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Cloud Migration

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Sebastian Leinhos

Managing Director

Cloud migration becomes relevant when on-premises systems face challenges with growth, scalability, or modern IT processes brakes. The switch to cloud creates the basis for more flexible services and more efficient operations.

  • Last updated: 06/11/2026
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Request for Proposal - Key Takeaways
Cloud migration involves moving applications, data, workloads, or IT infrastructure to a cloud environment.

This allows companies to reduce their dependence on local hardware, use resources more flexibly, and deploy modern IT services faster.

A structured cloud migration assesses each application individually and determines whether it will be moved, adapted, modernized, replaced, retained, or retired.

With ServiceNow, operations, support, security, and governance can be connected to keep cloud services controllable after migration.

What is cloud migration?

Cloud migration refers to the movement of applications, data, workloads, or IT infrastructure to a cloud environment. Instead of permanently operating their own physical servers, storage, networks, and data centers, companies utilize the scalable resources of a cloud provider in a cloud computing environment.

Sebastian Leinhos
For many companies, migrating to the cloud is a significant step IT transformation. It reduces reliance on local hardware, making Make IT resources more flexibly available and lays the foundation for modern cloud services, automation, cloud applications, and IT services delivered more quickly.

Nevertheless, cloud migration is more than just a technical move. Applications, data, security, costs, and operations must to be considered from the outset. Otherwise, old complexity just migrates to a new cloud environment.

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Cloud Migration Strategy: The 6 R's as a Decision Model

A cloud migration strategy determines the best path for each application. The 6R model helps Companies in assisting applications and Prioritize workloads before migration. This decision is important because it will significantly determine the effort, risks, later challenges, operation, and future IT costs.

The following migration strategies are possible:

  • Rehost The application moves to the cloud virtually unchanged. Fast, but with limited optimization.

  • Replatform The application remains fundamentally the same, but will be slightly adapted for the cloud.

  • Refactor/Re-architect: The application will be comprehensively modernized to better leverage cloud benefits such as scalability and automation.

  • Repurchase An existing system is being replaced by a SaaS solution.

  • Retain: An application will remain in the existing infrastructure for the time being, for reasons such as compliance, legacy systems, or technical limitations.

  • Retire Applications or services that are no longer needed will be shut down.

What types of cloud migration are there?

There are many paths to the cloud. The right migration strategy depends on the existing cloud infrastructure, the applications involved, and how much Security, Cost, Operations, and Scalability weighted.

Data center to the cloud

In this form of migration, systems from your own data center migrated entirely or gradually to a cloud environment. This relieves internal IT of hardware operation and maintenance, but requires a clean capture of data, workloads, and dependencies.

Hybrid Cloud Migration

A hybrid cloud Connects local infrastructure with cloud resources. Companies keep certain systems in their own data center or in a private cloud, while other applications and data move to a public cloud.

Cloud-to-Cloud Migration

During a cloud-to-cloud migration, applications, data, or workloads are moved from one cloud provider to another. Since each cloud platform brings its own services, security models, and operational logic, this transition requires a precise analysis of applications, databases, and dependencies.

Migration to the Public or Private Cloud

In the Public Cloud Companies use scalable resources from a major cloud provider. A Private Cloud offers more control and is particularly suitable for high demands on compliance, data protection, and cloud security. Crucially, the decision of which cloud environment fits the business model and business objectives is important.

Application Migration and Modernization

When migrating applications, the software is the focus. Applications can be moved with minor changes, lightly adapted, or fundamentally modernized, allowing their Functionality for the new cloud fits. A simple lift-and-shift often retains old limitations, while modernization allows for more scalability and automation.

The benefits of a structured cloud migration

The benefits of cloud migration primarily arise from planning. Those who prepare the move thoroughly have several advantages:
More cost efficiency: Companies can hold less hardware in inventory and better align cloud resources with actual demand.

Better scalability Storage, computing power, and services can be scaled up or down more quickly.

Faster IT transformationThe cloud creates a foundation for automation, modern applications, AI-adjacent processes, and new digital products.

Higher Security: Cloud providers are investing heavily in protection, availability, and infrastructure. However, the responsibility for configuration, access, and data remains with the company.

More flexible operation: IT resources can be flexibly and demand-slanted adapted to increasing or decreasing requirements.

Global Performance Globally distributed data centers allow applications to run closer to the user, which reduces loading times and improves the user experience.

Faster Development: After switching to the cloud, development teams often work more efficiently and can deploy applications faster. Cloud-native applications generally run more stably and cause less downtime.

The Cloud Migration Process: How to Successfully Migrate to the Cloud

successful cloud migration needs a clear process. Crucially, strategy, systems, data, security, and operations must not be viewed in isolation.

1. Define Strategy and Business Case

In the beginning is the question of why migration makes sense. Companies should evaluate goals, costs, benefits, and suitable cloud providers early on. Structured procedures such as Request for Information or Request for Proposal help make providers and migration partners comparable.

2. Inventory and understand dependencies

Before moving, transparency is needed. Which applications run on which servers? Which databases, interfaces, and services are connected to them? Without this analysis, failures, duplicate costs, or unnecessary legacy systems quickly arise.

3. Define Target Architecture and Migration Path

Now the decision is being made on what the new cloud should look like. Public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, or multi-cloud must align with the strategy, security, and stakeholder requirements. The appropriate migration path will be chosen for each application, such as rehost, replatform, or refactor. IT operations, security, and developers should be involved early in this process.

 

4. Implementing migration in a controlled manner

The transfer is best done step by step. Applications, data, and workloads are migrated, tested, and only then put into production. In the case of a IT carve-out is this phase particularly sensitive because data streams, permissions, and systems must be cleanly separated.

5. Stabilize and optimize cloud computing

After the move, operations begin. Resources must be monitored, costs reviewed, and unused components shut down. IT Operations Management (ITOM), IT monitoring, and automated Patch Management help manage cloud services stably and cost-effectively.

Make your ServiceNow cloud migration controllable

ServiceNow connects cloud migration with operations, support, security, and governance. This allows companies to maintain oversight even after the relocation.

  • More transparency in cloud operations: About ITOM and IT Monitoring ServiceNow recognizes systems, dependencies, and cloud services, making it visible which application is running where and which business process is affected.

  • Faster Support Processes: ITSM integrates cloud services into incident, change, and request processes. This prevents individual email coordination and creates clear workflows for operations and support.

  • Controlled access to new resources: Service Request Management enables standardized requests for new cloud resources. This reduces sprawl and ensures that new environments are provisioned in a traceable manner.

  • Better security after moving: SecOps and Vulnerability Management help to identify, prioritize, and translate security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations into concrete actions more quickly.

  • Understandable Governance IRM, Information Security Management System and Third-Party Risk Management support in cleanly assessing and documenting vendor, compliance, and security risks.

Best Practices for a Successful Cloud Migration

The success of a cloud migration rarely hinges on a single tool. What's crucial is how well companies Reduce complexity., Involve stakeholders and plan for future operations from the outset.

Start small, learn clean

Common mistake: Many companies start directly with critical core systems. The pressure is high, errors are caught late, and the team gains experience in the wrong place.

The solution path: Start with non-critical workloads, test environments, or clearly defined applications. This allows for early detection of technical issues, unclear responsibilities, and weaknesses in the process. Only when this foundation is stable should more important systems be tackled.

Control costs and operations from day one

Common mistake: After migration, resources continue to run even though they are no longer needed. Test servers remain active, environments grow uncontrollably, and the expected cost efficiency is not achieved.

The solution path: Establish transparency from the outset regarding usage, costs, and responsibilities. Dashboards, clear approvals, IT monitoring, and automated workflows help manage cloud operations on an ongoing basis. This prevents the migration from becoming a new cost center.

Frequently asked questions and answers

How can a company safely migrate to the cloud?

A successful cloud migration includes security measures that must be implemented as part of refactoring to minimize data loss and security risks. A company should cloud migration Plan in phases, assess risks early and do not move sensitive data to a new location in an uncontrolled manner. The secure path leads through clear governance, audited cloud providers, defined access rights, and ongoing monitoring after go-live.

Cloud Migration shifts costs from fixed investments in hardware for flexible, usage-based operating costs. This offers the opportunity to align resources more precisely with demand, but requires consistent control to prevent unused cloud services from creating new cost blocks. Companies often underestimate the full costs incurred during data migration, including new network connections to cover the increased bandwidth requirements.

Cloud Migration refers to the technical migration of existing applications, data, and workloads to the cloud – often based on the „lift-and-shift“ principle, without fundamental architectural changes. Cloud Transformation goes much further: It uses the cloud as a strategic lever to fundamentally redesign business processes, operating models, and IT architecture – including cultural change and the use of cloud-native technologies such as AI or automation.

The most important reason lies in the company's responsibility: Data protection, access management, configurations, and regulatory requirements remain relevant even in the cloud. Security and compliance must therefore be integrated from the outset in planning, migration, and operation. At the same time, cloud migration supports data protection and compliance with governance and compliance requirements.

Many companies operate grown legacy systems that cannot be easily transferred to modern cloud environments and often require extensive modernization. Furthermore, the Ensuring data integrity is a major challenge., because complex dependencies between applications and data exist that must be carefully considered before migration. Furthermore, security, compliance, and the necessary internal know-how play a crucial role. for the success of the migration.

security practices change when migrating from an on-premises environment to the cloud, with the Identity and Access ManagementAs it becomes more complex and important. Cloud providers are investing in security infrastructures and compliance certifications that often go beyond the level of local solutions. Nevertheless, the responsibility for secure configuration and Protection of sensitive data always with the company itself.

The selection of the migration strategy is made using specific methods how rehosting, replatforming, refactoring, repurchasing, and retain/retire. The most common migration strategies lie on a spectrum from a straightforward migration with little to no changes to applications and virtual machines (rehosting) to a complete rethinking of the entire digital infrastructure (redesign or platform change).

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