. The financial difference is significant, but the real advantage is eliminating risks: hardware failure, data loss, downtime.

Risks and protection measures during migration

The most common migration risks are: email loss in transit, corrupted or missing files after transfer, incomplete security configurations (MFA not enabled, excessive sharing), and lack of independent cloud data backup. GDPR applies to cloud data as well — the provider must have data centers in the EU.

• Complete backup of all data BEFORE migration (on-premise and email)
• Phased migration (not everything at once): email -> files -> applications
• Enable MFA on all cloud accounts within the first 24 hours
• Configure sharing policies (who can share externally)
• Independent cloud data backup (Veeam, Acronis, BackupCloud)

5-step migration plan — the Geseidl approach

1. Existing infrastructure audit — server inventory, applications, data, active licenses
2. Cloud solution design — provider selection, license plan, security architecture
3. Pilot migration — 3-5 test users, complete functionality verification
4. Full migration — data transfer, policy configuration, user training
5. Post-migration monitoring — 30 days of intensive support, adjustments, optimizations

Geseidl consulting covers the entire migration cycle, from audit to post-implementation support, with clear SLA and predictable cost.

Need IT services and cloud migration? The Geseidl Consulting Group team, CECCAR Prahova leader for 18 consecutive years, is ready to help. Discover our services or contact us for a free consultation.