What is cloud migration?
Cloud migration is the process of moving data, applications, or entire systems from on-premises servers to cloud-based environments, where remote infrastructure provides the key services. Your resources become more accessible, reliable, and adaptable, improving availability for everyone using the services - staff, associates, suppliers and customers.
Why should I migrate to the cloud?
Across industries, cloud adoption and migration are reshaping how organisations operate. The shift toward hybrid and remote work has made the cloud essential for seamless collaboration and improved productivity. Digital transformation is another powerful driver—companies are under pressure to innovate quickly, retire outdated systems, and deliver high availability to meet customer expectations.
In today’s world, remote working capabilities are now expected. Moving to the cloud ensures employees can securely access data and applications from anywhere without compromising security or performance. Modernisation is equally important: legacy hardware is expensive to maintain, inflexible, less convenient to access, and can hinder productivity. Cost efficiency plays a role too. Cloud services convert large upfront hardware investments into flexible, pay-as-you-go costs. And at the same time, maintaining strong security standards.
Benefits of migrating to the cloud
Cost savings remain a major appeal. By paying only for what’s used, organisations avoid large capital expenditures. Flexibility follows naturally: teams can access critical applications from any location, improving productivity across distributed workforces.
However, the benefits of cloud migration extend well beyond cost reduction. Scalability allows businesses to respond quickly to fluctuating demand—expanding capacity during busy periods and reducing it when workloads are lighter. Cloud services are highly available, making access easy from anywhere. The resulting agility can significantly boost productivity for the business.
Cloud providers can also include built-in backup and disaster recovery tools, making business systems much more resilient and improving security without needing massive investment in expensive hardware and skills to maintain it.
Types of cloud migration
There are several cloud migration options. Lift and shift is the simplest: applications are moved with little to no modification—ideal for organisations seeking a quick transition with minimal disruption to availability. Refactoring takes more effort but optimises applications for cloud-native features like auto-scaling, which improves performance and productivity. Consolidation brings multiple, disparate services into one cohesive system, cloud-based for everyone to access however they need.
A cloud to cloud migration may be necessary to achieve better pricing, security, or functionality. SaaS cloud migration replaces traditional software with cloud-based applications like Salesforce or Microsoft 365, improving uptime and reducing maintenance burdens. Finally, multi cloud migration balances providers for redundancy, reducing risks to availability while maximising flexibility.
Cloud migration planning
A clear cloud migration strategy ensures smooth transitions without jeopardising availability or security. The cornerstones of a successful migration are thorough planning, careful implementation, training and information dissemination to ensure everyone knows what to expect and when.
Start with a cloud migration assessment to evaluate systems and identify risks. Your cloud migration approach should prioritise critical workloads, select providers with proven security track records, and define KPIs around uptime and productivity. Allocating resources effectively and setting realistic timelines can prevent disruption to daily operations.
Cloud migration requirements & key considerations
Like any major change, cloud migrations need careful consideration. You need to know where you want to get to, look for the most suitable option, plan to get there, and make sure everyone affected knows what to expect and is properly equipped throughout. Key areas to think about include:
- Understanding your goals – Why are you migrating, and what benefits do you want to achieve?
- Assessing the impact on workloads – Which applications and services are best suited for the cloud?
- Evaluating organisational impact – How will this affect your business culture, staff readiness, and day-to-day working practices?
- Identifying retraining needs – What skills need to be developed to support the transition?
- Creating a robust plan – Outline clear steps, timelines, and responsibilities.
- Addressing security and compliance – Ensure regulatory and data protection requirements are covered.
- Selecting a cloud service provider – Compare provider advantages, support availability, and long-term alignment with your business.
- Testing before full rollout – Where possible, trial workloads before committing to wholesale migration.
The cloud migration process
A typical cloud migration framework or cloud migration journey follows several stages:
- Assessment: Review your existing infrastructure, goals, and security requirements.
- Planning: Select strategies and timelines that minimise risk to availability.
- Readiness: Consider staff preparedness — what support and retraining will individuals need to work effectively during and after the migration
- Preparation: Configure environments and set up backups to ensure productivity is not disrupted.
- Migration & Deployment: Transfer data and applications securely.
- Testing & Validation: Confirm availability, performance, and security before going live.
- Optimisation: Fine-tune resources for cost efficiency, productivity, and resilience.
- Review: Assess outcomes against your original goals and adjust as needed.
Phases of cloud migration
The phases mirror the process: assessment identifies priorities for cloud data migration and uptime needs; planning defines tools and responsibilities with a focus on security; preparation secures backups and access controls to protect availability; migration executes transfers and begins migrating infrastructure to the cloud without halting productivity; testing and validation confirm performance and compliance; and optimisation ensures long-term cost control, security, and uptime.
Common challenges of cloud migration
Common challenges include:
- Data loss or downtime that can harm availability. Phased migrations and robust backups help reduce this risk.
- Skill gaps may affect productivity, but training or experienced partners can bridge the gap.
- Security concerns are addressed through encryption, strict access controls, and monitoring.
- Unexpected costs can be avoided through careful planning.
- Compatibility issues are best managed by testing in sandbox environments.
Avoiding cloud migration mistakes requires clear planning, early stakeholder input, and providers with strong security reputations.
Cloud migration and security
Security underpins every stage of migration. Data should be encrypted both in transit and at rest, while role-based access controls help protect sensitive systems. Continuous monitoring then ensures availability and productivity by detecting anomalies early.
Cloud migration security risks
Key cloud migration risks include data breaches from misconfigured systems, compliance failures, and vulnerabilities that threaten availability. Understanding shared responsibility ensures organisations uphold their part of security management.
Cloud migration and modernisation
Migrating to the cloud often drives modernisation. Cloud migration automation accelerates deployment, reduces human error, and preserves availability during transitions. Tools like AWS Migration Hub, Azure Migrate, and Google Cloud’s Migrate for Compute Engine enhance security, streamline processes, and increase productivity by freeing teams to focus on innovation.
Cloud migration best practices
Review the sections "Cloud Migration Requirements & Key Considerations" and "Common Challenges of Cloud Migration" above. Consider the main pitfalls and look for ways to overcome them.
A successful migration typically follows these best practices:
- Start with assessment and strategy – Focus on security, availability, and productivity from the outset.
- Prepare your people – Train your team to manage new systems effectively.
- Migrate in phases – Reduce risk and maintain uptime by moving workloads step by step.
- Monitor continuously – Track performance, costs, and risks in real time.
- Leverage automation – Use tools to reduce human error, increase efficiency, and improve resilience.
- Work with experts – Experienced partners can fill skill gaps and guide complex transitions.
- Plan for the long term – Build a scalable strategy that supports business growth while ensuring secure, reliable access for teams and customers.
By approaching cloud migration with careful planning, strong security, and a focus on people as well as technology, businesses can minimise risks, avoid common pitfalls, and build a scalable, resilient foundation for future growth.
At FlexIT, we help businesses migrate to the cloud with confidence through combining strategy, security, and expertise to ensure a smooth transition and a scalable platform for future growth.