Cloud
Cloud Migration Checklist for Mid-Sized Businesses
A comprehensive, phase-by-phase guide to planning and executing a successful cloud migration without disrupting your business operations.
9 min read
☁️ Complete Migration Guide
Cloud migration can transform your business operations, but poor planning leads to cost overruns, performance issues, and business disruption. This comprehensive checklist guides you through each phase of a successful migration.
Phase 1: Discovery and Assessment (2-3 weeks)
✅ Inventory Your Current Infrastructure
✓
Document all systems
List every application, database, and service currently in use
✓
Map dependencies
Identify which systems connect to or rely on others
✓
Catalog data
Document all data sources, formats, and storage locations
✓
Note hardware specifications
CPU, memory, storage requirements for each system
✓
Record network configurations
IP addresses, ports, firewall rules, and network topology
✅ Evaluate Business Requirements
🎯
Define Success Metrics
What outcomes will make this migration successful?
🔒
Identify Compliance Needs
HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR, or industry-specific requirements
⚡
Set Performance Expectations
Response times, uptime requirements, user experience standards
📈
Determine Scalability Needs
Expected growth in users, data, or transaction volume
💰
Establish Budget Constraints
Total cost expectations including ongoing operational costs
✅ Assess Current Costs
💵
Calculate Total Cost of Ownership
Hardware, software licenses, maintenance, IT staff time
📊
Document Recurring Expenses
Monthly/annual costs for all technology components
🔍
Identify Hidden Costs
Downtime, productivity losses, manual processes
📈
Project Future On-Premises Costs
Hardware refresh cycles, capacity expansion needs
✅ Security and Compliance Audit
🔐
Critical Security Checklist
✓Review current security measures: Firewalls, access controls, encryption, backup procedures
✓Identify sensitive data: Customer information, financial records, intellectual property
✓Document compliance requirements: Regulations that affect your industry
✓Assess current vulnerabilities: Known security gaps or compliance issues
Phase 2: Cloud Strategy and Planning (2-3 weeks)
✅ Choose Your Cloud Provider
☁️
AWS
✓ Broadest services
✓ Market leader
✓ Mature ecosystem
☁️
Azure
✓ Microsoft integration
✓ Hybrid cloud
✓ Enterprise focus
☁️
GCP
✓ Competitive pricing
✓ Data/ML strength
✓ Kubernetes native
🎯 Evaluate service offerings
Ensure required services are available
🌍 Consider geographic presence
Data center locations affecting latency and compliance
💵 Review pricing models
Pay-as-you-go vs. reserved instances vs. spot pricing
⚠️ Assess vendor lock-in risks
How easy is it to move to another provider later?
✅ Select Migration Strategy
🚚 Rehost (Lift & Shift)
Move applications as-is to cloud infrastructure
⚙️ Replatform
Make minimal changes to optimize for cloud environment
🔧 Refactor
Redesign applications to be cloud-native
🔄 Replace
Switch to cloud-based SaaS alternatives
🗑️ Retire
Eliminate applications that are no longer needed
⏸️ Retain
Keep some systems on-premises for specific reasons
✅ Design Cloud Architecture
🌐
Plan Network Architecture
VPCs, subnets, connectivity to on-premises systems
🔒
Design Security Architecture
Identity management, access controls, encryption strategies
⚡
Plan for High Availability
Multi-zone deployments, load balancing, failover procedures
💾
Design Backup & Disaster Recovery
RTO/RPO requirements, backup schedules, recovery procedures
📊
Consider Monitoring & Logging
How will you track performance and troubleshoot issues?
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
⚠️
Underestimating Complexity
Cloud migration often takes longer than expected
🐌
Ignoring Network Latency
Geographic distance between users and cloud regions affects performance
💸
Overlooking Data Transfer Costs
Moving large amounts of data can be expensive
🧪
Inadequate Testing
Insufficient testing leads to post-migration issues
👥
Poor Change Management
Not preparing users for changes leads to adoption problems
When to Seek Professional Help
Consider hiring cloud migration specialists if you have:
🤝
Expert Guidance Recommended
These scenarios indicate you should consider professional migration support:
⚡
Mission-Critical Applications
Systems that can't afford downtime
🏛️
Complex Legacy Systems
Extensive customizations and dependencies
🔒
Strict Compliance Requirements
Healthcare, finance, government regulations
🎓
Limited Internal Cloud Expertise
Team lacks cloud migration experience
⏰
Tight Migration Timelines
Business deadlines or contract expirations
💡☁️ Need Cloud Migration Help?
Get expert guidance for your cloud migration with a comprehensive assessment and customized roadmap.
Schedule Your Migration Assessment