What is Lift and Shift in Cloud Migration?
You’ve completed all due diligence, decided which platforms fit your operation, and finally accepted that a move to the cloud is the best way to scale. With that big decision out of the way, the next one comes in the form of a looming question: what is the most painless way I can migrate to the cloud? Since the answer depends on the feasibility of your current setup, there’s no blanket answer that works for all scenarios.
Fortunately, there are many options for migration, with cloud computing expertise available from agencies that specialize in such operations. This blog covers the lift and shift approach, explaining how it works, and which types of companies benefit the most from it.
For help with lifting and shifting your own infrastructure, consider contacting one of our experts to ensure a smooth migration to one of the major platforms.
What is Lift and Shift Migration?
The term ‘lift and shift migration’ refers to the process of moving data and applications from an on-site system to a cloud-based infrastructure without changing its core methods. The ‘lift’ expresses the act of taking your infrastructure as-is, rather than changing it to fit the structure of its destination; the ‘shift’ refers to the movement from one place to another, rather than moving data to an alternate infrastructure. The method is also referred to as ‘rehosting’ since it involves moving your infrastructure from one type of architecture to another.
The direct alternative to lift and shift is called refactoring or rearchitecting. This method entails restructuring or rebuilding applications and/or workflows to match the architecture of its cloud destination. Companies might opt for this approach if their infrastructure is too complex to move, or if they would rather start from scratch with a modern replacement.
The Benefits of Lift and Shift Migration
The following are the benefits of using lift and shift migration:
- Keeping the familiar applications intact lets your company keep the infrastructure to which it’s accustomed. This eliminates the learning curve of a new system, and helps employees hit the ground running. Downtime can become a big problem for companies that rely on continuous service to satisfy a customer base, so any tool that can smooth this transition is a positive for companies looking to migrate to the cloud.
- The inherent benefits of the cloud apply after the ‘shift’, such as automation, increased scalability, and dashboard features. The familiarity of the legacy system is augmented by the conveniences provided by distributed computing, which allows every aspect of a company’s daily operations to become more efficient.
The Disadvantages of Lift and Shift Migration
These are the disadvantages of lift and shift. The downsides are in comparison to refactoring/rearchitecting your systems:
- Some applications and workflows are so complex that refactoring is the only way cloud migration will work. These might include custom applications that were created for a specific purpose in the legacy system, which don’t comply with the cloud-based system. This decision will sometimes come down to how much you are sold on the cloud provider and whether the extra upfront cost is worth refactoring.
- Without refactoring, you may not get the full benefit of the cloud from a cost optimization, scalability, or manageability perspective.
When To Use Lift and Shift Migration
Challenges will arise whether you transform your applications and then migrate or perform a lift and shift migration. This is the main reason it’s much better to avoid migrating and transforming at the same time, and why you should update your applications after a life and shift migration.
Lift and shift cloud migration is an intermediary step that should be completed prior to transformation. Every application is case-dependent, but lift and shift migrations can take data center-hosted legacy applications and get them up and running in the cloud with.
Finding Help for Your Cloud Migration
If you’ve read through this blog–or our more generalized piece, ‘Get Smart About Your Cloud Migration,’ you’re probably at the point where you’re researching options before a move to the cloud. Even if you have a dedicated IT department, it’s a good idea to seek external help from cloud computing experts. This will help you get the most out of whichever platform you choose.
Fortunately, Foghorn Consulting provides migration services for Azure and AWS, which includes consulting on the lift and shift cloud migration strategy discussed in this blog. Follow the links to find out more:
