Cloud migration is the process of moving digital assets — applications, data, workloads, and IT resources — from on-premises infrastructure to cloud-based environments, or between cloud providers. It's a fundamental transformation enabling scalability, agility, and cost optimization across AWS, Azure, GCP, and other platforms. Migration isn't a one-time lift; it requires strategic planning through assessment, execution, and continuous optimization phases. Understanding the 7 R's framework (Rehost, Relocate, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, Retire, Retain) is essential, with Azure's Cloud Adoption Framework extending this to 8 R's by splitting Refactor into Refactor, Rearchitect, and Rebuild — each application demands a tailored strategy based on business goals, technical complexity, and ROI timelines.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 21 focused tables and 138 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Migration Strategies (The 7+ R's)
| Strategy | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Move VM from vSphere to AWS EC2 with no code changes | • Fastest migration approach — relocate applications as-is to cloud infrastructure • minimal disruption but limited cloud-native benefits. | |
Migrate SQL Server to Azure SQL Database with minor optimizations | Partial modernization — make small adjustments (e.g., switching to managed databases) to gain cloud benefits without full rearchitecture. | |
Break monolith into microservices on Kubernetes | • Complete redesign for cloud-native architecture • highest effort but maximizes scalability, resilience, and cost efficiency. | |
Replace Exchange Server with Office 365 SaaS | • Move to commercial SaaS product • eliminates infrastructure maintenance but may require process changes. |