Cloud migration isn't just about moving servers — it's about rethinking how your applications run, scale, and recover from failure. After helping dozens of companies migrate to AWS and Azure, here's what we've learned about doing it right.
The 6 R's of Migration
Every workload falls into one of six strategies:
- Rehost (lift and shift) — Move as-is to cloud VMs. Fastest but least optimized.
- Replatform — Minor tweaks (e.g., swap to managed database) without code changes.
- Refactor — Rearchitect for cloud-native services. Most effort, biggest gains.
- Repurchase — Replace with SaaS (e.g., self-hosted CRM → Salesforce).
- Retire — Decommission unused workloads.
- Retain — Keep on-premises for now (compliance, latency requirements).
Phase 1: Assessment (Weeks 1-2)
Before touching any infrastructure, map your entire application landscape. Document dependencies, data flows, compliance requirements, and performance baselines. This step prevents 90% of migration surprises.
Phase 2: Foundation (Weeks 3-4)
Set up your cloud foundation: VPC/VNet design, IAM policies, logging, monitoring, and CI/CD pipelines. Getting this right early saves months of pain later.
Phase 3: Migration (Weeks 5-12)
Start with low-risk, non-critical workloads. Build confidence and refine your runbooks before tackling production systems. Use blue-green deployments to enable instant rollback.
Phase 4: Optimization (Ongoing)
Cloud costs can spiral without governance. Implement auto-scaling, right-size instances, use reserved/spot capacity, and set up cost alerts. Most companies can reduce their cloud bill by 30-40% through optimization alone.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Migrating without a rollback plan
- Ignoring data transfer costs
- Over-provisioning resources "just in case"
- Skipping security reviews for cloud-native services
- Not training your team on cloud operations
Need help planning your migration? Our cloud engineers have guided companies from startups to enterprises through successful AWS and Azure migrations. Get a free assessment.
