Execute a successful cloud migration strategy with the 6 R’s [+ checklist]

A cloud migration strategy is a plan for moving data, applications, and other digital assets from on-premises to a cloud architecture. There are many different strategies to consider. The best one for your organization depends on what you hope to accomplish with your cloud migration project. In this article, we'll share strategies and tips for a successful cloud migration.

What are the 6 R's of cloud migration?

Every cloud migration is different, so each will need a clear strategy. The 6R migration strategy can help you determine clear paths for your migration. Your company likely won't use all of these approaches. Think of them instead as a framework for discussion or a blueprint for defining your cloud migration guidelines.

Re-host

Re-hosting is a basic strategy that involves lifting what you currently host on-premises and shifting it to the cloud. The strategy usually doesn't require extensive reconfiguration or architectural changes.

This strategy is good for companies that are new to cloud migration and are building trust in the cloud, as it requires little investment.

Re-platform

This strategy requires teams to make changes to applications to optimize them and ensure they work better and faster when hosted in the cloud. This requires programming knowledge, so your current environment integrates seamlessly with the cloud environment.

This strategy is also good for companies trying cloud migration for the first time, as they'll see benefits like faster system performance and lower costs.

Repurchase

In repurchasing, you move your environment to a new, cloud-based product. This will require you to either replace your current applications with SaaS solutions or migrate licenses from local to cloud servers.

Repurchasing is cost-effective if you are moving applications from customized legacy environments.

Retain

If migrating to the cloud doesn't make sense for your company at this time, you can retain your current environment and revisit a move to the cloud later. In this case, you may want to consider a hybrid option with some assets on-premises and others in the cloud.

Retire

Some of your applications and services might no longer be useful at all. There's no reason to migrate them to the cloud if they're not valuable to your customers. If this is the case, it's time to retire them altogether.

Re-factor

Re-factoring can be labor-intensive because it involves redesigning and building your existing applications from scratch so they can work in a cloud environment. Re-factoring can be time-consuming and expensive. But by taking time to re-factor applications, they'll be more compatible with future versions, and it can make them more accessible to accommodate future growth.

Cloud migration strategies

Beyond the formal 6 R's framework, you will often hear cloud professionals use broader industry terms to describe migration techniques. Many of these align directly with the R's mentioned above, but they focus on the specific execution style.

Migrate as-is with a “lift and shift” 

In this type of migration, your organization moves data and workloads to the cloud as-is with little to no changes, just like re-hosting. Any changes you make are intended to ensure your workloads perform properly in the new cloud environment and aren't part of modernization or efforts to significantly modify or refactor your cloud components.

This approach is best if you're happy with the current state of your workloads and databases you're migrating, and you only want to migrate to a cloud environment. If you have a lot of technical debt you don't want to see carried over into your new cloud-based systems, then your organization would probably be better off choosing a different strategy.

Update with an “improve and move” 

For systems that could benefit from some modernization, an “improve and move” migration—sometimes referred to as re-platforming—can empower your organization to take advantage of newer technologies and leverage the potential of cloud-native tools. Some advantages and benefits of cloud migration are only practical for organizations that have current, cloud-based architectures and designs, making it more difficult for legacy systems to reap the benefits that cloud services offer.

Because you'd be refactoring and modernizing your cloud components, this strategy may take longer. Your team may also need different skills, or you may have to recruit new team members with migration expertise.

Redesign with “rip and replace” 

If you realize that you'll need to completely start over before your cloud migration, then a “rip and replace” migration (the ultimate form of re-factoring or repurchasing) may be best for your organization's needs. Instead of fixing your systems or bringing them into the cloud, as-is, you'll abandon the old codebase to design and create brand new software without carrying over existing systems.

Aside from the time and expense associated with this type of migration, your organization would also have to make a lot of new decisions about how you'll use these systems in the cloud.

Cloud database migration checklist

Moving to the cloud isn't a simple process. Between public, private, and hybrid cloud options, navigating the challenges of a cloud migration of any size can be a daunting task. Use the following cloud migration checklist to track the phases of cloud migration and successfully move your operations to the cloud.

1. Prepare for migration

A successful migration relies on solid preparation. Check off the following to-dos to ensure you have a strong foundation to accomplish your cloud initiatives.

Get buy-in

The first of the cloud migration steps is securing buy-in from the top down to ensure your migration is effective. Cloud migration entails both technological transformation and cultural change and can alter your business's functional roles and operations. Employees may need to be trained, reskilled, or reassigned to new roles. Leadership and senior and executive staff need to provide guidance and support throughout the process, including communicating the benefits of migration for employees and customers, addressing concerns, and supporting training programs.

Secure funding

Migrating to the cloud is a big financial commitment with a high upfront investment, which is often cited as an inhibitor to adopting the cloud in the first place. Without proper planning and funding, your cloud migration project could be a non-starter.

Make sure you secure proper funding ahead of time. Factors that affect cost include:

• Data storage

• Tools for testing and monitoring

• Processing power

• Security services

• Employee training and recruitment

CFOs, CIOs, CTOs, and other executives should work together to create a financial plan for the migration and sign off on funding.

Assign a cloud architect

With executives on board and money in the bank, start digging into your cloud migration project plan. First, you will need a cloud architect. Your cloud architect is your migration leader and project manager. They are responsible for planning and executing each stage of the migration.

Their role includes:

• Defining the re-factoring required for cloud migration success

• Designing the strategies for the migration

• Defining the cloud requirements

• Determining migration priorities

Map out your existing infrastructure

Next, it is vital to understand your existing infrastructure. You have to know where you’re starting to get where you want to go. One of the best ways to do this is to visualize your network infrastructure. Lucid offers an extensive shape library to accurately build out your on-premises network. You can even create your own shapes in a custom library so you have exactly what you need to communicate your plans clearly with your team. 

2. Plan your migration strategy

Once you’ve laid the groundwork for a successful migration, start planning cloud migration strategies. 

Choose the level of migration

Determine the level of migration you will implement. Not all organizations commit to a full migration. 

Shallow vs. deep integration

A shallow integration moves your applications to the cloud as-is, like the “lift and shift” strategy mentioned above. During a deep cloud integration, applications are modified to take advantage of cloud capabilities such as dynamic load balancing and serverless computing.

Single cloud vs. multi-cloud vs. hybrid cloud 

Organizations can choose to migrate to a single cloud, multiple cloud providers, or even a hybrid cloud. A single-cloud approach is simpler to implement but limits your service-level agreement terms and options. If your needs are simple or align with one vendor’s services, a single cloud integration may work just fine.

A multi-cloud solution gives organizations the flexibility to pick and choose providers based on each vendor’s unique strengths and advantages. For example, you may rely on one provider to handle your data store needs and another for serving applications in production.

A hybrid cloud is a combination of private and public cloud infrastructures that allows workloads to move between the two interconnected environments. This mobility between cloud environments gives organizations greater flexibility and agility in their data deployment options.

Brainstorm and prioritize

Bring all stakeholders together to brainstorm which applications or services make the most sense to move to the cloud. This should be a collaborative activity, so you aren’t working in a silo. 

Lucid is perfect for bringing teams together in a shared virtual space to contribute ideas, respond to each other’s thoughts, voice questions and concerns, and reach alignment. Seamlessly switch between brainstorming and diagramming with Lucid’s universal canvas. To better prioritize migration activities, you can try out Visual Activities to gather everyone’s input and visualize areas of agreement or disagreement.

3. Plan your cloud infrastructure

With your strategy in place, you can now plan out just how you’ll execute the migration. 

Map out your future state

Create a cloud migration roadmap by mapping out your future-state plans. What will your future processes, cloud infrastructure, and environment look like? How will your new cloud infrastructure solve the problems of your current environment? 

Categorize your workloads and desired outcomes to evaluate which cloud providers best meet your requirements. This step is crucial for scoping a migration that anticipates and mitigates challenges and roadblocks.

Assess readiness

After you’ve defined your future state, compare it against your current state to determine whether your applications can be migrated easily or if they will need remediation. This readiness assessment provides a gap analysis of your organization and helps you identify which applications are ready for migration.

Establish your KPIs and performance baselines

Cloud migration is a big undertaking. How will you know if it was successful? Establish your current performance baselines and define your key performance indicators (KPIs) to accurately measure cloud performance. Your KPIs might include the following metrics to evaluate categories like user experience, infrastructure, and business engagement:

• Page load time

• Lag

• CPU usage percent

• Conversions

When you understand your baseline performance, you can validate post-migration performance and even diagnose problems that arise during migration. Features like data linking help you monitor your progress and ongoing performance right from Lucid. Simply link your metrics to your migration plans so you always stay on top of things.

Map out timelines and dependencies

To ensure accountability and follow-through, you’ll want to break down the complex tasks of a migration project into easy-to-manage steps. 

In Lucid, you can easily visualize timelines and milestones to proactively identify dependencies or roadblocks. The best part? You can sync Lucid Cards with your preferred system of record, such as Jira, Asana, or Smartsheet, so any changes made in one platform will automatically be reflected in the other.

Consider data security

Migrating to the cloud introduces security risks and challenges. As you plan your migration, there are a few key ways to ensure a secure transition:

• Encrypt sensitive data.

• Prioritize compliance.

• Create a data loss prevention plan.

• Conduct due diligence when researching service provider options.

You may also consider conducting a phased migration. Instead of migrating your workloads all at once, you can migrate them in batches to ensure each piece is fully secured and manageable.

4. Make the transition to the cloud

The last step is to dive in and make the transition to the cloud!

Though cloud migrations can be complicated, a well-laid plan can help you achieve a successful, manageable transition. Confidently start your transition with up-to-date diagrams and visual cloud migration project plans that are accessible to everyone involved. 

After your cloud migration project is complete, you can use Lucid’s Cloud Accelerator to validate deployment. Lucid integrates with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure to automatically generate cloud architecture diagrams. Compare the actual state of the new cloud infrastructure against the designed state to identify any discrepancies.

Cloud migration best practices

As you initiate your cloud migration, keep these best practices in mind for a seamless transition.

• Find the right cloud provider: Intentionally select a cloud provider that meets your requirements. Consider the provider’s track record, offerings, costs, security, compliance, and performance.

• Prioritize testing: Test throughout the migration process to ensure an efficient transition. Implement functional testing, data migration and storage process testing, and scalability and resilience testing.

• Monitor: Continuously monitor performance and security to ensure cloud health and identify optimization opportunities. 

Simplify cloud migration with Lucid

Cloud migration is complex, but with Lucid, teams can align, plan, and collaborate throughout the entire project. Visualizing your migration at each step of the transition lets you rely on a single source of truth when questions arise, ensuring everyone has the context they need to build a secure, compliant, and stable infrastructure.