The 4 R’s of cloud migration represent four distinct strategies for moving applications, data, and workloads from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. These strategies offer organizations flexibility and options when considering how to transition their IT operations to cloud migration solutions.
Rehost (Lift and Shift):
- Rehosting, often referred to as “lift and shift,” involves migrating applications and data from on-premises servers to the cloud with minimal changes to the underlying architecture. In this approach, the application is essentially lifted from its current environment and shifted to the cloud infrastructure without significant modifications. While rehosting offers a relatively quick and straightforward migration path, it may not fully leverage the benefits of cloud-native technologies such as auto-scaling and serverless computing.
Replatform (Lift, Tinker, and Shift):
- Replatforming involves making minor adjustments to applications or infrastructure before migrating them to the cloud. This may include optimizing the application for cloud compatibility, updating dependencies, or reconfiguring components to take advantage of cloud services. Replatforming aims to improve performance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness while minimizing disruption to existing workflows. It strikes a balance between the simplicity of rehosting and the complexity of refactoring.
Refactor (Re-architect):
- Refactoring, also known as “re-architecting” or “cloud-native development,” involves redesigning and re-implementing applications to fully leverage cloud-native features and services. This approach may include breaking monolithic applications into microservices, adopting serverless architectures, or integrating with cloud-based databases and analytics tools. Refactoring offers the greatest potential for innovation, scalability, and cost optimization but requires significant time, resources, and expertise.
Retire:
- The retire strategy involves decommissioning or retiring legacy applications, systems, or services that are no longer needed or viable in the cloud environment. By identifying and eliminating outdated or redundant systems, organizations can streamline their IT infrastructure, reduce maintenance costs, and focus resources on strategic initiatives. Retiring legacy systems can simplify the migration process and improve overall efficiency by eliminating unnecessary complexity and overhead.
In summary, the 4 R’s of cloud migration services—Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, and Retire—provide organizations with a framework for planning and executing their migration strategies. Each approach offers its own set of benefits and challenges, allowing organizations to tailor their migration approach to their specific needs, priorities, and constraints.