The Starting Point
Many mid-sized businesses face the same question: How do we move to the cloud without jeopardizing ongoing operations? The answer is rarely a big-bang approach. And it’s almost never “just move everything to AWS.”
A successful cloud migration starts with strategy, not infrastructure.
The 6 R’s of Cloud Migration
Every application in the portfolio deserves an individual assessment. The proven 6 R’s framework helps with classification:
- Rehost (Lift & Shift): Move 1:1 to the cloud, minimal effort
- Replatform: Small adjustments for cloud benefits (managed database instead of self-hosted)
- Refactor: Modernize architecture, rebuild cloud-native
- Repurchase: Replace with a SaaS solution
- Retain: Deliberately keep on-premise
- Retire: Shut down because it’s no longer needed
The Most Common Mistake
Teams tend to plan everything as a Rehost. That’s easier short-term but more expensive long-term, because cloud costs without optimization can spiral quickly. If you’re considering a refactor, decide honestly whether moving from monolith to microservices is the right call before you start cutting.
Costs: The Hidden Danger
Cloud costs work differently from on-premise costs. Instead of fixed investments, you pay based on consumption. Sounds flexible but becomes a problem when nobody monitors usage.
Cost Governance from Day 1
Three measures that pay off immediately:
- Tagging strategy: Every resource gets tags for team, project, and environment. No tags means no cost attribution.
- Budget alerts: Automatic notifications at 50%, 80%, and 100% of budget. No team should be caught off guard.
- Reserved Instances: For predictable workloads, up to 60% cheaper than on-demand.
Security and Compliance
In the DACH region, data protection isn’t a feature. It’s a requirement. This has consequences for cloud architecture:
- Data residency: Personal data must stay in the EU. AWS
eu-central-1(Frankfurt) or AzureGermany West Centralare the obvious choices. - Encryption: At rest and in transit, ideally with your own keys (BYOK).
- Access control: Least privilege as default, regular access reviews.
The Migration Roadmap
A realistic timeline for a mid-sized company with 20–50 applications:
Month 1–2: Assessment
- Create application inventory
- Document dependencies
- Assign each application to one of the 6 R’s
Month 3–4: Foundation
- Build landing zone (networking, IAM, logging)
- CI/CD pipeline for Infrastructure as Code
- Migrate first non-critical application
Month 5–8: Migration Waves
- Migrate applications in waves, grouped by dependencies
- Parallel operation with fallback option
- Performance tests after each wave
Month 9–10: Optimization
- Rightsize resources based on actual usage data
- Automate scaling policies
- Documentation and knowledge transfer
Conclusion
Cloud migration isn’t an IT project. It’s a transformation that requires strategy, governance, and change management. The key is an iterative approach: start small, learn, scale.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 6 Rs of cloud migration?
The 6 Rs framework categorizes migration approaches: Rehost (lift and shift to cloud unchanged), Replatform (small cloud-native adjustments), Refactor (rebuild with modern architecture), Repurchase (switch to SaaS), Retain (keep on-premise), and Retire (decommission). Each application deserves individual assessment rather than treating all moves the same way.
How long does cloud migration take?
For a mid-sized company with 20 to 50 applications, expect 9 to 10 months. Assessment takes months 1 to 2. Foundation and first non-critical migration spans months 3 to 4. Main migration waves occur months 5 to 8, followed by optimization in months 9 to 10. Teams that rush this process face more failures and unexpected costs.
What is the biggest mistake in cloud migration?
The most common mistake is planning everything as a simple rehost (lift and shift) because it appears easiest upfront. This avoids architectural decisions but leads to higher long-term cloud costs and limited benefit from cloud capabilities. Honest assessment of which applications need refactoring saves money later and unlocks actual cloud value.
Why is cost governance important in cloud?
Cloud costs work differently than on-premise infrastructure. You pay for consumption, not fixed capacity. Without monitoring from day one, bills spiral unpredictably. A tagging strategy, budget alerts at 50 percent and 80 percent thresholds, and reserved instances for predictable workloads prevent budget shock and ensure financial control throughout migration.
How do you handle data protection in cloud migration?
In the DACH region, data residency is legally required. Personal data must stay in the EU using Frankfurt (AWS) or Germany West Central (Azure). Encryption at rest and in transit with customer-controlled keys is standard. Regular access reviews and least-privilege access control prevent unauthorized exposure and meet GDPR requirements.
