How do you migrate your solution? Whether you are moving to the cloud or a new server, migrating is easier said than done. You’ll need to carefully plan it to make sure you do it right. Use these 6 migration tips to plan your strategy.

Choose a migration type

These are the types of common migration strategies to choose from:

• Rehosting: Also known as "lift and shift". You move your application to the cloud with minimal tweaks and changes.
• Replaforming: Same as Rehosting. You move your environment to the cloud. Then, make some adjustments to optimize it for the cloud.
• Repurchasing: Move your customized, legacy application to a brand new, cloud-native product. You’ll need to train your team on the new platform.
• Refactoring: You’ll need to change your apps. In some cases, you’ll need to rebuild from scratch. Make changes to take advantage of the cloud without compromising the core features.
• Retiring: Some of your applications may no longer be useful to you. You’ll need to decide which applications you can stop using.
• Retaining: Are you ready to migrate to the cloud? You may not be ready to migrate. If you aren’t, you should reconsider migrating at a later date.

Assign a Migration Architect

Pick a person who can guide or execute all technical aspects of the migration. They’ll need to define the necessary refactoring, data migration, tools and strategy.

Understand the scope of your migration

Your migration project needs to manageable. You’ll need to know what you want to accomplish and how to get there. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time. By defining your migration project scope, your team can manage their work without delays.

Find the right integration partner

Look for a partner who has moved before. They can help you plan your move and guide your through the process.

Document your processes

Make sure you have documented your processes. If you need to make changes, it is good to know where to start.

Test and test again

No move is perfect. You may miss something in the first round of testing. Make sure you create a checklist of things to test. Test them in many environments.