tl;dr:
Cloud migration involves several approaches, including retiring, retaining, rehosting (lift and shift), replatforming (move and improve), refactoring, and reimagining workloads. The choice of approach depends on factors such as business goals, technical requirements, budget, and timeline. Google Cloud offers tools, services, and expertise to support each approach and help organizations develop and execute a successful migration strategy.
Key points:
- In the context of cloud migration, a workload refers to a specific application, service, or set of related functions that an organization needs to run to support its business processes.
- The six main approaches to cloud migration are retiring, retaining, rehosting (lift and shift), replatforming (move and improve), refactoring, and reimagining workloads.
- Rehosting involves moving a workload to the cloud without significant changes, while replatforming includes some modifications to better leverage cloud services and features.
- Refactoring involves more substantial changes to code and architecture to fully utilize cloud-native services and best practices, while reimagining completely rethinks the way an application or service is designed and delivered.
- The choice of migration approach depends on various factors, and organizations may use a combination of approaches based on their specific needs and goals, with the help of a trusted partner like Google Cloud.
Key terms and vocabulary:
- Decommission: To retire or remove an application, service, or system from operation, often because it is no longer needed or is being replaced by a newer version.
- Compliance: The practice of ensuring that an organization’s systems, processes, and data adhere to specific legal, regulatory, or industry standards and requirements.
- Cloud-native: An approach to designing, building, and running applications that fully leverage the advantages of the cloud computing model, such as scalability, resilience, and agility.
- Refactor: To restructure existing code without changing its external behavior, often to improve performance, maintainability, or readability, or to better align with cloud-native architectures and practices.
- Modular: A design approach in which a system is divided into smaller, independent, and interchangeable components (modules), each with a specific function, making the system more flexible, maintainable, and scalable.
- Anthos: A managed application platform from Google Cloud that enables organizations to build, deploy, and manage applications consistently across multiple environments, including on-premises, Google Cloud, and other cloud platforms.
Hey there, let’s talk about some of the key terms you need to know when it comes to cloud migration. Whether you’re just starting to consider a move to the cloud, or you’re already in the middle of a migration project, understanding these terms can help you make informed decisions and communicate effectively with your team and stakeholders.
First, let’s define what we mean by a “workload”. In the context of cloud migration, a workload refers to a specific application, service, or set of related functions that your organization needs to run in order to support your business processes. This could be anything from a simple web application to a complex, distributed system that spans multiple servers and databases.
Now, when it comes to migrating workloads to the cloud, there are several different approaches you can take, each with its own pros and cons. Let’s go through them one by one.
The first approach is to simply “retire” the workload. This means that you decide to decommission the application or service altogether, either because it’s no longer needed or because it’s too costly or complex to migrate. While this may seem like a drastic step, it can actually be a smart move if the workload is no longer providing value to your business, or if the cost of maintaining it outweighs the benefits.
The second approach is to “retain” the workload. This means that you choose to keep the application or service running on your existing infrastructure, either because it’s not suitable for the cloud or because you have specific compliance or security requirements that prevent you from migrating. While this may limit your ability to take advantage of cloud benefits like scalability and cost savings, it can be a necessary step for certain workloads.
The third approach is to “rehost” the workload, also known as a “lift and shift” migration. This means that you take your existing application or service and move it to the cloud without making any significant changes to the code or architecture. This can be a quick and relatively low-risk way to get started with the cloud, and can provide immediate benefits like increased scalability and reduced infrastructure costs.
However, while a lift and shift migration can be a good first step, it may not fully optimize your workload for the cloud. That’s where the fourth approach comes in: “replatforming”, also known as “move and improve”. This means that you not only move your workload to the cloud, but also make some modifications to the code or architecture to take better advantage of cloud services and features. For example, you might modify your application to use cloud-native databases or storage services, or refactor your code to be more modular and scalable.
The fifth approach is to “refactor” the workload, which involves making more significant changes to the code and architecture to fully leverage cloud-native services and best practices. This can be a more complex and time-consuming process than a lift and shift or move and improve migration, but it can also provide the greatest benefits in terms of scalability, performance, and cost savings.
Finally, the sixth approach is to “reimagine” the workload. This means that you completely rethink the way the application or service is designed and delivered, often by breaking it down into smaller, more modular components that can be deployed and scaled independently. This can involve a significant amount of effort and investment, but can also provide the greatest opportunities for innovation and transformation.
So, which approach is right for your organization? The answer will depend on a variety of factors, including your business goals, technical requirements, budget, and timeline. In many cases, a combination of approaches may be the best strategy, with some workloads being retired or retained, others being rehosted or replatformed, and still others being refactored or reimagined.
The key is to start with a clear understanding of your current environment and goals, and to work with a trusted partner like Google Cloud to develop a migration plan that aligns with your specific needs and objectives. Google Cloud offers a range of tools and services to support each of these migration approaches, from simple lift and shift tools like Google Cloud Migrate for Compute Engine to more advanced refactoring and reimagining tools like Google Kubernetes Engine and Anthos.
Moreover, Google Cloud provides a range of professional services and training programs to help you assess your environment, develop a migration plan, and execute your plan with confidence and speed. Whether you need help with a specific workload or a comprehensive migration strategy, Google Cloud has the expertise and resources to support you every step of the way.
Of course, migrating to the cloud is not a one-time event, but an ongoing journey of optimization and innovation. As you move more workloads to the cloud and gain experience with cloud-native technologies and practices, you may find new opportunities to refactor and reimagine your applications and services in ways that were not possible before.
But by starting with a solid foundation of understanding and planning, and by working with a trusted partner like Google Cloud, you can set yourself up for success and accelerate your journey to a more agile, scalable, and cost-effective future in the cloud.
So, whether you’re just starting to explore cloud migration or you’re well on your way, keep these key terms and approaches in mind, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Google Cloud for guidance and support. With the right strategy and the right tools, you can transform your organization and achieve your goals faster and more effectively than ever before.
Additional Reading:
- Migrate to Google Cloud: Get started
- Real-world cloud migration strategies | Google Cloud Blog
- Cloud Migration Approach: Rehost, Refactor or Replatform?
- The Ultimate Guide to Application Migration Strategies