The modern connected workplace should be secure, flexible, and accessible. To meet these demands, Amazon Web Services (AWS) built its cloud services on the principles of the Well-Architected Framework, allowing organisations to benefit from the best data security and protection frameworks. Follow these tips and best practices to make the most of your migration to AWS and take advantage of its security features and options.
Pre-Migration Planning
Migrating to a secure cloud-based service requires proper planning and preparation. Creating a pre-migration plan can help you identify your needs and select the correct services.
- Assess security needs. Identify the most sensitive data your organisation handles and determine what data must comply with regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS.
- Evaluate current policies. Check your organisation’s existing security policies and identify any gaps or vulnerabilities the AWS environment can address, such as inadequate real-time monitoring, poor data encryption, or lack of multi-factor identification.
- Choose the right AWS services. Review the list of available AWS services and select the ones that best meet your needs. For instance, Amazon WorkSpaces is a common choice for distributed workforces who need a secure desktop-as-a-service solution. Consider AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control access to your business data with a profiles and permissions system for your organisation members.
Migration Strategy
Once you have established a migration plan, develop a strategy to ensure your migration to a cloud-based workplace is as efficient as possible.
- Establish a timeline. Create a detailed timeline for your migration process. Define clear, achievable milestones so you can measure and track your migration process in detail.
- Prioritise your migration tasks. Visualise your current infrastructure and applications to determine what assets need to be moved to the cloud and in what order.
- Security-first approach. Define and assign clear roles and responsibilities for your team members. Use these definitions to adopt a security-first approach and determine data access controls with tools like AWS IAM. Then, transfer data using secure protocols, such as AWS Direct Connect and AES-256 encryption algorithms.
Execution of Migration
During the migration process, the first step is to configure your AWS environment and set it up according to your business needs. Configure basic AWS resources, such as EC2 instances, S3 buckets, VPC settings, and the IAM roles and policies established in the migration plan.
Then, use secure transfer methods to move your data over to the AWS servers, such as AWS Direct Connect, ensuring it is not exposed to the public internet during your data migration phase.
Secure Your Future in the AWS Cloud
Partnering with an AWS specialist such as WOLK can help ensure your business data migration goes as planned. Our services range from pre-migration planning and execution to post-migration security audits, employee training, and continuous monitoring to ensure maximum data safety.