The migration from on-premise Bitrix24 to the cloud. Pretty cool, isn't it?

One of our regular clients requested that we transfer the on-premise edition to the cloud one. At first, it seemed a rather unusual request, as the on-premise solution is considered to be the best option due to the possibility of applying various options. As it turned out, our client didn't not simply need it, and it created a number of difficulties, as Bitrix24 enterprise on-premise version has to be maintained on a separate server, while the already applied customizations have to be corrected upon every update of the system. If you prefer, the cloud version will indeed be more convenient to use:

• Not thinking about the server's efficiency — in the cloud, the vendor is solely responsible for this;
  

• To get the Bitrix24 updates that are released at least two times per year among the first ones;

• To fire the full-time system administrator. Only joking, of course, but this position is indeed not needed in the cloud Bitrix24. 

What will the Bitrix24 support tell you?

If you address the vendor directly with a request to transfer the on-premise edition to the cloud, the answer will be definite — that it is not possible. The move from the cloud to on-premise — anytime: you get the backup systems and set them up on your server. While it's simply impossible to place the on-premise files on the cloud services of the vendor due to a number of technical reasons. Anyway, you'll need to get to the cloud, our company will be able to help you using other methods. 

A bit of info regarding the customer's case

The customer has been actively using the standard functions, such Leads, Deals, Contacts and Bills. Meetings was the only customized feature in the system, which is the tool used for online meetings. The major importance for the customer was to transfer all the Working groups and the documents stored there. Since none of that could not be moved to the cloud, the Avivi professionals suggested eliminating the issue by importing the data and developing the individual application. 

The practical solution

The first step was choosing the cloud rate and purchasing the license. Then, our professionals exported all possible data out of on-premise and imported them into the cloud. This is possible using standard Bitrix24 tools, but requires the developers' attention. The customized tool for meetings from highload-blocks cannot be imported, but can be imitated in the cloud via an application. To do this, we transferred the information into the Cross functional lists in Bitrix24, and placed a special button in the left side of the menu to launch the application. Thus, the customer received the full analogue of their tool in the cloud.

At the same time, we had to work on Groups and the Documents both automatically and manually.  We used REST API (the presentation condition transfer) to create exact copies of the Groups and the Projects in the cloud, then we manually transferred all the information and documentation. This method proved to be the most precise and effective. 

Conclusions

There are various situations: if you understand that you can go by the basic Bitrix24 functionality on the cloud, you won't need to buy the on-premise just because this edition is better. After all, a need to transfer the data into the cloud appeared, our company is also able to perform that as well. Sure, you will not be able to return the old on-premise to the manufacturer, therefore it's better to consider all the options prior to choosing the Bitrix24 rate. Contact us for a free consultation, and we will be more than happy to answer all of your questions.