In our recent Digital Transformation blog, we considered three essential components of a digital transformation, the last of which we discuss here: database modernization.
Today, it is a prerequisite that a modern database must be globally available, with zero downtime, can update in seconds (even milliseconds!), and above all, be secure, reliable and easier to manage than legacy systems. Successful large-scale cloud migration means enterprises can also benefit from increased agility and flexibility, when responding to changing demands. And when it comes to data creation, the demands on storage keep growing.
At a recent SourceFuse roundtable event for Healthcare Industry Leaders, our AWS cloud keynote reflected on what is meant by today’s data explosion: “Today, more data is created in 1 hour than was created in the entire year of 2000. And more data will be created in the next three years than the entire previous 30 years!”. In addition, IDC predicts that by 2025 the world’s data will grow to 175 ZB – that’s 175 trillion gigabytes – with 90ZB of data created through IoT devices.
This illustrates why cloud migration is no longer a ‘nice to do’ but a ‘need to do’ effort, preparing for the future with a digital roadmap that scales to projected business goals. But let’s not underestimate some of the most common database migration challenges along the way:
- Quality of data: In a 2020 survey of over 1800 data professionals, 44% of respondents put data quality as their top database migration challenge, with decentralized data coming in second. Different databases may have been adopted over time within an organization, without the ability to integrate as the business grew. Any legacy data inconsistencies, inaccuracies, gaps, ambiguities, or unstructured data, such as free text or images, make it more of a challenge to easily consolidate during large-scale cloud migration.
- In-house expertise:Common to many businesses, the lack of in-house expertise may be a roadblock to database modernization. The rapid evolution of cloud technology has meant database and cloud migration experts are in high demand, making it difficult to employ and retain staff with the skills required. Without the in-house capabilities, fears over potential outsourcing costs may be triggered, bringing modernization projects to a grinding halt.
- Regulatory compliance:As more and more data is migrated to the cloud, the stricter the data security and protection regulations become. And rightly so. But with ever-changing and tightening data privacy regulations, some organizations can be left feeling overwhelmed when it comes to adopting new technology, with very little motivation for database modernization. Consolidating disparate data lakes into a single cloud environment will make it easier to implement automatic compliance checks, and seamlessly deploy future upgrades as regulations are updated.
Key Benefits of Database Modernization
As well as being prepared for an agile data-driven future, the key benefits of database modernization include:
- Improved productivity: Incorporating machine learning and AI functionality significantly increases efficiency and productivity, and improves overall data quality by eliminating human errors. Your team is freed up to concentrate on more value-added and innovative activities.
- Reduced TCO: Migrating your databases to the cloud reduces operational costs, with the flexibility to scale up, scale down, or switch off resources as demand changes. And, with automated cost optimization, you can take control of your ongoing cloud spend.
- Real-time availability: The ability to access all of your data in real-time provides confidence when taking action, making decisions, or allocating resources. Guaranteed and reliable uptime is key to avoiding any disruption to services or costly downtimes.
- Data analytics capabilities: It is only when data has been successfully amalgamated that you are able to convert raw data into actionable insights. Diagnostic, predictive, descriptive, and even prescriptive analytics are key to achieving business success and maintaining a competitive advantage.
The SourceFuse Approach
When it comes to digital transformation and large-scale cloud migration strategies, many enterprises are already on the path to modernizing legacy applications and overhauling the look and feel with UI/UX application modernization. BUT, unless you incorporate the third essential component, database modernization, your underlying operational processes will never truly transform. Essentially, digital transformation is business transformation, changing how teams work together, not just about what technology is being used to get that work done.
In a recent SourceFuse poll, 43% of organizations that have migrated to the cloud admitted lack of internal resources and expertise as having been their biggest problem. So, maybe there’s still the question of ‘how?’ or ‘where do we start?’.
Our goal at SourceFuse is to help remove this roadblock, and bring the necessary resources, skills and expertise to your organization. Supporting your digital transformation strategy, through modernization-led migration, ensures you to take full advantage of all the technological advances the cloud has to offer.
For a full description of our transformative digital strategy, read our article: Becoming Digital-Future Ready with SourceFuse: A Complete Digital Transformation on the Cloud
In the case of Medical Tracking Solutions, Inc. (MTS), SourceFuse supported its data center AWS cloud migration, rebuilding its infrastructure to optimize data workflows. MTS has been able to achieve:
- 40% reduction in TCO
- Increased security and reliability
- Improved visibility with enterprise-grade monitoring
- Significantly improved site efficiency and zero-downtime policy
Ready to start modernizing and migrating your database?
Talk to our AWS cloud modernization experts today and discover how to kick-start your journey toward a digital transformation.
