What to prepare before a cloud migration

A useful migration discussion starts with the systems you run and the outcome you need. “Move everything to the cloud” does not yet describe which workloads matter, what can change, or who will operate the result.

1. Describe the current workload

Create a short inventory of websites, applications, databases, storage and external integrations. For each item, identify a business owner and the other systems it depends on. Include scheduled jobs and email delivery as well as the visible application.

AWS describes migration as an assessment, preparation and migration process. Its assessment guidance considers both the current environment and the business case, rather than starting with the move itself. Read the AWS migration overview.

2. Define what a successful move means

Write down the user journeys that must work after the transition. For a company website, these might include opening pages, sending an enquiry and receiving email. For an internal application, identify the reports, integrations and access permissions that need checking.

Bring these questions to the scope discussion:

• Which systems move first, and which stay where they are?
• Who approves the cutover and the application checks?
• What downtime window is acceptable?
• What is the rollback decision if the checks fail?
• Who owns backups and ongoing operations after handover?

3. Compare the operating costs

Ask for an estimate covering the workload, storage, data transfer, licensing and ongoing support. Record the assumptions so the estimate can be revisited when usage changes.

AWS Budgets can track costs and notify you about actual or forecast spend. Notifications can arrive after charges are incurred, so a budget alert should not be treated as an immediate spending cap. Review AWS Budgets and its notification limits.

A useful starting brief

Bring the inventory, the main reason for moving, the target timeframe and the questions above to your first conversation. Keep passwords and access keys out of that brief; access arrangements can be agreed separately.