Key aspects to consider in Cloud Migration - Build plan
As any other migration process prior start any process consider:
- My inventory is consistent?
- Understanding, mapping:
- volume
- impact
- dependencies
- readiness
Now with this minimum information we an start building an classification.Objects here is map what, how, possibles improvements an leverage better the investments. Here an sampla classicication:
How: deploy the service using VM instances on Cloud Provider using native solution services.
Criteria: VM based, use repositories – public or private to install required binaries.
Result: Very fast and very simple
How: deploy VM instances on Cloud provider, installing the required binaries. Deploy specific software configuration
Criteria: VM Based, use binaries repositories for installation, and deploy specif configuration
Result: Fast, simple
How: deploy service using higher abstraction like PaaS model.
Criteria: module must support upgrades, and dismiss any platform or access requirement to platform.
Result: Lower maintenance, service simplification.
Warning: check how data can be loaded and also how the data can be retrieved and imported to previous original model.
How: installation of new versions and respective requirements.
Criteria: unsupported matrix at target cloud provider due VM O.S. out of support.
Result: New and updated service. Long time to deploy. May also require extended validation process.
How: previous prepared O.S. image with all required software pre-installed O.S. with all required drives and packages to function proper at Cloud Provider.
Criteria: Applications with inflexible matrix of support normally packages.
Result: After the O.S. image creation process, the deploy of the image is easy and fast.
Warning: Consider re-validation and update process of those images otherwise will became outdated. Consider avoid this practice as common use otherwise will result on aditional operational effort.
How: workloads that migration based on schedule windows.
Criteria: Recover time objective support the necessary time to export, transfer and import at cloud service.
Result: Migration process here migration tools can be used to ensure the consistence and better organize the execution.
How: Asynchronous replication methods take place here.
Criteria: Services that has high impact on business or also is an dependency for bug number of platforms.
Result: Lower times to migration. Require normally specific tools to simplify migration. Like database replication techniques, file based replication tools can also help.
Normally replicated against live systems on cloud provider.
How: applications that can be containerized
Criteria: Java WebApplication, Phython, NodeJS are initial nice candidates. Stateless applications.
Result: Modern application plataform.
An migration wave will be triggered by the requirements, service boundaries an vision of the respective providers and consumer.
And the execution plan will be driven by the composition of the proper tool based on the respective category coverage that will fit technology an business requirement.
