Introduction
For many businesses, cloud migration is an important step in the digital transformation journey. But what exactly does “cloud migration” mean? In short, it’s the process of transitioning applications, data, and other resources from an on-premises environment to a cloud-based platform. To do this successfully, businesses need to understand the various strategies for cloud migration. Let’s take a look at six common types of cloud migration.
Types Of Cloud Migration
Re-host or Lift and Shift
Re-hosting (also known as lift and shift) is one of the most straightforward forms of cloud migration. It refers to migrating existing applications to the cloud without making any changes or modifications. This method is often used when a business needs to migrate quickly, lacks resources for more complex migrations, or wants to test out the cloud without committing too much time or money. Keep in mind that this method isn’t always ideal—if your application can benefit from performance improvements or cost savings by reworking it, then re-hosting won’t get you those benefits.
Re-platform
Re-platforming involves leveraging existing code while still taking advantage of new features offered by different platforms. This method is often used when a business decides to move from one platform (e.g., Amazon Web Services) to another (e.g., Microsoft Azure). It requires more effort than re-hosting but may be worth it if you want your application to be able to take advantage of certain features offered only by specific platforms.
Re-factor
Refactoring refers to changing an application’s code structure while leaving its functionality intact. This approach is often used when a business wants its application to be compatible with multiple platforms and devices without having to rewrite large portions of code every time they want to make a change or add new features. Refactoring also helps reduce costs associated with maintaining legacy systems and updating them for compatibility with newer devices and platforms.
Re-purchase
As its name implies, re-purchasing involves buying an entirely new application instead of trying to migrate an existing one. This approach can be beneficial if your existing system doesn’t support modern technology standards or can’t be adapted easily enough for use on different platforms and devices—it might just make more sense (in terms of both cost and effort) for you to buy something new that already meets all your requirements instead of trying to adapt something old that may never quite get there anyway.
Retain
Retaining means keeping some components in their original form while still being able to utilize them in other ways through automation or integration with newer systems that are migrated into the cloud environment—for example, using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) so that data can flow between different systems without manual intervention needed each time there's a change made somewhere else in the system architecture.
Retire
Finally, retiring means completely decommissioning an application that isn't needed anymore due to its age or because it's been replaced by something else—for example, if you've moved all your data storage needs over from on-premise servers onto the cloud then you don't need those physical machines taking up space anymore so you could choose to retire them rather than just leave them sitting around unused gathering dust!
Conclusion
Cloud migration is essential for any business looking for greater scalability, performance improvements, cost savings, security enhancements, and faster deployment times for applications and services hosted in the cloud environment. There are several strategies available depending on your particular needs; understanding these strategies will help ensure your transition runs smoothly and successfully meets all your goals!
By familiarizing yourself with these six common types of cloud migration – Re-host/Lift & Shift; Re-platform; Re-factor; Re-purchase; Retain; Retire – you will have all the information necessary when deciding what approach works best for your organization! Good luck!
