When companies need to migrate to the cloud, they often turn to Amazon Web Services (AWS). That’s because AWS provides more than 100 cloud migrating services that enable companies to create dynamic, scalable, and automated computing systems.
Whether your company needs to migrate to AWS for cost savings, better resource utilization, or simply to benefit from new cloud computing capabilities, migration can seem like a challenge that’s insurmountable. Let’s shed some light on Amazon’s framework for cloud migration, along with each phase of the process.
Cloud Migration Phases with AWS
Amazon cloud migration guidelines provide four distinct phases when migrating to the AWS cloud. Let’s examine each one in detail.
Migration Formulation and Business Planning
The first phase in the cloud migration process is to understand the cloud environment by examining your current situation, including your existing application architecture, any constraints you could face, and your relevant business goals. Your cloud migration strategy is the foundation of the project.
What’s the business case for your AWS migration? Are you trying to reduce costs, improve scalability, or improve reliability? By defining these goals, you can better determine which applications should be migrated to the cloud.
Choose Cloud Services for Your Application Migration
Once you’ve considered the business aspects of your cloud migration strategy, it’s time to analyze your IT portfolio to decide which cloud application migration services are ideal for each application.
AWS provides numerous tools to assist with migration, including Server Migration Service (SMS), Database Migration Service (DMS), and Amazon DirectConnect, so you can choose an ideal solution for a seamless transition of your data infrastructure to the cloud.
Designing, Migrating, and Validating Applications
Phases 3 and 4 are comprised of the actual nuts and bolts of the cloud migration journey. Each application needs to have its own detailed migration plan. Begin by using a few apps that are less critical to test your proof of concept with the AWS migration tools you’ve selected.
Once you’ve determined and validated the services and tools you’ll use for your data migration project, you can enjoy a smooth transition for the rest of your applications.
Operation
As each application is migrated to the cloud seamlessly, you can begin operating them within the AWS cloud. Once you’ve validated the post-migration operation of each application, you can begin turning off the old on-premises environments and data centers.
You can now leverage your experience with applications already migrated and running within the cloud for migrating additional applications as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some common questions people have when developing the right strategy for their cloud migration project?
What are the benefits of adopting cloud environments?
The digital transformation to a cloud infrastructure is providing companies with numerous benefits. Some of these benefits include improved data security, prevention of data loss, and providing greater access for team members.
Does cloud migration require every application to be moved?
There are some cases when migrating certain applications to the cloud is just not feasible or beneficial. In these situations, some companies opt for a hybrid model, where some or most applications are running in the cloud but some are still running in on-premises environments.
How can cloud migration consulting help my business?
Cloud migrations can deliver significant business benefits that go beyond data security and access. You’ll experience less downtime, fewer IT service requests, and lower overall operational costs when moving data around the company.
Embark on Your Cloud Journey with Laminar
Leveraging the help of cloud experts is key when migrating critical application workloads to AWS cloud services. As cloud technologies become more ubiquitous, this transition will only become more crucial for staying competitive.Contact Laminar today to learn more about how you can benefit from migrating to the cloud.
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