Five topics to consider for data migration to the cloud
Migrating CRM data into the cloud is a demanding and costly project, both in terms of the purely technical side and the organizational effort involved.
However, by taking into account a few crucial points in advance and look for viable approaches to deal with them, many challenges and delays can be avoided.
And while such a project might also entail risks to overcome, one should not forget the opportunities it opens up: for example, cleaning up one's data sets.
Crucial points to be addressed
1. Choose which data to migrate
The quantity of data to be migrated will directly affect on how long the migration process will take. The method used for migration might also have an impact on the volume of data that can be migrated.
Options might be available if additional space for data storage is needed, but the decision may also be not to migrate all of the data. For example, you may choose to migrate only accounts and contacts, whereas data sets on opportunities and activities follow only after a certain date in order to keep the volume manageable. With cloud solutions, storage space comes at a cost. Therefore, the question arises as to which data does not necessarily need to be migrated.
2. Clean up the source data
Every CRM solution eventually accumulates double (or even triple) entries. If users are having a hard time finding information in the current CRM, migrating existing CRM to the cloud will not fix this issue.
One approach to solve this might be to ask users to delete or merge double entries in order to declutter the CRM, and implement deduplication rules to avoid this issue with the new solution.
3. Redefine processes within the organization
A major data migration project lying ahead might be a good time to rethink processes within the organization. When carefully looking at them, some rules on business procedures and automation might turn out to be superfluous. They can be temporarily deactivated to see whether the employees actually need them.
Also, new versions of applications provide lots of new functionalities and improvements, which may have rendered some of the third-party products obsolete. By redefining the processes and identifying the actual needs that might not be met by the solution, those products that are still relevant can be identified.
4. Analyze the custom forms and developments
A lot of custom code and forms that were necessary in the past are now available natively in any cloud application. Hence it seems to be a good idea to perform an analysis of the existing system in order to verify which elements are now included by default in the solution. This will facilitate the migration process and avoid things like, for instance, redundant elements or overriding new forms with old ones.
5. And last but not least: One should have realistic expectations about the project. Any migration process is a complex task that can cause some downtime and interruptions. One is well-advised to plan accordingly.
conemis transition cloud ctc can analyze the current system as the starting point of a data migration project, and help to manage any migration to the cloud with the least impact possible on the operations of the organization or its units involved.
Learn more about conemis products here.
