Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
User
Mar 15, 2021
Gathering Clear Requirements
Making sure the requirements can be met or that sufficient work-arounds are available or can be developed to move forward.
Partial or full migration? Partial due to a limitation in the cloud and can be phased in at a later time once developed?
Private Cloud (on premise or in own DC) or in the Public Cloud?
Security is always important for any business, especially Banks. Are there any special security requirements. Public Clouds usually raise the question of security and really depends on which one, how they are managed and the level of visibility into the access to the data.
Dependencies.
Are there any platform, application or service dependencies that also need to be available in the cloud? This could be a networking / connectivity issue requiring a bridge between the current world and the cloud world. It could also require an enhancement of the cloud environment to support some dependencies.
Compute power and storage capacity are generally not an issue anymore for this, but understanding the required level of compute and storage to meet the current and future needs to replace the mainframe will help provide the TCO equation.
Evaluation of potential solutions should begin by determining whether the solutions can be both private and public, scalable and secure. The power and flexibility of a solution that can work exactly the same as a private or public cloud builds a lot of confidence with the Banks - as they know they can start private and expand out to public as they need to. They are not locked into one or the other.
Banks would like to have the efficiencies and scale of clouds, but may not be immediately ready to go to a public cloud. They may also not be ready to put everything in the cloud at once. Therefore, selecting the easiest, yet most effective components to put into the cloud is the best way to go - and doing it in the private cloud could remove a lot of security and stability doubts.
Talking to the application / platform owners first would be most valuable. They should understand their own app requirements, dependencies and end-users' expectations. Once you can identify the above aspects for each app, you can work out which apps and when they can be put into the cloud. You will find common requirements, dependencies and blockers.
The goal of the cloud should be to raise efficiencies and competitiveness. It will not be a quick project to migrate, so it requires a mid-term view in terms of returns and setting expectations. Start with some good, solid wins in the migration that will allow the team and management to see the benefits sooner and fuel the success of subsequent migration work.
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Q1. What is the most important first step for a company to take when moving towards mainframe migration?
Ans> The central approving/regulatory authorities (like a State Bank).
Q2. Where should evaluation of potential solutions begin in a large financial organization?
Ans> The pathway should be.... adopt/setup a private on-prem cloud solution and evaluate there first. Then, you can engage cloud service providers of your choice.
Q3. Which users' input is most valuable?
Ans> DBAs and Business application team.
Remarks:
Regulatory authorities Approval, On-prem cloud setup, Ensure Security & Simplicity, Evaluate Scale of transaction per min., data growth per year, new products road map, before moving toward the private cloud.
Cloud Migration allows businesses to transfer their digital operations to cloud-based environments. This move enhances scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency.Organizations migrating to the cloud can manage resource allocation more effectively, reduce IT overheads, and access flexible computing resources. The process includes evaluating current infrastructure, selecting a suitable cloud service, and implementing safeguards for data security. Adaptability to rapid technological...
Gathering Clear Requirements
Making sure the requirements can be met or that sufficient work-arounds are available or can be developed to move forward.
Partial or full migration? Partial due to a limitation in the cloud and can be phased in at a later time once developed?
Private Cloud (on premise or in own DC) or in the Public Cloud?
Security is always important for any business, especially Banks. Are there any special security requirements. Public Clouds usually raise the question of security and really depends on which one, how they are managed and the level of visibility into the access to the data.
Dependencies.
Are there any platform, application or service dependencies that also need to be available in the cloud? This could be a networking / connectivity issue requiring a bridge between the current world and the cloud world. It could also require an enhancement of the cloud environment to support some dependencies.
Compute power and storage capacity are generally not an issue anymore for this, but understanding the required level of compute and storage to meet the current and future needs to replace the mainframe will help provide the TCO equation.
Evaluation of potential solutions should begin by determining whether the solutions can be both private and public, scalable and secure. The power and flexibility of a solution that can work exactly the same as a private or public cloud builds a lot of confidence with the Banks - as they know they can start private and expand out to public as they need to. They are not locked into one or the other.
Banks would like to have the efficiencies and scale of clouds, but may not be immediately ready to go to a public cloud. They may also not be ready to put everything in the cloud at once. Therefore, selecting the easiest, yet most effective components to put into the cloud is the best way to go - and doing it in the private cloud could remove a lot of security and stability doubts.
Talking to the application / platform owners first would be most valuable. They should understand their own app requirements, dependencies and end-users' expectations. Once you can identify the above aspects for each app, you can work out which apps and when they can be put into the cloud. You will find common requirements, dependencies and blockers.
The goal of the cloud should be to raise efficiencies and competitiveness. It will not be a quick project to migrate, so it requires a mid-term view in terms of returns and setting expectations. Start with some good, solid wins in the migration that will allow the team and management to see the benefits sooner and fuel the success of subsequent migration work.
Q1. What is the most important first step for a company to take when moving towards mainframe migration?
Ans> The central approving/regulatory authorities (like a State Bank).
Q2. Where should evaluation of potential solutions begin in a large financial organization?
Ans> The pathway should be.... adopt/setup a private on-prem cloud solution and evaluate there first. Then, you can engage cloud service providers of your choice.
Q3. Which users' input is most valuable?
Ans> DBAs and Business application team.
Remarks:
Regulatory authorities Approval, On-prem cloud setup, Ensure Security & Simplicity, Evaluate Scale of transaction per min., data growth per year, new products road map, before moving toward the private cloud.