The seven R’s of AWS cloud migration strategy

Many organizations are still running on legacy IT systems that demand constant patching, manual scaling, and time-consuming maintenance. These outdated environments often soak up budgets and stall innovation, making it hard to roll out new features or keep up with customer demands. Cloud platforms like AWS eliminate these roadblocks freeing up your teams to focus on growth, not upkeep.

In this post, we’ll outline a strategic approach to AWS cloud migration covering the seven R’s migration framework.

7 R’s of AWS Cloud Migration

Each of the seven R’s represents a different approach to migration each with its own level of effort, speed, and long-term value. Let’s look at what they mean and when to use them:

1. Rehost (Lift and Shift)

This is the fastest and most straightforward option simply move your existing applications to AWS without major changes. It’s like relocating to a new data center but with all the scalability and reliability of the cloud. However, rehosting may limit your ability to fully optimize for cloud-native benefits in the long run.

2. Relocate

Relocating apps between cloud platforms say, from another provider to AWS can unlock access to AWS-specific features or better pricing. It requires careful planning and compatibility checks but opens the door to tailored services and long-term flexibility.

3. Replatform

If your current architecture is holding you back, replatforming lets you adjust your applications to better fit the cloud. It involves modifying components to leverage scalability, automation, and other cloud-native features without starting from scratch. This option strikes a balance between speed and future-readiness.

4. Refactor

Need to build for the future? Refactoring means rearchitecting or rebuilding applications entirely using modern frameworks like serverless and microservices. It’s the most resource-intensive path, but it delivers the greatest agility, scalability, and long-term ROI.

5. Repurchase

Sometimes it’s better to replace legacy software with a cloud-native SaaS alternative. Repurchasing gives you access to modern features and lower maintenance, without the need to overhaul your existing apps.

6. Retire

Some apps simply aren’t worth moving. If an application is outdated or no longer used, retiring it reduces overhead and simplifies your environment.

7. Retain

Not every application needs to move to the cloud. If certain systems are stable, compliant, or critical to on-prem operations, keeping them where they are can make sense especially if they don’t hinder your cloud transformation goals.

Building a Migration Strategy That Works

Once you understand the R’s, the next step is creating a roadmap. Assign each application a migration strategy based on its current use, business value, and future potential. From there, phase the migration, set performance targets, and establish monitoring and resilience plans to keep everything on track.

Partnering with an experienced team can help you avoid common pitfalls and accelerate results. At Softweb Solutions, we offer end-to-end AWS migration support from initial assessments and strategy workshops to full-scale implementation and optimization.

Ready to take the next step in your cloud journey? Read whole article about AWS cloud migration strategies.