The cloud is an essential part of modern business, enabling companies to take advantage of flexible, scalable, and cost-effective computing resources. As a leader in your organization, you may have recognized the need to migrate to Amazon Web Services (AWS), the most popular cloud platform, to gain myriad competitive advantages. However, transitioning to the cloud can be a daunting task, and it’s crucial to approach it with the right strategy and knowledge.

When planning public cloud environments, two commonly used words are “progress” and “results.” While positive results may be achieved at the end of a well-organized, meticulously planned journey, the first few crucial steps set your orientation on the journey. Let’s take a closer look at these steps, using a Microsoft Azure virtual machine (VM) environment as an example.