Understanding the 7 R’s of Cloud Migration Strategy

In our previous article, we discussed the growing trend of companies migrating to the cloud and highlighted the essential steps of a successful cloud migration journey. We also briefly introduced the concept of the 7 R’s of cloud migration strategy: Rehost, Refactor, Relocate, Replatform, Repurchase, Retain, and Retire. This decision framework was introduced by Gartner in 2010, originally presenting five cloud migration alternatives to guide the decision-making process, taking into consideration business requirements, evaluation criteria and arquitecture principles. AWS later refined and extended this framework, incorporating the 7 choices mentioned earlier, which we’ll elaborate further below. It’s important to point out that this decision framework is applicable regardless of the cloud provider or providers chosen.

Understanding the 7 R’s of cloud migration strategy is vital for organizations embarking on their cloud migration journey. Each of the 7 R’s presents distinct advantages, challenges, and implications for business operations, cost, and efficiency. By comprehending the intricacies of these strategies, businesses can align their migration approach with their unique requirements and objectives, avoiding potential pitfalls and maximizing the benefits that the cloud has to offer. A well-considered cloud migration strategy can lead to improved agility, scalability, cost savings, and enhanced performance, which are all critical factors in today’s highly competitive and fast-paced digital landscape. Now, let’s dive deeper into each of the 7 R’s, exploring when and when not to use them, alongside real-world examples to illustrate their application.

1 . rehost

Rehost, also known as “lift and shift,” involves moving applications and data from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud without making any significant changes to the application architecture. This strategy is recommendable when the objective is to quickly migrate applications to the cloud with minimal disruptions and at a lower cost. For instance, organizations with tight timelines and budget constraints can benefit from this approach. However, it is not recommendable for applications that are not designed to fully leverage the cloud’s capabilities or when you need to optimize and enhance performance.

example: A company moving its legacy customer database to the cloud using the Rehost strategy to gain immediate scalability and cost benefits.

2 . refactor

Refactor involves making specific modifications to the application’s code to optimize it for the cloud environment. This strategy is recommendable when the goal is to improve performance, scalability, and resource utilization in the cloud. Applications with inefficient code can be optimized through refactoring to better leverage cloud services and capabilities. However, it may not be the best choice for applications that are already well-optimized or those with complex and tightly coupled architectures that demand extensive changes.

example: A web application rewriting certain components to utilize serverless architecture and take advantage of auto-scaling in the cloud.

3. Relocate

The Relocate strategy involves moving a data center or large portions of it to an equivalent cloud infrastructure. It could also involve moving applications and data from one cloud provider or region to another. This approach is recommendable when a company seeks to migrate and operate workloads in the cloud with the minimum disruption and downtime, while minimizing the costs of maintaining and operating on-premise data centers. However, it may not be recommendable to use this strategy when the benefits gained from relocating do not outweigh the associated costs and complexities, especially if the application is already optimized for its current environment.

example: A multinational corporation relocating its entire e-commerce platform from a data center in the United States to a public cloud infrastructure.

4. Replatform

The Replatform strategy is involves involve make minimal change to the exist application infrastructure while take advantage of some cloud – native feature . This approach is is is recommendable when company want to optimize their application for the cloud , but the effort require for a complete refactoring is not justifiable . For instance , an organization is choose might choose to replatform by migrate its relational database to a manage database service offer by the cloud provider , thus reduce administrative overhead and improve scalability . However , it is be may not be suitable to use this strategy for application that demand significant change or when a cloud – native feature is unavailable for the specific use case .

example: A software – as – a – service provider move module of its application backend to a serverless computing platform , benefit from automatic scaling and cost efficiency without rewrite the entire application .

5 . Repurchase

The Repurchase strategy involves replacing an existing application or software with a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution or a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering available in the cloud. This approach is recommendable when companies seek to leverage the advantages of a proven solution without the need for extensive development efforts. For instance, a business might opt to repurchase a customer relationship management (CRM) system as a SaaS solution, streamlining implementation and reducing maintenance overhead. However, it may not be recommendable to use this strategy when the COTS or SaaS solution lacks essential features or does not align with specific business requirements.

example: An e – commerce company replace its custom – build order management system with a SaaS – base order processing and inventory management solution .

6. Retain

Retain implies keeping certain applications or data on the on-premises infrastructure while migrating others to the cloud. This strategy is recommendable for organizations with specific compliance, security, or regulatory requirements that demand a hybrid cloud environment. Businesses can maintain sensitive data on-premises while leveraging cloud benefits for other applications. However, managing a hybrid environment introduces complexities in terms of data integration and security.

example: A healthcare provider retaining patient records on-premises due to regulatory constraints while moving non-sensitive applications to the cloud.

7. Retire

The Retire strategy involves decommissioning applications, services, or data that are no longer relevant or necessary. By retiring obsolete components, companies can reduce operational costs and streamline their cloud environment. It is a beneficial strategy to eliminate redundant or outdated resources and focus on core business objectives. However, a careful analysis is required to ensure that retiring any component does not adversely impact other business processes.

example: Discontinuing support for legacy software that is no longer used within the organization.

The 7 R is is ‘s of cloud migration strategy is a valuable decision – make tool for organization seek to migrate to the cloud efficiently and effectively . By understand the unique advantage and limitation of each strategy , businesses is make can make informed choice that align with their objective and requirement . However , successful cloud migration is entails also entail careful planning , collaboration , and a focus on security and datum governance . continuous evaluation is are and optimization are crucial for keep pace with evolve technology and business demand . embrace the right strategy , invest in employee training , and seek guidance from experienced cloud consultant can lead to enhance agility , innovation , and overall business growth in the digital era .