There are several key steps involved in constructing a strategy that guarantees a successful cloud migration. Of course, various challenges along the way can threaten the success of the project, but thorough planning can increase the chances of a satisfactory outcome.
A well-designed cloud migration strategy is necessary for businesses seeking to take advantage of the scalability, cost efficiency, and security of the cloud. By understanding the different migration types, and carefully implementing a strategic approach suited to their unique requirements and goals, organizations can reduce the likelihood of issues, and successfully transition to the cloud.
Cloud migration challenges can threaten the success of the project:
Underestimated Resource Utilization: Cloud resource needs require careful consideration to stay within the project budget. Inaccurate forecasting or selection of inappropriate pricing models can result in inadequate resources for the workload, or overprovisioning of resources that results in unnecessary costs.
This section covers the four primary types of cloud migration strategies, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type.
Rehosting, also called lift-and-shift, minimizes the changes necessary for application code or infrastructure. An example of this is moving on-premises virtual machines (VMs) to cloud-based VM instances. A typical use-case is legacy applications with limited resource requirements. Rehosting is typically fast, demands fewer code changes, and reduces downtime potential. This makes it a good option for organizations on a tight deadline.
Refactoring is a process whereby architectural changes are made to remediate problems, enhance features or offer new capabilities. In a cloud migration, the application may be modified to take advantage of cloud-native capabilities or best practices. For example, monolithic applications can be refactored to decouple subsystems into microservices, improving scalability, performance, and maintainability. While refactoring often offers tangible benefits, it is not always feasible or cost-effective.
In a re-platform migration, components of an application are upgraded to leverage cloud capabilities, but it does not drastically affect the architecture. For instance, an organization may gradually migrate an application to a cloud-based database while retaining the majority of its existing backend and frontend code. This approach allows for quick wins, such as access to new features or improved performance, without significant changes to code or schema.
In this type of migration, part or all of an existing application or service is rebuilt into a cloud-native solution. Depending on the extent of changes required, replacement may result in a hybridized on-premises/cloud system or an entirely new cloud application. A complete replacement is a reasonable option when the existing systems are severely outdated or when new functionality is needed, but circumstances make refactoring an undesirable alternative. However, the replacement strategy may not be practical due to the effort involved.
Understanding these migration types informs the creation of a safe and secure cloud migration strategy.
The first and most important step is to clearly outline the reasons driving cloud migration. Understanding the motivations and desired outcomes can help leadership and stakeholders to align on goals. Objectives may include cost savings, agility or scalability, access to new features or services, or improved business continuity.
Gather essential information about the present IT environment. This should include all relevant applications, their components, and purposes. Determine how applications and systems interact, share data, or rely on services in common (e.g., databases, message queues). Assess resource usage, high availability requirements, peak and off-peak workload patterns, performance, and disaster recovery requirements.
One or more cloud providers will align best with the organization’s needs and goals. Evaluate their pricing structures, infrastructure features and services, compliance and security measures, datacenter locations, and partner technology ecosystem.
For all relevant applications, determine the most appropriate migration type based on its characteristics, business objectives, and technical constraints. The most common migration types are Rehost, Refactor, Replatform, or Replace. (Refer to the previous section for more details.)
Validate the migration approach and assumptions by performing a PoC with a small workload representative of the existing environment. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) such as application response time, resource utilization, or cost savings to measure success.
Based on the data gathered from the previous steps, create a full migration plan. A detailed plan outlines milestones or a phased approach, defining a clear sequence in which the application components and dependencies are moved. It should also include the migration teams involved, any automation tools needed, risk management, and a testing strategy for successful migration verification.
Execute the migration plan while closely monitoring progress. Keep communication lines open to ensure stakeholders are aware of the project’s status and available to mitigate any issues that arise. Gather data about application performance and utilization for the final step. Consider creating a migration support desk to ensure efficient issue mitigation and cross-team communication during the cloud migration process.
Once the migration is complete, evaluate the successes and any failures against the original plan, business objectives, and KPIs. Analyze data gathered during the migration to identify opportunities for optimization in terms of cost, performance, or functionality.
These steps comprise a migration plan that supports the organization’s long-term goals.
Cloud migrations can offer a number of benefits which drive business growth and competitiveness:
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