7Rs in Cloud Migration Planning

7Rs in Cloud Migration Planning

Planning a cloud migration involves numerous considerations. Among these, the 7Rs framework offers practical guidance. This approach ensures that each application or workload is migrated with intent, addressing both business and technical aspects. Let’s dive into each of the 7Rs to understand their distinct roles in effective cloud migration planning.

1. Rehost

Commonly known as lift and shift, rehosting involves moving applications to the cloud with minimal changes. This technique typically suits legacy systems requiring immediate migration. By replicating on-premises infrastructure within cloud environments, organizations can quickly achieve cloud adoption. The key is leveraging cloud-based servers, storage, and networking resources. Rehosting doesn’t optimize applications for the cloud but offers a fast-track option for cloud adoption.

2. Replatform

Also referred to as lift, tinker, and shift, replatforming goes beyond rehosting by making slight modifications to applications during migration. These tweaks, such as changing databases or middleware, help optimize performance in the cloud environment. Replatforming maintains the core structure of applications while leveraging cloud-native features. It strikes a balance between speed and optimization, ensuring applications can take modest advantage of cloud capabilities without extensive re-architecture.

3. Repurchase

Repurchasing implies replacing existing applications with cloud-based solutions. Often, this means adopting Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, favoring subscription models over traditional licenses. Organizations might find repurchasing favorable when current applications are difficult to migrate or when superior cloud-native alternatives exist. It simplifies management and ensures access to the latest features and updates, reducing the need for in-house maintenance.

4. Refactor

Refactoring, also known as re-architecting, involves rebuilding applications to harness cloud-native benefits. This approach often requires substantial code modifications to optimize performance, scalability, and redundancy within the cloud. Refactoring suits applications that can significantly benefit from cloud capabilities, such as microservices architecture or serverless computing. Though it demands more investment in time and resources upfront, refactoring delivers long-term gains through improved resilience and scalability.

5. Retain

Not all applications are suited or ready for cloud migration. Retaining involves leaving certain applications on-premises while focusing cloud migration efforts elsewhere. Reasons for retention may include regulatory requirements, latency concerns, or the application’s relevance to the cloud strategy. Organizations often review these retained applications periodically to reassess their migration potential as cloud technologies and business needs evolve.

6. Retire

During cloud migration planning, some applications may no longer serve a valuable purpose. Retiring these applications can reduce overhead and complexity. This process involves evaluating the application’s utilization, dependencies, and relevance. If deemed obsolete, the application is decommissioned. Retiring unnecessary components can streamline migration efforts and free resources for more critical workloads.

7. Relocate

Relocating applications involves moving them to the cloud without redesigning them. It differs from rehosting as it might involve repositioning entire virtual machines instead of individual components. Relocating is often part of broader datacenter exit strategies. This method preserves the existing architecture while benefitting from the cloud’s flexibility and infrastructure savings. It’s a transitional step towards deeper cloud integration, allowing easier subsequent refactoring or replatforming efforts.