From here to the cloud. Without any obstacles.
Anyone can move data. But migrating data securely, completely and without downtime to the Swiss cloud — that requires planning, test runs and experience.
A migration sounds simple: moving data from A to B. In practice, it is one of the most delicate moments in the life of an IT infrastructure.
Data is moved between databases, applications or environments. Whether it’s a system upgrade, a hardware change, a company merger or a split. The reason varies. The risk remains the same: if something goes wrong, you often only realise it when it’s too late.
The target infrastructure, set up automatically in step 4 in the stepping stone data centres, is ready. Now it’s time for the data.
What can go wrong
We’re being open about this because you need to know: data may be transmitted insecurely. It may arrive incomplete. The process may take longer than planned and therefore become more expensive. With large volumes of data, there is a risk of outages that could disrupt business operations.
These are not theoretical risks. These are the reasons why every migration at stepping stone is treated as a standalone project.
How we migrate
Step 1 - Data analysis. Before anything is moved, we analyse the data on the source and target systems. What is where, in what condition, and in what formats? We need a complete picture before the first data record is moved.
Step 2 - Data cleansing. Formats are standardised, duplicates removed and inconsistencies resolved. A migration is an opportunity not only to change location, but also to tidy things up.
Step 3 - Data transfer. The actual migration. We generally carry out online migrations to minimise downtime. Where a maintenance window is required, you help to determine the date. We prefer to schedule migrations during off-peak hours.
Step 4 - Testing. After the migration, we test the integrity of your data. Has everything been transferred successfully? Are the relationships correct? Are the applications functioning as expected? Only once the testing has been successfully completed is the migration considered complete.
What sets stepping stone apart
Test runs before the real thing. Before your production systems are migrated, test systems go through the entire process. This allows us to document every step, identify errors at an early stage and rectify them before it really matters.
Ongoing communication. You know exactly where we stand at all times. The migration date is announced two weeks in advance. We keep you updated throughout the migration. No radio silence, no surprises.
Your planning, your pace. We agree on maintenance windows together. We adapt to your operations, not the other way round.
The secure transition
Data is the most valuable asset in your IT environment. We ensure that this transition is documented, verified and carried out without any gaps. Your data never leaves Switzerland. What comes next — the switchover to the new environment — is Step 6.