Introduction

When it comes to migrating your data to the cloud, you have two main options: you can either use off-the-shelf tools that allow you to do it yourself, or you can hire a managed migration service with skilled experts and Casper365 advanced tooling that will do it for you. Both options have their pros and cons, but in this article, we will show you why a managed migration service is the better choice for your business. We will compare the costs, the quality, and the risks of both options and explain how a managed migration service can deliver more value and ROI for your data migration project.

Cost Comparison

One of the main arguments in favour of DIY tools is that they are cheaper than hiring a managed migration service. However, this is not always true. DIY tools may have a lower upfront cost, but they can also incur hidden costs that can add up over time. For example, DIY tools may require you to purchase additional licenses, subscriptions, or hardware to run them. They may also require you to invest in training, support, and maintenance for your staff who will use them. Moreover, DIY tools may take longer to complete the migration, which means more downtime, disruption, and lost productivity for your business.

On the other hand, a managed migration service can offer you a fixed and transparent price for your migration project, which includes all the necessary resources, tools, and expertise. A managed migration service can also complete the migration faster and more efficiently, which means less downtime, disruption, and lost productivity for your business. Furthermore, a managed migration service can save you money in the long run, because you only pay for the migration once, and you don’t have to worry about ongoing costs, updates, or issues.

Quality Comparison

Another argument in favour of DIY tools is that they give you more control and flexibility over your migration. However, this can also be a disadvantage, because it means you have to take on more responsibility and complexity. DIY tools may not be able to manage all the scenarios, challenges, and requirements of your migration, especially if you have a large, complex, or customized data environment. DIY tools may also lack some features, functionalities, or integrations that you need for your migration. For example, DIY tools may not be able to migrate metadata, permissions, workflows, or customisations. They may also not be able to migrate data across different platforms, versions, or tenants.

On the other hand, a managed migration service can offer you a higher quality and more reliable migration, because it has the expertise and the advanced tooling to manage any scenario, challenge, or requirement of your migration. A managed migration service can use Casper365, which is a powerful and versatile tool that can migrate any type of data, from any source to any destination, with any configuration. Casper365 can migrate metadata, permissions, workflows, and customisations. It can also migrate data across different platforms, versions, or tenants. Casper365 can also perform pre-migration assessments, post-migration validations, and ongoing monitoring and reporting, to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and security of your migration.

One example of a complex migration that can be done with Casper365 is migrating data with sensitivity labels. Sensitivity labels are a way to classify and protect sensitive data, such as confidential, personal, or regulated information. Sensitivity labels can apply protection policies, such as encryption, access control, or watermarking, to the data. However, not all DIY tools can migrate sensitivity labels, because they require special handling and mapping. Casper365 can migrate sensitivity labels because it can preserve and apply the protection policies across various sources and destinations. Casper365 can also migrate the audit logs and reports associated with the sensitivity labels, to ensure compliance and accountability.

Another example of a complex migration that can be done with Casper365 is migrating data held in SQL databases. SQL databases are a common way to store and manage structured data, such as customer records, sales transactions, or inventory items. SQL databases can also use views, which are virtual tables that display the data from one or more tables. However, not all DIY tools can migrate SQL data, because they require a connection and a query to access the data. Casper365 can migrate SQL data, because it can connect to any SQL database, regardless of the platform, version, or location. Casper365 can also migrate SQL views, because it can execute and extract the data from the views, without affecting the underlying tables.

Data Transformation

Another benefit of hiring a managed migration service is that it can help you transform your data, not just move it. Data transformation is the process of changing the format, structure, or value of your data, to make it more suitable for your business needs and goals. Data transformation can improve the quality, usability, and value of your data, by making it more consistent, accurate, relevant, and secure.

One reason you might need data transformation is that moving data in a lift-and-shift fashion can also move your technical debt. Technical debt is the accumulated cost of maintaining and updating your data systems, due to poor design, outdated technology, or inefficient processes. If you migrate your data without transforming it, you might end up with the same or worse problems in your new environment, such as low performance, high complexity, or high maintenance. For example, if you migrate your data from a legacy system to a cloud platform, without optimising the data model, schema, or queries, you might experience slow loading, high latency, or excessive costs.

Another reason you might need data transformation is that transforming your data into a more structured or business-aligned format can help you leverage the results of your migration. By consulting with a managed migration service, you can align your data with your business strategy, vision, or objectives. You can also adapt your data to fit a merger or acquisition, including tenant-to-tenant migrations. This can help you turn your business data into a business asset, by enhancing its value, quality, and accessibility. For example, if you migrate your data from various sources to a single destination, such as Microsoft 365, you can consolidate, integrate, and standardise your data, to enable better collaboration, communication, and productivity.

A managed migration service can use Casper365 to perform data transformation, as well as data migration. Casper365 can transform your data, by applying rules, filters, mappings, or conversions, to modify the data according to your specifications.

Risk Comparison

The final argument in favour of DIY tools is that they are safer and more secure than hiring a managed migration service. However, this is also not always true. DIY tools can expose you to more risks and errors because they depend on your skills, knowledge, and experience. DIY tools can also introduce human errors, technical glitches, or compatibility issues, which can compromise the integrity, availability, or confidentiality of your data. For example, DIY tools can cause data loss, corruption, duplication, or leakage. They can also cause data breaches, compliance violations, or legal liabilities.

On the other hand, a managed migration service can reduce the risks and errors of your migration, because it has the skills, knowledge, and experience to avoid them. A managed migration service can also use Casper365, which is a secure and compliant tool that can protect your data during and after the migration. Casper365 can encrypt, backup, and restore your data. It can also audit, log, and track your data. Casper365 can also comply with industry standards and regulations, such as GDPR, ISO, and HIPAA.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a managed migration service with skilled experts and using the Casper365 advanced tooling is a better option than using off-the-shelf tools that allow you to do it yourself. A managed migration service can offer you more value and ROI for your data migration project because it can save you money, deliver higher quality, and reduce risks and errors. If you want to learn more about how a managed migration service can help you migrate your data to the cloud, contact us today.