53% of decision-makers say that moving to the cloud is integral to their business operations. However, like any other part of your IT system, you need to make sure that your cloud migration strategy is tailored to your specific business needs.
“Cloud migrations aren’t one-size-fits-all. While the steps in a standard migration plan are relatively similar, you need to select the ideal strategy and follow the specific steps accordingly.” – Jason Cary, VP of Sales at FTI Services.
There are a lot of decisions that you need to make. Firstly, you need to decide between a private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud, and choose which cloud service to move to. After that, you need to decide how you’re going to move your business information to your chosen cloud.
This article is here to help you make this decision. We’ll explore the most common cloud migration strategies, how to use them, and how to choose the best ones for your migration project.
What Are The Benefits of Migrating to The Cloud?
Migrating to the cloud offers businesses greater flexibility because you can scale resources based on demand without the need for significant hardware investments. It’s generally also more cost-effective to store data in the cloud compared to an in-house server. 50% of CIOs report that using the cloud means spending less money on IT resources.
Exploring the 7 Rs of Cloud Migration
The most common cloud migration strategies are often referred to as the “7 Rs.” In most cases, the process of moving applications and data will fall into one of these 7 categories.
Description | When to Use | |
Rehost | Also called “lift and shift,” this involves migrating applications to the cloud with minimal changes. | When speed is a priority, and the application doesn’t require significant modernization. |
Replatform | Involves making minor adjustments to optimize the application for the cloud without major changes to the core. | When small improvements can unlock cloud benefits, such as cost savings or scalability. |
Refactor | Entails re-architecting or re-coding the application to fully leverage cloud-native features. | When an application requires modernization to achieve scalability, performance, or agility goals. |
Repurchase | Replacing the existing application with a new cloud-based solution, often a SaaS offering. | When the current application is outdated or too expensive to maintain and better alternatives exist. |
Retire | Decommissioning applications that are no longer useful or relevant to the business. | When an application is redundant or offers no business value. |
Retain | Keeping applications on-premises due to technical or business constraints. | When regulatory, latency, or cost requirements prevent cloud migration. |
Relocate | Moving the application to the cloud without making any changes, usually using VMware or other similar tools. | When you want to maintain on-premises architecture in the cloud, often as an intermediate step. |
Be aware that you don’t need to use only one R for your whole cloud migration process. It is more likely that you will need to choose each one based on the specific application or dataset in question. You may also combine strategies for the same data. For example, an application may initially be rehosted for speed but later replatformed to optimize performance.
Which Cloud Migration Strategy Should You Choose? [Based on The 7 Rs]
When planning your cloud migration strategy, treat each application or dataset independently and consider the following factors. Your final migration plan should outline how your team is to treat each application being moved based on your selected strategies.
1. Business Value
High-value applications critical to operations may warrant modernization through refactoring or replatforming to maximize performance and scalability. On the other hand, lower-value or redundant systems can often be retired to keep your cloud environment clean and reduce costs.
2. Speed vs. Optimization
If immediate cloud migration is needed, rehosting allows quick transitions with minimal adjustments. You can revisit optimization later with re-platforming or refactoring. However, if high performance is required from the start, you may want to consider re-platforming or refactoring from the start, even if it requires more time upfront.
3. Complexity
Simple or standalone applications are often ideal for rehosting or replatforming. Complex applications with extensive dependencies may need refactoring to operate efficiently on cloud computing platforms. 35% of organizations say that the complexity of their varying applications is their biggest cloud adoption challenge. For this reason, you may want to consider allocating additional time for such migrations.
4. Compliance & Security
If you have any data that is subject to strict compliance requirements, you may need to retain them on-premises or move to a private cloud server. Applications like stock trading platforms or live monitoring systems that depend on low latency may also need to be retained.
5. Lifespan of Applications
Applications nearing end-of-life can be retired to reduce clutter and save resources. 44% of businesses overspend on underused applications, so your migration may be a chance for you to weed them out. Comparatively, active applications with room for growth should be refactored or re-platformed to extend their lifecycle and increase value.
What Else You Need to Know Before You Start Your Migration Project |
6. Performance Requirements
Applications with high-performance requirements may need to be refactored so they can leverage cloud-native features like auto-scaling or serverless architectures. Batch processing systems or back-office applications with predictable loads are better suited to rehosting or replatforming.
7. Dependencies
Applications with strong interdependencies might require a coordinated approach, such as migrating all related systems together using rehosting or replatforming. Independent applications or datasets are easier to move and may be good candidates for repurchasing or refactoring.
Can You Switch Cloud Migration Strategies Midway Through a Project?
Although it’s not ideal, you can switch cloud migration strategies midway through a project. However, your first priority should be to carefully plan your cloud migration so you won’t have to face this challenge later.
Unexpected complexities with legacy applications or compatibility issues may demand a different approach than anticipated. New priorities may render the current strategy inadequate, or the original plan may exceed timelines, forcing a switch to a faster strategy.
Still, changing strategies should be your last resort in these cases. Try to implement mitigation techniques for your specific challenges before changing your entire migration strategy.
If you must switch, be mindful of the costs of rework, new tools, and potential downtime. Also, switching strategies often lead to delays. Update project schedules and communicate changes to stakeholders.
Ask California’s Leading IT Consultants to Lead Your Cloud Migration | |||||||
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Let Our Team Support Your Successful Cloud Migration
While many businesses are capable of performing a cloud migration internally, it’s not always easy. There is a lot that you need to consider, and your in-house experts may not have the time or ability to perform all the tasks that you need done.
Whether you need an additional set of hands or someone to conduct your migration for you, FTI Services can help. We can evaluate your current infrastructure to determine preparedness for a cloud migration. Then, we’ll facilitate the secure transfer of your data and applications to any major cloud platform, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Contact us today to tell us about your needs.