Ageing servers in an office cupboard are a risk: hardware failure, power cuts, no off-site backup and limited remote access. Moving to the cloud improves resilience and flexibility, if it is planned well.
The plan
- Inventory: list applications, databases, integrations, users and dependencies.
- Choose the target: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, a managed platform or a VPS provider.
- Design: sizing, networking, security, backups and monitoring.
- Test migration: move a copy, test performance and integrations.
- Cut-over: final data sync during a planned window.
- Optimise: right-size resources and tune costs after go-live.
Common choices
| Approach | When |
|---|---|
| Lift and shift | Fastest; move servers largely as they are |
| Re-platform | Use managed databases and containers for less maintenance |
| SaaS replacement | Replace a legacy app with a cloud product |