What is the FIRST step a business should take when migrating from a private cloud to a public cloud for business continuity?

When migrating from a private cloud to a public cloud, the first step should be to define the scope of requirements. This foundational action is crucial because it sets the parameters for the entire migration process. By clearly understanding the business needs, compliance requirements, and any specific characteristics of the applications being moved, the organization can make informed decisions regarding other aspects of cloud migration.

Defining the scope of requirements involves identifying which applications and data will be moved, understanding the performance expectations, security needs, and regulatory considerations that might affect the migration. This clarity helps to ensure that subsequent steps—such as developing service level agreements or selecting high availability technology—are aligned with the overall goals and operational metrics necessary for successful migration and continuity.

Other steps like developing a disaster recovery plan, defining application-based SLAs, or identifying HA technology are important, but they are contingent on having a comprehensive understanding of the requirements in the initial planning phase. Without this understanding, it would be challenging to create effective agreements or choose appropriate technologies, thereby potentially leading to issues in the migration process.