Cloud Migration Guide

Cloud migration is the process of moving IT resources, databases, and data to a cloud environment. This could be migrating from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, or from one cloud environment to another. The term covers migration to any form of cloud environment, including public cloud, private cloud, or a hybrid solution.  

Traditionally, cloud migration took the form of organisations moving away from increasingly expensive on-premise hardware and outdated legacy systems which no longer served business needs. Migrating to a cloud environment was a form of digital transformation, allowing the organisation to take advantage of the benefits of cloud hosting. As cloud has become more ubiquitous, most businesses use cloud in some form in their IT infrastructure, so a full migration from on-premise to cloud is less common. However, there are an increasing number of variations in cloud solutions, and a large number of cloud providers, meaning cloud to cloud migrations and partial migrations as part of a hybrid or multi-cloud strategy are more common. 

When considering migrating to the cloud, it’s important to understand that it’s not just about getting there. It is about ensuring the migration process is done in the best way possible. Having managed all types of cloud migrations for our customers, we have first hand experience of common concerns and questions, and can guide you on best practices to get the most from your migration. In this guide we will cover all aspects of cloud migration, so you can enter into the process fully informed.  

Cloud migration can transform the IT infrastructure of a business of any size.  In order to maximize the benefits, it is key to take your time to understand every element of the process. So, what are the steps of a cloud migration?

The first stage of planning your migration is understanding your existing IT infrastructure. 

You will need to understand your current infrastructure, applications and data landscape. To do so, monitor how much machine data your legacy system generates from day-to-day operations. 

Machine data is the record of all of the traffic between points on your network, such as servers and applications. You will be able to see how your different applications and microservices connect, and all of this data will give you insight into the scope of the migration. Getting a benchmark of where you currently are will help you plan where you’re going, and will be helpful down the line to compare and contrast performance.

Key questions to answer here are:

• Which applications need to be moved?
• What sort of environment is needed to support them?
• Where should they be hosted? 
• What infrastructure is needed?

You will also need to consider your business requirements, and how you wish to gain business value through your migration. By aligning with your business objectives, you can develop a strategy that promotes digital transformation, while supporting business growth.

Once you know what sites, data and applications need to be migrated, the next stage is all about planning your cloud solution and migration strategy. 

Depending on your requirements, you may opt for public cloud, private cloud, multi-tenant/enterprise cloud, or a hybrid approach combining elements of each. Experienced cloud architects can design a cloud solution that works for you and is tailored specifically to the requirements of your business, ensuring that you have enough resources, servers and that the solution meets your budget.   

When the cloud solution has been designed, you can begin to think about how to migrate your data, sites and applications. Depending on the specific resources that you wish to migrate, this process will vary. Actions and internal resources that are required should be mapped out with a time scale as part of a high-level project plan.

When it is time to move workloads across to the cloud, a large part of the process involves modernizing existing applications, databases or tools to ensure that they are ready for the cloud. Through this, you will be creating an entirely new operating model that promotes flexibility, efficiency and performance. 

There is no one-size-fits-all formula when you start moving things across to the cloud. The needs of businesses differ, so creating a cloud migration plan that is tailored to your specific requirements is important in ensuring you find a solution that is right for your business.

Related Content: The steps to cloud migration

Cloud migration isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. The right approach depends on your existing infrastructure, business goals, and the complexity of your applications. The most commonly used framework outlines six key migration strategies, often referred to as the “6 Rs of cloud migration”:

Rehost (also known as lift and shift): Rehosting describes the process of shifting an application to the cloud without changing its architecture. While the term most commonly refers to on-premise to cloud migration, it can also be used for cloud-to-cloud migration. 

Replatform: Replatforming involves migrating a site or application to a new platform with minor changes, to avoid a full re-factoring, but while still making optimizations.  

Refactor (also known as Rearchitect): Refactoring is a comprehensive migration strategy, redesigning the platform by rewriting or modifying parts of its code to take full advantage of cloud features. This could involve utilizing features like containers or serverless functions. 

Repurpose: Repurposing refers to replacing an existing application with a cloud-native SaaS solution, for example moving from a self-hosted CRM to Salesforce. 

Retain: Retaining involves keeping certain workloads or databases in existing stand-alone environments or on-premise. This may be due to compliance or latency requirements, or because the system is not ready for migration. In this situation, you create a hybrid infrastructure.

Retire: The retire stage involves identifying and decommissioning applications or infrastructure that are no longer needed. This helps streamline the environment and reduce costs before or during the migration process.

Some frameworks also include a seventh “R” – either Relocate or Reimagine – depending on specific platforms or transformation goals.

With cloud computing dominating the majority of IT workloads, businesses of all sizes are already reaping the rewards of cloud infrastructure. However, for those who are still utilizng on-premise infrastructure as their main environment, migrating to the cloud can provide:

• Increased flexibility
• Ability to scale quickly and easily
• Improved performance and efficiency
• Ability to innovate faster
• Reduction in IT spending

With so many options for cloud hosting, choosing the right provider is key to a smooth migration. There are several points to consider:

It can be difficult to navigate the significant variation in cloud infrastructure, with different platforms, hardware and software to choose from. A provider who takes a consultative approach will review your current sites and applications, and work with you to design and plan your new infrastructure and migration strategy. Read more in our insight on how our consultative approach delivers bespoke solutions. 

The prospect of migration can be stressful for an organisation, but this can be eased by an experienced provider. Look for a provider with 24/7/365 support to give you the peace of mind that you can discuss any questions, concerns, or issues around the migration process. Managed migration services will remove the stress from you of managing this in-house.

Ensure you choose a provider who is transparent and up-front about their pricing when you initially enquire. This will allow you to budget both for the migration, and for your ongoing costs. Check for any hidden costs for scaling your platform which could make the solution unaffordable in the future. Read our insight for more details on why cheap solutions can cost you more in the long run. 

Cloud concentration risk is a high priority for many organisations, referring to the risk of becoming overly reliant on one single cloud platform. A vendor-agnostic managed service provider (MSP) can build a diverse infrastructure to mitigate this risk, and manage all of the vendor communication to simplify this process. Read our insight for more information on mitigating cloud concentration risk.

Many cloud providers offer attractive initial platforms and prices, but apply tactics to stop you from moving away or diversifying your infrastructure. This is known as vendor lock-in. To avoid vendor lock-in, check whether the provider has cloud egress fees (charges to migrate your data), and whether their technologies are compatible with other systems should you need to migrate away. Read our insight for full details on how to avoid vendor lock-in.

Cloud migration offers clear benefits – scalability, flexibility and cost-efficiency – but it can come with some challenges. With thorough planning, these challenges can be mitigated. The most common cloud migration challenges are:

Some applications are easier to move than others. Legacy systems, interdependent databases, and poorly documented codebases can slow progress. Conducting a full assessment before migration will help you understand which workloads are ready to move to the cloud and which may need replatforming or refactoring.

Ensuring that your cloud provider can meet your compliance requirements is vital to protecting your business and avoiding fines, reputational damage or data breaches. Before undertaking a migration, you should check that your provider has a proven track record in compliance and data sovereignty. Learn more about cloud compliance here.

Legacy systems can refer to any hardware or software that is still in use despite being outdated. When not addressed, legacy systems can cause challenges in migration, requiring significant code changes, or not being possible to migrate to the cloud at all. When planning your migration, you should consider whether to refactor, retire, or retain these legacy applications. 

Cloud migration is the first stage of your ongoing cloud strategy. Without proper monitoring, cost control, and security practices, you risk spiralling costs and a sprawling, inefficient environment. Working with a managed service provider can be an effective solution for ongoing management. Read more on managed vs unmanaged cloud.

Workloads often behave differently in cloud environments. If your infrastructure isn’t configured for scalability or high availability, performance may suffer. Test and optimize infrastructure to ensure it will meet business requirements and user expectations after the migration.

It may not always be possible to fully eliminate legacy systems straight away. In some cases, it may be required to plan a gradual migration away from these systems towards a fully modernized infrastructure. There are several ways to manage this:

The hybrid cloud model, which unifies multiple hosting environments, including on-premise, private cloud and public cloud, allows you to assign workloads to the environment best suited to handling them. In this case, legacy components could be kept on-premise, while cloud infrastructure is used for new systems. The makeup of a hybrid cloud solution is flexible, so the migration could gradually increase the capacity of the cloud platform(s) while moving away from legacy systems.

One of the main issues with legacy systems is their lack of integration with newer technology, leading to a disjointed working process. While you should plan to eventually retire the legacy systems, there are improvements you can make for better integration in the meantime. APIs can be used to connect the legacy systems with cloud-based applications, enabling data exchange and a functional interface.

Integrating legacy systems into a modernized infrastructure will require a bespoke solution, as every system will have unique requirements. A cloud provider specializing in custom infrastructure will consult with the organisation to assess the existing systems, create a migration plan, and design a solution to suit their specific needs.

Related content: Reimagining legacy systems: How cloud technology can revolutionise public sector IT

Lift and shift migration is a strategy for moving workloads to the cloud without making changes to their architecture or code. It may also be referred to as rehosting or forklift migration. The term most commonly refers to on-premise to cloud migration, however it can also refer to cloud-to-cloud migration between different providers or cloud environments.

A lift and shift migration moves the workload as is, with minimal changes. This is in contrast to replatforming, refactoring, and rearchitecting, where varying levels of changes are made to the workload during the migration.

Lift and shift is often appealing as it means you can start working from the cloud quickly. However, there are risks to this strategy which should be taken into account.

• Missing the benefits of cloud
• Technical debt
• Inefficiencies
• Security

While it should be approached carefully due to the potential issues listed, there are lift and shift cloud migration benefits that should not be overlooked. There are several instances where lift and shift may be appropriate.

• When speed is critical 
• For legacy systems
• As a starting point for a digital transformation

For more details about everything to do with a lift and shift strategy including the potential risks check out the below resource.

Related Content: Lift and Shift Cloud Migration Explained

Optimization covers many techniques that can be used to streamline your IT infrastructure. This can include reducing the physical and virtual resources used for your workloads, identifying and removing waste, and streamlining processes. The aim of optimization is to improve the performance and cost efficiency of your IT infrastructure.

There are several techniques an MSP can employ to optimize your infrastructure.

By analyzing your workload patterns and resource utilization, and planning for any predicted traffic spikes, your provider can establish the actual resource needs of your infrastructure. They can then allocate resources based on your exact needs, and remove any unneeded resources.

Server consolidation is a method of reducing the number of servers needed to run your workloads, without compromising performance. The process can include combining workloads to a smaller number of servers, replacing servers with higher capacity devices, or replacing some physical servers with virtual machines.

Refactoring is the process of restructuring the code of an application to improve its operation. When initially migrating a workload from on-premise to the cloud, or when optimizing workloads already running on the cloud, refactoring can be used to optimize the workload to run more efficiently.

By monitoring and auditing your infrastructure, an MSP can identify underused resources, performance bottlenecks and wastage. Using the information these processes provide, cloud architects and engineers can then streamline your environment.

Learn more about how an MSP can help your business migrate to the cloud in the below resource.

Related Content: How an MSP can optimise your infrastructure

Many businesses delay migration from on-premise to the cloud, or to a new cloud solution, due to concerns about the impact of the process. There are several specific concerns we often see raised by organisations considering migrating to the cloud. Below, we investigate these concerns, and outline the measures you can put in place to ease this stress and allow you to take advantage of an optimized cloud platform for your business.

An experienced provider can manage the full migration process for you, so you can be assured that your migration will be handled with the care and expertise required. This removes the need for you to have the resources to manage the migration in-house, as well as giving you peace of mind that your platform is being configured and managed by experts.

To avoid disruption, you should consider a staged strategy, prioritizing live sites and applications. If you have certain hours when your traffic is lowest, you can plan the migration for these off-peak times, ensuring minimal disruption. Thoroughly planning your migration strategy will also reduce the risk of any issues which could cause extended periods of downtime.

You should back up your data before the migration process, so in the event of any data corruption or loss, you can restore from this back-up with minimal disruption. You can also test elements of the migration to identify any points where data could be corrupted or lost. By taking these measures, and working with a provider who manages the migration, rather than managing this in-house,you minimize any risk of data loss, and ensure that you are protected. 

Before beginning your migration, you should have a thorough consultation with your provider, who will assess your sites and applications. The compatibility with the new environment will be dependent on a number of factors, including differences in configurations, dependencies or performance. Your provider can analyse where any potential incompatibilities or performance issues may arise, and advise on where code may need refactoring, as well as conduct testing in the new environment. Using this information, you can work with your provider on a plan to seamlessly migrate critical workloads.