The IT world is split into two camps: while some root to constantly update all hardware and software, the other group prefers to leave the foundation still while updating with the modern cloud business solutions now and there.
We at Corpsoft Solutions prefer the second, more cost-effective method since it lowers business risks while providing data continuity. That way, you can gradually implement new features without fear of breaking the system.
Today, we’ll review the benefits of moving to the cloud, why it’s a great choice for any business, and how to integrate it into your workflow properly.
Review Your Current Infrastructure
Before integrating anything into your platform, you should evaluate its core. If it’s stable and works well, let it be. Believe us, you don’t want to change what’s perfectly working. For instance, Facebook didn’t change its core code for 20+ years, and it still works well.
However, if you know that your platform’s core is out-of-date or too weak for your current needs, you may change it. But in most cases, cloud software development will be just enough. There are three most common integration strategies:
- Cloud Tweaks for Modernization: If your core systems are relatively new and compatible, consider adding cloud components like storage, backup, or disaster recovery. It can enhance performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency without a complete overhaul. So, it’s like modifying the muscle car new features to an old device without fully replacing it.
- Selective Updates: For older systems, identify critical components to update. Focus on areas that impact security, performance, or compliance.
- Phased Replacement: Consider a phased approach if your core systems are outdated and require significant changes. Replace components gradually to minimize disruption and leverage cloud benefits as you go.
Platform Evaluation
Why is platform evaluation so important? Well, imagine you’re getting ready for a long road trip without checking your car first. In this case, it’s just as crucial to ensure that all parts are functioning well and ready for the increased load. So if you decide to modify your platform, it’s time to evaluate it properly. What business processes do you want to improve? What changes do you want to see? Maybe you need to adopt some risky disruptive technology. How does it affect your business?
Assess if the systems still meet your current and anticipated business needs. Are they efficient, scalable, and secure? Will your current core work well with cloud application solutions? If not, how can you change it?
What’s the price of cloud migration? Does it benefit you in the long run? Sometimes, businesses are scared to implement enterprise cloud applications due to their high cost. But they forget that what may seem like an “unreasonably huge payment” in the short run may become a useful money-saving solution in the long term.
Risk Assessment
New system integration is a complex process. We recommend conducting a risk assessment to make it as smooth as possible. Here is what you need to do:
- Analyze the compatibility of the legacy and new components: Ensure that all new solutions are compatible with your current system.
- Conduct a security assessment: Check whether your new system has security vulnerabilities. Inspect data privacy to determine whether your system withstands modern compliance requirements.
- Take Performance and scalability inspections: Check the system’s productivity with stress tests to find potential bottlenecks.
- Inspect Integration complexity: Be aware of vendor lock-in and evaluate the portability of your data and applications across different cloud providers. No one is safe from the potential integration issues.
- Conduct cost analysis: Calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO) for your current systems and the proposed cloud integration.
Consider factors like licensing fees, hardware costs, maintenance, and cloud service fees.
Now, you can take the next step and develop a precise integration plan.
Why It’s So Important To Choose Proper Integration Strategy
It’s crucial to pick your cloud service integration strategy carefully. Otherwise, you risk launching a platform full of bugs that interfere with user experience, lose data, and negatively affect the business’s reputation. But if you spend just a few days (or weeks, depending on the project’s complexity) more on planning, you’ll save time and nerves of all team members, minimizing any risks.
Which To Choose? 4 Most Common Cloud Business Transformation Approaches
The four most common cloud migration approaches are API, middleware, data migration, and hybrid cloud. The main operating principle of API is that you connect two previously unrelated platforms, and they communicate using an API interface. Middleware is slightly different since it connects different components of two programs, transforming data into a format that is comprehensible to both platforms.
So, while API integration allows you to access some connected service functions, middleware connects two systems more directly. Most businesses use both approaches simultaneously.
Data migration of cloud-based software solutions is used to unite data from different sources into a singular base. It happens most during the systems’ updating or transitioning to the new platform. It’s a one-time process, but it may take weeks or months, depending on your current and future systems.
Hybrid Cloud is the fourth approach. It combines both local and cloud technology solutions. While some crucial and sensitive data is still on a local server, you can speed up your system by placing less crucial data on the cloud. It improves your scalability and optimizes your budget. But you need to carefully plan it to ensure the best outcome.
The final choice depends on the business’s needs, resources, and system’s complexity. Determine your needs and how to make this cloud business transformation as safe as possible.
How To Use Microservices and API to Connect Legacy and Modern Software
Cloud computing implementation can be tricky with old systems, but it is still possible to combine even the oldest systems with modern software with complex features like AI-based offers. Here is how you can use them in your business:
- Identify functional units: Determine functions that you need to update.
- Develop independent services: Each service should have its database and be independent from other units. That way, it will be easier for you to change and modify new cloud components.
- Use concretization: Deploy microservices in dockers to simplify further management.
We ask you to change components and update systems gradually. It’s better to spend an extra week or two to ensure that you get a perfectly working system rather than release a buggy service that lowers your reputation.
Using APIs With Legacy
Deploying APIs with legacy is one of the most effective solutions to improve relatively old but not antique systems. This decision helps you to automate routine processes, gradually making your platform more relevant for modern needs.
It’s the most beneficial cloud application management practice for those who want to create a present-day platform while still having a tight budget. Here is how you can create a stable API for legacy:
- Conduct the analysis: Determine what features you need to have in your new service and what APIs can help you with it.
- Choose the protocol: The most common API developing protocols are RESTful і GraphQL.
- Develop the API: It’s common to use adapter tools that “translate” API to the programming language that is understandable for your current system.
- Test the system: Test your new system thoroughly to determine its reliability, security, and ease of access.
- Create documentation: Develop precise API documentation so you can refer to those papers where you need to.
As of early 2025, the most common cloud business transformation cases are:
- Integration of the legacy ERP (enterprise resource planning system) with new CRM: API allows you to synchronize clients and order data between two systems.
- Connecting legacy accounting systems to the online shop: API helps your system to automatically update the stock balance in the shop by collecting data from the old system.
- Data Enrichment: Enhancing existing data with additional information from external sources through APIs.
- Mobile Integration: Developing mobile apps that can access and utilize data from legacy systems.
- Modernizing User Experience: Improving the user experience of older systems by integrating modern UI/UX design principles.
And it’s just a drop in the bucket! There are hundreds of enterprise cloud applications, and software development experts can help you find the one that will work the best in your situation.
Middleware Software As a Bridge Between Legacy And New Systems
Middleware software is an essential tool during the integration of old and new systems. It allows you to combine different software components into a singular modern system.
We recommend you consider the potential complexity and scalability of future systems. It’s crucial to ensure that new middleware software will work perfectly with your current infrastructure and will easily scale up or down in the future. If someone from the team has an experience with some middleware, it may simplify the deployment. Here are the most common usage cases of middleware software:
- Combining data from different sources: Middleware assembles data from different systems and gathers them into a singular database.
- Automatization of current business processes: Middleware can automate most business processes, improving collaboration between different departments.
- Data transmitting: You can use middleware to share data and messages between different systems in real-time.
- Data transformation: Middleware can convert data from one format to another to ensure compatibility of both systems.
Middleware is a crucial part of modern software development since it can provide continuity of business operations while concealing the complexity of this process to users. These tools can help you balance the system, ensuring its user-friendliness and reliability.
The most common middleware solutions are Apache Camel, Mulesoft, IBM Integration Bus, and Dell Boomi. They are cloud solutions that simplify the integration of cloud-based software solutions with old systems.
Testing The Integration
Once you have done the cloud software development, it’s time to test the system. As we usually say, it’s better to spend extra time testing and releasing perfectly working software rather than spending the same time after the release with a buggy project. Here is what you need to inspect:
- Functional testing: Verify whether all functions work as well as you planned.
- Integrational testing: Check whether different components work perfectly well.
- Load testing: Evaluate the productivity of your system under a heavy workload.
- Stress testing: Test your system under extreme conditions, such as increasing user load, resource depletion, bandwidth throttling, etc.
- Regression testing: Check whether your current systems still work well even after the modifications.
- Safety testing: Evaluate potential vulnerabilities and how you can protect your system from them.
There are dozens of testing tools. However, not all of them are great for exploring the integration of new and old systems.
Which option to choose depends on the system and its complexity, your needs, and your approximate budget.
Wrapping Up
In most cases, the best strategy when you want to update your system is to actually just precisely update it with cloud solutions. That way, you can keep the legacy core while gradually updating your system. The main benefit of cloud storage is that they are saving money and effort.
Developing a new system from scratch takes at least 5-6 months, while the updating process may take a few weeks. Obviously, it depends on the system’s complexity, but you save a lot of time while making sure that your core features still work perfectly.
There are various types of cloud computing for small businesses. Speaking of the enterprise scale, you have even more freedom of action. It’s easy to get lost in all its diversity.
We at Corpsoft Solutions are glad to help you in this journey. We are experts in software development and cloud computing implementation and can work with systems in any niche, from e-commerce to health tech and fintech. We will help you assess your business needs, develop a tailored strategy, and guide you toward achieving your marketing goals. Book your first consultation today to see the first results tomorrow!
FAQ
- What is the benefit of using cloud computing in networking?
The major benefit of cloud computing solutions is the increased scalability while staying under a considerate budget. Cloud providers offer flexible infrastructure, allowing businesses to adjust their network resources to meet changing demands. You can quickly scale up your network during peak usage periods or scale down when demand decreases.
- What are cloud-based applications?
These are software programs that are hosted on remote servers and accessed over the internet. With them, you don’t need to spend extra time and effort maintaining local servers, as those applications will be available no matter where you are today.
- What are the benefits of cloud storage?
Cloud storage provides you with increased accessibility and scalability, as you can increase and decrease storage to perfectly meet your needs. Cloud storage has already come with robust security measures and sophisticated data encryption. They also force real-time collaboration and simplify sharing between everyone involved.
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