End-to-end cloud migration process

The cloud migration process is the plan an organization adopts to migrate existing on-premises applications and their associated data into the cloud

There are majorly 3 different types of cloud migration and these can be achieved by following the 6Rs of cloud migration.

Cloud Migration Types:

1. Infrastructure Migration: Migration of underlying infrastructure to the public cloud, which involves various computing services and data storage.
2. Application Migration: Application migration involves converting the application code base to cloud native. Cloud-native application development involves 12-factor principles.
3. Data Migration: Moving the application data to the public cloud, involves writing ETL/ELT pipelines, defining storage strategies for better cost optimization

Cloud Migration Strategies:

A cloud migration strategy is a software modernization process that moves on-premises IT applications, infrastructure, and data to a cloud environment. A migration plan often consists of several strategies, each used to handle a different component of the existing IT architecture. There are seven cloud migration strategies: rehosting, redeployment, repackaging, refactoring, repurchasing, retiring, and retaining.

Adopting a cloud migration strategy helps identify and execute the fastest, lowest cost, and most resilient transition from on-premises to cloud. Each strategy has different strengths and weaknesses, organizations must determine which they should use to migrate a given application depending on several factors.

1. Rehost: The rehosting strategy (“lift and shift”) involves copying the on-premises tech stack and transferring it essentially as is into a cloud environment. Moving the existing application to a solution based on VMs in the public cloud.
2. Replatform: Replatforming involves making a few cloud-compatible changes to optimize the landscape for the cloud. The actual architecture of the application stays the same. Replatform is a good fit for conservative organizations that want to build trust in the cloud.
3. Refactor: Refactoring means building the applications from scratch by leveraging the cloud capabilities that are not available on-premises. Refactoring is also known as building cloud-native applications.
4. Repurchase: Repurchasing entails completely replacing your legacy software with a cloud application purchased from a cloud service provider, most commonly a SAAS platform.
5. Retain: Applications that require a large amount of re-architecting to operate in the cloud and those which are not prioritized for the migration due to lack of business justification.
6. Relocate: Shift infrastructure to the cloud without the need for new hardware, application rewrites, or adjustments to current operations. Technologies like VMware Cloud enable this migration approach.
7. Retire: Once you have assessed your application portfolio for cloud readiness, you might find some applications are no longer useful. In this case, simply turn them off. Companies with extensive legacy software often use this strategy.

The cloud migration process can also be broken down into the following steps:

1. Planning and assessment: The first step is to plan and assess your organization’s needs. This includes identifying the applications and data that will be migrated, as well as the budget and timeline for the project.
2. Migration: The next step is to migrate the applications and data to the cloud. This can be done in a variety of ways, depending on the size and complexity of the project.
3. Testing and validation: Once the migration is complete, it is important to test and validate the applications and data to ensure that they are working properly in the cloud.
4. Deployment and optimization: Once the applications and data are validated, they can be deployed to production and optimized for performance.

The cloud migration process can be a complex and time-consuming undertaking, but it can also offer significant benefits to organizations. By following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that your cloud migration project is successful.

Here are some additional tips for a successful cloud migration:

Start with a small pilot project to test the waters.
Get buy-in from all stakeholders early on in the process.
Use a cloud migration tool to help automate the process.
Plan for and manage the risks involved in cloud migration.
Monitor and optimize your cloud environment after the migration is complete.

By following these tips, you can make your cloud migration project a success.

Benefits of Cloud Migration

There are many benefits to cloud migration, including:

• Reduced costs: Cloud computing can be a more cost-effective way to host IT infrastructure than on-premises data centers. This is because cloud providers can offer economies of scale that organizations can’t achieve on their own.
• Increased agility: Cloud computing can help organizations to be more agile and responsive to changing business needs. This is because cloud resources can be provisioned and scaled up or down quickly and easily.
• Improved security: Cloud providers can offer a higher level of security than many organizations can achieve on their own. This is because cloud providers have the resources and expertise to implement and maintain robust security measures.
• Improved performance: Cloud computing can help organizations to improve the performance of their applications and data. This is because cloud providers can offer high-performance computing resources that are not available to most organizations.

Challenges of Cloud Migration

There are also some challenges associated with cloud migration, including:

• Complexity: Cloud migration can be a complex and time-consuming process. This is because it involves migrating a variety of different applications and data to the cloud.
• Security: There are some security risks associated with cloud migration. This is because organizations are sharing their data with a third-party provider.
• Compliance: Organizations need to ensure that they are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations when migrating to the cloud.
• Cost: Cloud migration can be a costly undertaking. This is because organizations need to pay for the cloud resources that they use.

Conclusion

Cloud migration is a complex and time-consuming process, but it can offer significant benefits to organizations. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can make your cloud migration project a success.