How to Maximize the Benefits of Cloud Migration

Having data stored in the cloud reduces the scope of data loss and downtime. Under service level agreements (SLA), most cloud providers guarantee 99% uptime. Also, maintaining reliability and availability becomes easier when a cloud provider manages an infrastructure with a high-speed connection.

• In the early days, Dropbox users were increasing at a rapid pace. Users depended on Dropbox not just for personal file storage but also for critical business files, shared folders, and collaborative projects. The need for near-perfect uptime and reliability was paramount.
  
  Uptime Commitment: As of my last training cut-off in January 2022, Dropbox maintained an impressive uptime record. This was made possible because they utilized a cloud infrastructure that inherently has redundancy and failover capabilities. In fact, Dropbox's SLA promises 99.9% uptime for its Business users. 
  
• Infrastructure Management: Dropbox doesn't need to individually handle every user's data on isolated servers. Instead, by leveraging vast data centers of cloud providers, they ensure that user data is not only available when needed but also protected from potential loss. For instance, if one server or even an entire data center were to face an issue, the distributed nature of the cloud infrastructure means that another server or data center can quickly pick up the slack. 
  
  
• High-speed Connectivity: Users from all over the world access Dropbox. To ensure consistent and fast access, Dropbox leverages the high-speed connections of its cloud providers, ensuring that whether a user is in New York or Tokyo, they get swift access to their data. 
  
  
• For businesses and individuals who rely on Dropbox, this level of reliability and availability is not just a luxury – it's a necessity. The cloud infrastructure, with its multiple layers of redundancy and high-speed connections, has enabled Dropbox to deliver on its promise of seamless file storage and sharing. 

Cloud migration is a compelling technology that can cut down the capital expenses of a company to almost half. Furthermore, cloud computing services include maintenance and upgrades that can save money and time.

One of the US's largest banks began its transition to the cloud around 2015. They selected AWS as their main cloud provider. By 2020, they had migrated many of their critical workloads. This allowed them to:

• Reduce their data centers from eight in 2014 to almost zero by 2020.
• Achieve significant savings on infrastructure costs.
• Benefit from AWS's security model, ensuring that their customer data is safe and compliant.

With Cloud computing platforms, computing storage and networking resources are scalable and procurable on-demand without requiring physical infrastructure and connectivity contracts as in on-premises models.

Snapchat, a multimedia messaging app, has seen explosive growth since its launch in 2011. Its unique feature of self-deleting messages appealed to millions worldwide.

In its early days, Snapchat faced immense challenges in infrastructure scalability. Every snap, message, or video sent on the platform needed storage, and with millions of such interactions happening daily, the volume of data was colossal.

Snapchat's developers knew that to sustain this level of growth, relying on traditional on-premises models was impractical. Not only would it be exorbitantly costly to constantly upgrade physical infrastructure, but the time and complexity involved would also cause significant delays and potential service disruptions.

Enter Google Cloud. Snapchat began its journey with Google Cloud from the start, leveraging its powerful computing, storage, and networking capabilities. This partnership allowed Snapchat to:

• Scale Rapidly: Without worrying about physical infrastructure limits, Snapchat could seamlessly accommodate its rapidly growing user base.
• Operate Economically: Instead of incurring heavy upfront costs on infrastructure, they operated on a pay-as-you-go model, using resources as needed.
• Focus on Innovation: With infrastructure worries off their plate, Snapchat could concentrate on developing new features and improving user experience.

By deploying applications in the cloud, IT can deliver applications when and where end-users need them. Besides, you get easy access to security updates and general maintenance, resulting in more flexible and sustainable operations.