Cloud migration helps reduce operating costs, improve flexibility, and boost system uptime. But getting there isn’t always straightforward. Without the right expertise, missed dependencies or poor planning can delay projects and increase costs. AWS consultants step in to manage the technical complexity, while partners like nTrust keep things running smoothly once you’re live.
AWS consultants bring in-depth technical expertise, while nTrust ensures that your migration strategy fits how your business runs day to day. Whether you’re planning your first migration or fine-tuning your setup post-launch, we’ve helped SMEs at every stage.
What Problems Do AWS Consultants Help Solve for SMEs?
SMEs often face technical challenges that slow or jeopardise the migration process. You might have outdated infrastructure, strict compliance obligations, or simply not enough time to upskill your internal team. An AWS consultant helps tackle these barriers early.
Here’s how an AWS consultant typically supports a successful migration:
- Design systems with high availability using phased rollouts and fallback plans.
- Match your needs to the right AWS services so you’re not overspending or under-provisioning.
- Guide you through compliance measures such as Cyber Essentials, ISO, or data residency rules.
We’ve worked with SMEs who didn’t realise that failing to tag resources correctly could make cloud costs spiral out of control. Others were hit with surprise issues when forgotten dependencies brought applications offline. With an experienced team in place, you avoid these mistakes.
Do You Need Both an AWS Consultant and an IT Partner?
For most SMEs, yes. AWS consultants focus on cloud architecture and tooling. But migration success also depends on how that architecture fits your users, systems, and internal workflows.
Consultants can identify gaps you may not have spotted like a dependency on an outdated authentication system or VPC rules that conflict with your firewall setup. They’ll also help you control costs by configuring tools like Trusted Advisor or CloudWatch.
At nTrust, we cover the business side: we handle internal training, coordinate system integrations, and manage your ongoing cloud operations. Together, this covers both the infrastructure setup and the day-to-day impact on your users.
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What Are the Key Stages of an AWS Cloud Migration?
Most migrations follow the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP), which breaks down into three clear phases:
1. Assess
A consultant audits your systems, uncovers dependencies, and sets project goals. They use AWS tools like Migration Evaluator or the Well-Architected Framework.
nTrust works alongside to prepare your organisation making sure your team is ready and that expectations are aligned.
2. Mobilise
Consultants build your AWS landing zone and automate provisioning. This stage also identifies skill gaps and ensures internal readiness.
We help you communicate changes across departments and keep operations moving during technical build-out.
3. Migrate & Modernise
Workloads move to AWS using tools like Application Migration Service. This phase might include replatforming or refactoring legacy systems.
nTrust supports rollout, monitors cloud performance, and manages fine-tuning once everything’s live.
What Should SMEs Ask Before Migrating to AWS?
Start with your business objectives: do you want to reduce spend, improve agility, or meet specific security requirements? Then dig into the operational side: who on your team will manage IAM permissions? Who will monitor CloudTrail or apply security patches?
Overlooking these roles early in the process can delay timelines and increase costs later.
If you’re unsure what to prioritise, talk to our AWS migration team. We’ll walk through your current setup and advise where to start.
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What Are the Most Common AWS Migration Mistakes for SMEs?
We’ve seen businesses dive into AWS without considering the full impact on licensing, integrations, or user workflows. That usually leads to cost overruns, downtime, or missed compliance targets.
An AWS consultant may deliver the infrastructure, but it takes a partner like nTrust to ensure it works with your business systems. We help map out these risks, avoid delays, and maintain productivity throughout.
How Do AWS Consultants and nTrust Help Reduce Migration Risk?
AWS consultants use proven methodologies to design secure cloud environments. But avoiding disruption requires precision.
We worked with a client who overlooked DNS TTL settings and ended up with broken routing post-migration. It required hours to diagnose and resolve. An experienced technical partner catches these issues before they affect live systems.
nTrust manages these technical details such as IAM setups, VPC configurations, backup routines, so your team doesn’t need to firefight during or after go-live.
What Support Do SMEs Need After an AWS Migration?
Once the migration is complete, there’s still plenty to manage. Patching, monitoring, and cost optimisation can’t be put on autopilot.
nTrust continues to work with your team, adjusting storage, right-sizing resources, and managing cloud governance. We ensure your AWS environment remains secure, efficient, and aligned with your evolving needs.
For most SMEs, adding full-time AWS expertise isn’t practical. That’s why we act as your cloud operations partner making AWS work without increasing headcount.
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Plan for Long-Term AWS Success with nTrust as your Partner
AWS consultants play a fundamental role in getting your migration right. But sustainable success depends on having the right operational support after go-live.
At nTrust, we help SMEs plan, migrate, and scale on AWS. We focus on fitting AWS to your business. With ongoing support and a practical approach, you’ll get the most out of your cloud investment.