Moving Oracle workloads to the cloud: 5 key decisions

Company data is paramount, helping businesses build competitive advantages for their products and services they provide.  With the influx of data being captured and monetized, organizations are actively looking at ways to modernize their applications and critical infrastructure to be more responsive and scalable to meet these demands.

Businesses are migrating Oracle workloads to the Cloud 

Cloud is rapidly becoming imperative for businesses that need to deliver more than what on-premises IT can. Most organizations are contemplating moving their applications and databases out of their data centers.  

With the Oracle Database being the most widely used enterprise RDMS on the market, companies large and small are faced with how to move these critical on-premise Oracle workloads to the cloud.

5 key factors for your migration decision-making process

Despite many advantages that you may have laid out as reasons to move to the cloud, you must weigh certain factors before fully committing.  These factors come into play before deciding on the migration process:

Evaluating the on-premise database you want to migrate

Assessing the Database you are looking to migrate to the cloud is key.  Databases running on-premise are not always as simple as a 1-1 “Lift & Shift” to the cloud of your choice.  Evaluating the workload characteristics, business requirements, performance, and specific Oracle database features leverages in the current environment all come into play.  There are Oracle advanced features such as Real Application Cluster (RAC) that may not be compatible in clouds platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google.

Choosing a Shared or Dedicated Cloud Environment

One of the questions that our customers ask is “should we migrate to a shared or dedicated cloud environment?”

Determining the appropriate cloud environment for your Oracle workload can be done by profiling the application, database, security, regulatory requirements, and costs. The shared cloud environment has multiple customers that share a single server and the same resources (bandwidth, disk space, and memory allocation). It is better suited for customers that have limited bandwidth, less performance requirements, budget conscious, and are also looking for a reduced administration.

The dedicated cloud environment is for customers that have stringent data security requirements, regulatory requirements for dedicated hosts, customized application modules, and high performance needs. In this environment the customer has full access to the hosting servers, has administrative autonomy, dedicated bandwidth, and diskspace.

Security

One of the critical issues that many customers face when migrating to cloud is security of their data and the applications. This issue poses a difficult challenge especially when there is a possibility of data exposure, insider threats, external attacks, accidental errors, regulatory compliance violations, using insecure APIs, and user accessibility.

Addressing security threats and mitigating the risks factors can be done by implementing some the following processes and procedures:

• Implement stringent secure protocols that will lockdown operating system access 
• Install security certificates that will validate product security 
• Implement proper user authentication 
• Monitor and log user access 
• Make sure the customer cloud environment is in compliance with all required regulatory standards 
• Make sure the software implemented in the cloud is always updated with latest critical and security patches
• All the applications and databases have proper logging and monitoring 
• Applications are accessed over secure channels
• System and database backups are regularly taken and monitored

Oracle Licensing Impact in Cloud Computing Environments

Whether migrating an existing database workload or considering a new Oracle workload in the cloud, Oracle licensing typically plays a major factor.  In some Clouds your only license option is a “Bring Your Own License (BYOL)” model.  Oracle Cloud offers both BYOL and a Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) option where your licenses are included as part of your monthly cloud service.  Amazon provides a very limited DBaaS offering within RDS.

Core Factoring:  Oracle requires you to factor the number of virtual cores (vCPUs) based on the authorized cloud computing vendor you chose.  Provided is a link with the Oracle published policy.

When moving an existing on-premise Oracle Database workload to a cloud platform, you need to consider what you are currently running and licensed for, and how that maps to the cloud shape/platform you are considering.  In many situations, whether on-premise or a new Oracle workload, moving to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure requires significantly less Oracle licensing requirements than AWS or Azure based on Oracle’s core factor.  Additionally, Oracle’s DBaaS option provides a variety of benefits and flexibility when looking at new Oracle Database workloads.

Selecting the right migration partner

Choosing the right partner with the experience to help you navigate these decision points and others is invaluable.  A partner that can not only understand your requirements but can assess the financial and technical impacts and provide a roadmap for your organization to successfully execute against is key.  Specialized Oracle partners, such as MiCORE Solutions, have the day-to-day experience and working knowledge to assist you down the right cloud path.

Why you need to go for MiCORE as your Oracle Cloud Partner

With Cloud Platforms gaining traction in the market at a rapid pace, MiCORE leverages its core competency around Oracle databases and cloud expertise to help clients make seamless Oracle workload transitions to Cloud Platforms. 

MiCORE, a partner to help you Understand, Architect, Migrate, and Manage your Oracle workload in the RIGHT cloud platform.   We help our clients maximize their investments in Oracle technology.

MiCORE Service Offerings:

• Cloud Architecture and Planning
• Cloud Migration and Implementation Services
• Oracle Managed Cloud Services
• Oracle License Management