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What is Cloud Migration? - Definition & Meaning

Learn what cloud migration is, which strategies exist (lift-and-shift, refactor), and how to plan a safe and beneficial migration to the cloud.

Cloud migration is the move of applications, data, and workloads from on-premise servers or another cloud platform to a cloud environment (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), to improve scalability, cost, and management.

What is What is Cloud Migration? - Definition & Meaning?

Cloud migration is the move of applications, data, and workloads from on-premise servers or another cloud platform to a cloud environment (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), to improve scalability, cost, and management.

How does What is Cloud Migration? - Definition & Meaning work technically?

Strategies: lift-and-shift, refactor, or hybrid. Key steps are inventory, assessment, planning, and cutover. Risks: downtime and vendor lock-in.

How does MG Software apply What is Cloud Migration? - Definition & Meaning in practice?

MG Software guides cloud migrations from assessment to implementation. We help with strategy choice, migration planning, and setting up automated pipelines for repeatable migrations. After migration we support with optimization and FinOps.

What are some examples of What is Cloud Migration? - Definition & Meaning?

  • A company migrating its legacy ERP to Azure with a lift-and-shift approach, followed by phased optimization to PaaS services.
  • A startup moving from shared hosting to AWS with containerized deployment and auto-scaling.
  • A hybrid setup where sensitive data stays on-premise and public web apps run in the cloud.

Related terms

cloud computingdevopssaasci cd

Further reading

Knowledge BaseWhat is BaaS? - Definition & MeaningWhat is CPaaS? - Definition & MeaningMigration Project Examples - System TransitionsAWS vs Google Cloud: Complete Comparison Guide

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Frequently asked questions

Depending on scope and complexity: from weeks (simple apps) to months or years (large enterprise systems). Phased migrations with parallel runs reduce risk.
Scalability, lower upfront investment (pay-as-you-go), higher availability, and less maintenance. Plus access to modern services (AI, analytics, serverless).
Vendor lock-in occurs when you become strongly dependent on one cloud provider through proprietary services. Mitigation: use standards, containerization, and multi-cloud strategy where possible.

How long does a cloud migration take?

Depending on scope and complexity: from weeks (simple apps) to months or years (large enterprise systems). Phased migrations with parallel runs reduce risk.

What are the benefits of cloud migration?

Scalability, lower upfront investment (pay-as-you-go), higher availability, and less maintenance. Plus access to modern services (AI, analytics, serverless).

What is vendor lock-in?

Vendor lock-in occurs when you become strongly dependent on one cloud provider through proprietary services. Mitigation: use standards, containerization, and multi-cloud strategy where possible.

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