Clear, owned outputs.
- Application and dependency inventory
- Migration strategy for each workload
- Wave plan and timeline
- Cutover runbooks with rollback steps
- Post-migration review and optimization plan
A good migration is mostly planning. We map applications and their dependencies, choose the right strategy for each workload — rehost, replatform, refactor, replace, retain or retire — group them into waves and rehearse cutovers, so the move happens with minimal disruption and a clear rollback plan.
The problems Cloud Migration solves.
Discovery, wave planning, rehearsed cutovers and post-migration optimization.
Dependencies between applications are poorly documented.
Downtime windows are short or non-existent.
A 'lift and shift' approach risks moving old problems into the cloud.
Teams fear migration because of past outages.
What Cloud Migration covers.
Discovery and mapping
Inventory of servers, applications, data and dependencies.
Strategy per workload
The six Rs applied workload by workload.
Wave planning
Grouping and sequencing workloads to manage risk.
Data migration
Database and file migration with validation.
Cutover rehearsal
Practice runs, runbooks and rollback plans.
Post-migration optimization
Right-sizing, modernization and decommissioning.
The six Rs of migration, applied honestly.
Each application gets its own strategy. Moving everything the same way is how migrations run over budget.
| Strategy | What it means | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| Rehost | Lift and shift to cloud VMs with minimal change. | Deadlines are tight, such as a data-centre exit. |
| Replatform | Small changes to use managed services — a managed database, for example. | Quick wins on operations without a rewrite. |
| Refactor | Re-architect to containers or serverless. | The application is strategic and limits the business today. |
| Repurchase | Replace with a SaaS product. | A commodity system like email or HR is being self-hosted. |
| Retain | Leave it where it is for now. | Dependencies or licensing make moving it costly. |
| Retire | Switch it off. | Usage is low and the function exists elsewhere. |
Why it's worth it.
Lower risk
Rehearsed cutovers and rollback plans protect operations.
Right-sized result
Each workload gets the approach it deserves.
Clean exit
Old infrastructure is decommissioned on schedule.
When Cloud Migration is the right move.
- A data-centre exit.
- Moving a business-critical application with limited downtime.
- Consolidating several hosting providers into one cloud.
Technologies & platforms
- AWS Application Migration Service
- Azure Migrate
- Google Migrate to VMs
- AWS DMS
- Terraform
- Ansible
How Cloud Migration work runs.
- 01
Assess
Current state, risks, constraints and goals reviewed with your team.
- 02
Design
Target state, options and trade-offs written down and agreed.
- 03
Build
Changes delivered as code, peer-reviewed and tested.
- 04
Release
Changes rolled out safely with monitoring and rollback ready.
- 05
Hand over
Documentation, runbooks and knowledge transfer to your team.
Cloud Migration questions.
How long does a cloud migration take?
It depends on the number and complexity of workloads. Small estates can move in weeks; larger ones run in waves over months. The wave plan sets a realistic timeline.
Will there be downtime?
Usually some, but it can often be reduced to a short planned window through replication and rehearsal. We agree acceptable downtime per application.
Should we modernize during migration?
Sometimes. Modernizing everything at once adds risk; moving first and modernizing high-value workloads later is often safer. We decide per workload.
Talk to us about cloud migration.
Describe the environment and what needs to change. We'll reply with the questions we would answer first and a sensible first step.