Strategies for migration
When migrating applications to the cloud, six of the most common migration strategies that you can implement are:
- Rehosting
- Replatforming
- Refactoring/re-architecting
- Repurchasing
- Retaining
- Retiring
Rehosting
Rehosting also known as “lift-and-shift” involves moving applications without changes.
In the scenario of a large legacy migration, in which the company is looking to implement its migration and scale quickly to meet a business case, the majority of applications are rehosted.
Replatforming
Replatforming, also known as “lift, tinker, and shift,” involves making a few cloud optimizations to realize a tangible benefit. Optimization is achieved without changing the core architecture of the application.
Refactoring/re-architecting
Refactoring (also known as re-architecting) involves reimagining how an application is architected and developed by using cloud-native features. Refactoring is driven by a strong business need to add features, scale, or performance that would otherwise be difficult to achieve in the application’s existing environment.
Repurchasing
Repurchasing involves moving from a traditional license to a software-as-a-service model.
For example, a business might choose to implement the repurchasing strategy by migrating from a customer relationship management (CRM) system to Salesforce.com.
Retaining
Retaining consists of keeping applications that are critical for the business in the source environment. This might include applications that require major refactoring before they can be migrated, or, work that can be postponed until a later time.
Retiring
Retiring is the process of removing applications that are no longer needed.
Tools and services
AWS Migration Hub
AWS Application Discovery Service
AWS Migration Pattern Library
Cloud Endure Migration
AWS Data Migration Service