Cloud migration is the process of transferring some or all of the data, applications to a cloud computing environment. An enterprise can perform different types of cloud migrations. Transfer of data and applications from an on-premises data center to the cloud is one type. Another type of migration is between different cloud providers. There is also a third type which is reverse cloud migration or cloud exit, or cloud repatriation. As the term implies, this process involves data transfer from the cloud to a local data center.
Cloud Migration Strategies
There are different types of cloud migration strategies or approaches. Broadly, there are six R’s of migration.
Rehost : The process of rehosting involves “lift and shift”. This literally means lifting up ongoing applications and redeploying them in the cloud environment. This approach comes handy for organizations where we can transport an exact copy of the current environment without making much changes.
Replatform (Refactor): Next in line comes replatforming or refactoring. Replatform requires optimizing some applications during migration stage. There is no dependency on OS, hypervisor or underlying physical hardware platform. Here, you can retain similar underlying technology but modify the business model.
Repurchase : Repurchasing, aka Replacing is that technique where a SaaS solution having similar capabilities replaces legacy applications. For sales or accounting, this can prove a better use of budget. Since it involves moving to another product, we call this strategy as “drop and shop”.
Refactor : The fourth strategy is to redesign applications in a cloud-native manner. Refactor or re-architect strategy is quite expensive and is usually executed after an initial migration via one of the other approaches, like re-hosting.
Retire : Turning off applications which are not required for cloud migration is called retiring. This strategy helps in determining elements and services that can be turned off so the business can focus on services that are widely used and of immediate value.
Retain : The final cloud migration strategy is about retaining. For some organizations and applications, migration is not necessary. They can keep it on-premises. This situation makes it necessary to adopt a hybrid migration technique. This approach comes handy when you need to run some aspects on-premises.
Types of Cloud Migration
There are mainly three types of cloud migration strategies:
Full Data-center Conversion – In this model, a business can outsource all of its data center hardware to a public cloud host. Full conversion of a data center helps migrate both internal and external business processes away. The migration happens from an on-premises data center or private cloud to a public cloud architecture.
Transfer of Support – In some cases, only a portion of a database, or resource, or software is migrated. This is because in many organizations there is no permission for critical data to be hosted by third parties off-premises due to compliance policies. On the other hand, many companies are not yet ready to function properly with all their software in a remote location. Thus, hybrid or multi-cloud approach helps in cost saving and improves operational efficiency.
Web/mobile application optimization – Currently, the most popular form of cloud migration consists of moving only a set of web or mobile applications to public cloud architecture for hosting and DevOps management purpose.
Benefits of Cloud Migration
The strength of a cloud infrastructure lies in its elasticity. Due to this feature, cloud has many benefits to offer. Some of them being:
Security – Cloud environment offers greater security than the data centers who store your sensitive data centrally. Most of the cloud providers keep unwanted traffic at bay from accessing your data by rolling out improved security features from time to time.
Reduced hosting costs – A cloud data-center runs on a subscription basis. Thus, it can cut out on the costs of physical servers.
Reduced footprint – The server capacity being flexible to fit in your resources, you can reduce your pool of data centers to one or even zero if possible, for reduced environmental impact.
Scalability – Cloud-based services not only leverages scalability but also allow teams to collaborate regarding application updates or issues from anywhere instead of on-site.
Disaster Management – At present, the cloud infrastructure is helping more organizations implement recovery systems and backup solutions. Though it sometimes becomes a bit expensive for smaller businesses, but it is very vital in today’s tech-driven world.
