Legacy apps are now something of the past, companies that seek growth and development should learn how to migrate from legacy applications to the cloud. Even though challenges exists, and business should always have an exit strategy, the cloud is yet the best option for storage for many advantages.

1. MIGRATING FROM LEGACY
APPLICATIONS TO THE CLOUD
Y O U R C O M P L E T E G U I D E !
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NOOR ZARAKET
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MIGRATION CHALLENGES A CLOUD EXIT STRATEGY
THE THREE ASPECTS OF
CLOUD EXIT STRATEGY
aNumak
& Company

2. Why should you migrate legacy applications to the cloud?
A legacy application is an
outdated or obsolete software
program. A company or a
business may instead not use a
legacy app since it is unstable
and has compatibility issues
with operating systems and
browsers, even though they had
relied on them for years.
However, businesses are still
reluctant to migrate their data
for different reasons, such as
having the data operating
without any problem, the cost
of upgrading a legacy
application, and disrupting the
workflow of the employees and
the company.
Cost management: The longer you have old hardware, the more it costs to maintain it. When
you migrate to the cloud, you use the cloud’s infrastructure, reduce your maintenance costs,
and pay only for what you need.
Data protection: Legacy applications are not well-protected. They make your computers
vulnerable to viruses, breaches, and identity theft. Additionally, legacy applications don’t have
backups or data recovery plans in case of damage or data loss.
Availability: Legacy applications are prolonged and take forever to load. Users and employees
may need much time to learn how to use them, and storing much information on legacy apps
while expecting them to function normally isn’t accessible. When you migrate the data to the
cloud, you can access it when and wherever you want.
Compatibility: Legacy applications are not compatible or familiar with any new modern IT
infrastructures such as SaaS apps, updated operating systems, and smartphones. Migrating
your data to the cloud updates your IT infrastructure to meet current business needs.
Mobility: Legacy applications only run on windows, while some businesses use Mac devices or
mobile devices to check emails. The cloud would make your data available for you 24/7,
accessing it from anywhere you might need it while having multiple employees use it.
Migrating From
Legacy Applications
to the Cloud
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aNumak
& Company

3. ANUMAK.COM
How to move your legacy
applications to the cloud?
Conduct a SWOT analysis: Analyze the advantages and
disadvantages of migrating to the cloud. What does the
cloud present of threats and opportunities? The SWOT
analysis should always be a step ahead of your technical
plan; always longer need to keep a big picture of what is
happening.
Assess your environment: Before migrating, you should
evaluate and check your current IT infrastructure. Microsoft
provides several migration tools which could help you
understand how are ready are physically and virtually to
migrate.
Select your migration strategy: Lift and shift: It requires
no code or architecture change, and it simply means
putting the application into the cloud using hardware. This
option is best for enterprises looking to move quickly,
cheaply, and efficiently. However, there is a downside to
the lift and shift approach. You should first test
performance before separating data from WAN because
without testing; you won’t know which data will cause
malfunctioning to the migration. For example, it could be
an email, and the damage won’t be significant, but it
could be that you poorly lifted and shifted your sales
platform into your cloud, which will cause a big hit.
aNumak
& Company

4. ANUMAK.COM
Refactor: It is the process of moving your application to a public cloud and rearchitecting
it to adapt to native cloud technologies, which will require a change in the codes and
long-term investment. It is the most sustainable approach, as it is available remotely and
will meet all the needs of the business. However, the downside is that refactor costs much
and is time-consuming. In addition, it means building the application in a completely new
environment with new codes, which is a big project to handle.
Replatform: This approach means making “easy” changes to the application architecture,
such as changing how the app interacts and takes advantage of the cloud services. It is
faster than refactoring and comes in between it and lifting and shifting. Nonetheless, you
may not catch everything while migrating.
Repurchase: In this approach, you just get rid of the application and buy a SaaS one that
you can customize. It is a tricky approach to consider, but you can contact office 365 of
Googe Workspace.
Retire: This involves knowing the assets and services you don’t need anymore and can get
rid of while focusing on what is essential in the enterprise. Studies have shown that 10% of
an enterprise IT portfolio is not of value.
Retain: you may want to retain your IT portfolio, as there might be some data you want to
keep on-premises instead of the cloud. In this case, you conduct a hybrid migration
strategy
aNumak
& Company

5. ANUMAK.COM
Run a pilot migration: Now, no longer need it is time to run a test migration. The goal is to
see how your users will perform and interact with the cloud before the official launch.
However time-consuming the pilot could be, it is a very beneficial tacit to use before
launching to detect any issues in the migration.
Migrate your legacy application: You should be ready now to migrate your legacy
application. You better do it incrementally, ensuring no disruption in the operation. For
example, you could start by migration by the system then by user groups, opening a possibility
of testing in a live environment. When you release it incrementally, you find issues and solve
them better than a big launch.
aNumak
& Company

6. Not having a clear strategy with clear objectives
Not having a clear understanding of the cloud environment
Exceeding the budget
Lack of human skills to operate the infrastructure
Migration challenges
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aNumak
& Company

7. A cloud exit strategy
You can’t operate without a cloud exit strategy. It is a “reverse
migration” where the strategy is as it sounds precise. It helps the
business from recurring outages while it stays in line.
Additionally, a cloud exit strategy can help the company
respond to market changes by innovating and updating itself.
For example, a provider may sunset a service, leaving a business
looking for a solution. Finally, it may help you in finding better
prices and discounts. Therefore, it is essential to keep a cloud
exit strategy to stay a step ahead.
The three aspects of cloud exit strategy
Take inventory: Keep an up-to-date cloud inventory.
Open-source infrastructure: This will help in moving between
the clouds easily.
Multi-cloud from the beginning: Much easier than to change
mid-negotiations.
ANUMAK.COM
aNumak
& Company