What Is the Purpose of Cloud Migration?
Businesses usually migrate to the cloud to:
- Retire aging data centers and reduce capital expenditure
- Scale infrastructure up or down based on demand instead of fixed hardware capacity
- Use managed services across Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Improve disaster recovery and business continuity by adopting a multi-cloud setup.
- Support distributed teams with cloud-based applications and data
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are the three cloud platforms most organizations choose because of their extensive ecosystem of cloud services. Take a look at this seven-step AWS cloud migration approach here.
What are the types of Cloud Migration?
Not every migration looks the same. The right approach depends on the workload, its dependencies, and business priorities.
| Migration Type | Description | Best Suited For |
| On-premises to cloud | Moving data and applications from a physical data center to a cloud platform | Businesses retiring legacy infrastructure |
| Cloud-to-cloud | Moving workloads between cloud providers (for example, AWS to Azure) | Organizations looking for better pricing, performance, or reduced vendor lock-in |
| Hybrid cloud migration | Keeping some workloads on-premises while moving others to the cloud | Organizations with regulatory or data residency requirements |
| Application migration | Moving a specific application without migrating the entire environment | Phased, lower-risk migrations |
| Data migration | Moving datasets to cloud storage without migrating complete applications | Backup, archival, and analytics workloads |
What are the proven strategies for Cloud Migration?
The ‘6R’ migration approach is the benchmark for all cloud migration exercises.
- Rehost: Lift and shift workloads with minimal changes
- Replatform: Make small optimizations during the migration
- Repurchase: Replace an existing application with a SaaS alternative
- Refactor: Redesign applications to take advantage of cloud-native services
- Retain: Keep selected workloads on-premises for the time being
- Retire: Decommission applications that are no longer required
While this strategy works in a broader context, consider it a guideline rather than a hard set of rules because every organization has unique challenges. Take it as a template, then add your own requirements and constraints. Therefore, the final approach usually ends up being a hybrid of this framework and your organization's specific needs.
How does the Cloud Migration process work?
A cloud migration usually follows these phases:
- Discovery: Inventory existing applications, data, and dependencies
- Assessment: Evaluate cloud readiness and select the right migration strategy for each workload
- Planning: Sequence workloads, define rollback plans, and establish success metrics
- Execution: Perform data migration and application cutovers
- Optimization: Right-size cloud resources and optimize cloud costs after migration
Skipping the discovery and assessment phases is one of the most common reasons cloud migrations run over budget or take longer than expected.
What are the Best Practices for Cloud Migration?
- Start with a complete inventory of applications and data before migrating anything.
- Prioritize low-risk, low-dependency workloads to build confidence early.
- Establish cost and performance baselines using tools such as AWS Cost Explorer.
- Include rollback plans in every migration phase.
- Involve security and compliance teams from the beginning.
- Continuously monitor cloud spend using FinOps practices instead of waiting for month-end reviews.
What are the advantages of Cloud Migration?
| Benefit | Why It Matters |
| Cost efficiency | Pay only for the compute and storage resources you use |
| Scalability | Increase or decrease resources based on demand |
| Faster innovation | Use managed cloud services to speed up development |
| Improved resilience | Benefit from built-in redundancy across regions and availability zones |
| Simplified maintenance | Reduce infrastructure management by relying on cloud providers |
What are the best practices to follow during Cloud Migration?
- Start with a proof of concept using a non-critical workload.
- Automate repetitive migration tasks using Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
- Tag cloud resources from day one to simplify cost tracking later. CloudKeeper’s comprehensive cloud infrastructure visibility tool CloudKeeper Lens simplifies this task.
- Train internal teams on the target cloud platform before production cutover.
- Review your migration strategy regularly as workloads and cloud pricing evolve.
Planning a move to AWS, Azure, or a multi-cloud environment? CloudKeeper's cloud migration and cost optimization services help organizations plan, execute, and optimize cloud migrations with long-term cost efficiency in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is cloud migration in simple terms?
Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications, and workloads from on-premises infrastructure to a cloud platform or between cloud providers.
Q2:What are the three types of cloud migration?
The most common types are on-premises to cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and hybrid cloud migration, although application migration and data migration are also common depending on the workload.
Q3: What is the biggest challenge in cloud migration?
Poor discovery and assessment of application dependencies are among the most common reasons cloud migrations experience delays, unexpected costs, and downtime.
Q4: Is cloud migration the same as digital transformation?
No. Cloud migration is one part of a broader digital transformation strategy, which also includes changes to business processes, culture, and operating models.
Q5: Which cloud provider is best to migrate to?
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all provide mature migration services. The right choice depends on your existing technology stack, pricing requirements, compliance needs, and workload characteristics.
