The 6Rs of Cloud Migration Explained

Cloud computing is perhaps one of the most brilliant technological advancements to exist. In the digital age, you marvel at how great it can be for your personal and business needs. Cloud migration is common for when you need to transfer or backup data - because you don’t know what could happen to your system in terms of things going wrong.

If you want a deeper understanding of cloud migration, it’s good to know the “6Rs”. What are the “6Rs” of cloud migration? This guide will explain it all so let’s get started right now.

1. Rehost

This is also known as “lift and shift”. Rehosting is designed to help you move applications and data from its on-premise infrastructure onto the cloud. This will ensure that you can migrate everything you need from one place to another without any disruption to your business operations.

It can be great for those looking for a cost-effective solution compared to other migration methods. To add, it also requires the fewest changes to your current infrastructure. With rehosting, you can make sure that all of your applications, files, and everything else can be easily moved to a cloud environment so you can be able to access them anywhere and back them up regularly to prevent data loss.

2. Re-architect

The next “R” entails where you can make changes to your currently existing application architecture so it’s more aligned with the cloud-native capabilities of your entire operational system. You will be able to optimize your applications so it can function properly in a cloud environment.

You’ll be able to auto-scale, use managed services, and serverless computing with ease. As a result, your infrastructure will perform better and be easy to scale (whenever your business is taking on more tasks). It will also optimize your overall costs, especially if you are scaling up or down (which can affect how much money you spend on using cloud resources).

3. Replatform

You’ll be able to make minimal changes to existing application code while being able to optimize the underlying infrastructure. You’ll be able to improve the overall performance without having to make any extensive changes. Not to mention, your migrations will take less time and use less resources.

You’d be surprised what re-platforming can do for your business’s IT infrastructure. When you’re migrating files and applications from on-premise to the cloud, it’ll seem a little faster than you expect. Speed is always one of the best attributes to have when it comes to the technology you use.

4. Retire

This part of cloud migration pertains to identifying and decommissioning applications or services that no longer serve a purpose. You’ll be able to streamline your IT infrastructure by retiring the applications and services you don’t need any more - making not your system function better, but also gives you a cost-effective way to utilize cloud services without spending unnecessary amounts of money.

You keep things simple. Saving money, using less resources, and easy system maintenance. Retiring applications and services will make it all possible.

5. Retain

A complete 180 of “retire”, the retain aspect allows you to keep applications and services on-premises for now. This will ensure that these assets may not be fully compatible with the cloud (at least not yet) or may not be used on the cloud environment itself because of possible regulatory constraints that may arise.

It is important that you comply with data regulations including how it should be stored or used. Whether you are storing them on-premise, on the cloud, or both, you want to make sure these regulations are followed. This also includes regulations that are industry-specific (i.e - HIPAA if you’re in the medical field) or any geographical regulations (like GDPR if you have customers in the European Union).

Some applications and services may not be ready for cloud migration for one reason or another. At some point, you may need to revisit the opportunity to migrate the applications. If they have been tested in a cloud environment and are confirmed to function properly while adhering to regulations, the migration process will be easier.

6. Repurchase

Finally, let’s talk about repurchasing. This is where you may be moving to a new cloud-based environment or service. You’ll be able to move the licenses of applications and services from on-premises servers to cloud-based ones.

For instance, if you are using a CRM for your business and want to use a better one like SalesForce, you can be able to do that with ease. You can migrate all that data from the old platform to SalesForce with little to no disruption to your business operations as possible.

Why is cloud migration necessary?

Now that you know about the “6Rs” of cloud migration, let’s talk about why cloud migration is necessary. For one, you are able to scale your services to where it can handle all your business tasks. Which means you can scale up or down depending on the workflow.

Another reason is cost-effectiveness. No business wants to spend a lot of money on tools, equipment, and business resources that will barely lift a finger. You can pay for the resources you use over the course of a certain time period.

If you use less, you pay less (and vice versa). This gives you the opportunity to adjust your business finances accordingly so you can keep operations going without putting yourself in financial distress that can harm your business.

Let Oamii Tech help with your cloud migration needs

Your business may be looking for cloud solutions. If you have questions about cloud migration, Oamii Tech just might be able to help. It’s always a good idea to find out what benefits you can get out of the technology that will allow you access from anywhere, the ability to store your data, and retrieve it with ease after something has gone wrong.

Cloud migration from on-premises infrastructure may be in your future. If you need more information, Oamii Tech is ready to address your concerns or needs. Contact us today and we’ll get started.