AWS has established itself as the go-to cloud service provider, not just globally but right here in Australia, too. But moving to the cloud isn’t always smooth sailing. Many organizations find themselves navigating through technical hurdles and operational uncertainties along the way. That’s exactly why AWS migration strategy came up with their ingenious 7 Rs framework.
While some still refer to the traditional 6rs, the expanded 7 Rs now include options like “Relocate” to cover modern needs. This framework breaks down the various AWS migration approach options—collectively known as the 7 Rs of cloud migration—to make sure you pick the right path for each of your applications.
At Interscale, we specialize in helping Australian AEC businesses create customized AWS migration strategies that speak directly to their industry-specific needs and business goals. With this background, let’s delve into each aspect of the framework and highlight the AWS migration best practices.
Mapping Out Your AWS Migration Strategy with the 7 Rs Framework
AWS Cloud Migration Strategy is a structured plan for moving your existing applications, data, and overall infrastructure from an on-premises setup—or another cloud—to AWS services.
Imagine enhanced collaboration across job sites, streamlined workflows that eliminate bottlenecks, and harnessing serious computing power for resource-intensive design and modeling tasks. This means the ultimate goal isn’t just to move your systems off-prem.
Consequently, we require thoughtful planning, thorough assessment, and skilled execution using the right approach. And that’s why AWS brings 7 steps of cloud migration to the table.
Now, whether you’re looking to move BIM systems, CAD applications, or project management platforms to the cloud, choosing the right strategy is critical to hitting your targets.
By using the “7 Rs” as a guide in your strategy, you’ll pinpoint which route suits every application in your environment. With this framework, you’ll find that the right approach depends on your specific business drivers, how quickly you need to move, what resources you have on hand, and the unique characteristics of each application. Let’s discuss each AWS Rs below.
Rehosting: The Lift-and-Shift Express Lane to AWS
Often called AWS lift, rehost entails moving your apps to AWS without overhauling the underlying architecture. The appeal? You get speed, minimal disruption to your operations, and lower upfront costs compared to the more complex migration strategies.
AWS lift makes perfect sense if you’re eager to exit your data center quickly or if you have legacy applications that are working just fine as they are. AWS Migration Hub and AWS Application Migration Service do a lot of the heavy lifting for you by automating much of the migration process. Keep in mind, though, that after you’ve rehosted, you may want to optimize further to unlock the full potential of AWS.
Replatforming: Strategic Upgrades Along the Migration Journey
Replatforming hits that sweet spot between speed and optimization. You’re making targeted improvements during migration without completely rebuilding the core architecture.
Think of it as giving your applications a strategic upgrade during the move. For example, maybe you swap out your database engine for AWS replatform solutions like Amazon RDS, or fine-tune your auto-scaling setup.
For AEC firms, this might mean boosting database performance for project management systems or optimizing storage for those massive design files. What’s nice about replatforming is that it typically gives you better ROI than simple rehosting while involving considerably less effort and risk than a complete rebuild.
Here at Interscale Cloud Services, we help clients pinpoint those golden replatforming opportunities that deliver real improvements in performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
Repurchasing (Drop and Shop) as Trading Legacy System for Modern SaaS Solutions
When you repurchase, you replace licensed apps with equivalent (or better) Software-as-a-Service tools. Let’s say you are switching from your on-premises CRM to Salesforce, trading that legacy HR system for Workday, or embracing cloud-based collaboration tools like Microsoft 365.
The big win here is eliminating technical debt from maintaining those aging systems while gaining immediate access to modern features through subscription-based pricing. You’ll enjoy automatic updates, less maintenance headaches, and improved accessibility. The trade-off? Repurchasing usually means carefully adjusting business processes and planning comprehensive data migrations.
Refactoring: Reimagining Applications for Cloud-Native Excellence
If you want to truly take advantage of everything the cloud can offer, refactoring (or rearchitecting) might be in the cards. This approach lets you tap into the full potential of AWS services like AWS Lambda for serverless computing, Amazon DynamoDB for NoSQL database needs, and Amazon S3 for infinitely scalable storage.
The big problem here: refactoring demands the biggest investment of time and resources. But the payoff? You’ll end up with applications that are easier to scale, potentially cheaper to operate, and more responsive to whatever your business needs next.
Retain: Holding Off for Now
The retain strategy is how to realize that not every application needs to move to the cloud right away. There are perfectly valid reasons to keep certain applications on-premises: maybe they require extensive refactoring before migration, perhaps they’re approaching end-of-life, or they might have compliance requirements that mandate on-site hosting.
This shouldn’t be a passive decision, though. By periodically revisiting what you’re keeping in-house, you’ll stay ready to pivot if it later makes sense to fold those apps into your AWS migration plan.
Retiring Applications That Have Served Their Purpose
Sometimes, you’ll find apps that have outlived their usefulness. In those cases, retiring them is the sensible choice. Sometimes, the best AWS migration strategy is no migration at all.
This phase simplifies your 7rs in cloud migration planning because there’s less to move. Not only does trimming the fat cut down on migration tasks, but it also saves you money on maintenance.
During portfolio assessment, you’ll often uncover redundant or low-value applications that can be retired, reducing both your migration workload and ongoing operational costs. For AEC firms that have accumulated legacy systems over the years, this cleanup process can significantly reduce IT complexity.
At the same time, retiring will help companies focus precious resources on tools that deliver genuine business value. At Interscale, we help clients identify retirement candidates through comprehensive application analysis and dependency mapping.
Relocate: Bringing Your VMware Environment to AWS Without Missing a Beat
Relocating is a good option if you want to move hefty chunks of infrastructure, like entire VMware stacks into AWS without investing in brand-new hardware or rewriting your applications. Solutions such as VMware Cloud on AWS make this transition surprisingly smooth.
The beauty of this approach is that you maintain consistent infrastructure and operations between your on-premises and AWS environments. This strategy is particularly valuable if you’ve made significant investments in VMware technology and want to accelerate cloud adoption without fundamental changes to your application portfolio.
Your Migration Roadmap: Key Steps of AWS Migration
While the AWS 7 Rs migration strategy explains the how of migration, the following steps try to explain the “what” and “when” of your migration journey.
At Interscale Cloud Services, we guide clients through each stage of this process, applying proven methodologies and best practices tailored to their specific business situation.
Evaluate Your Current Setup (On-prem, Hybrid, or Cloud)
The first step is to review your technology landscape. Whether that’s an on-prem setup, a hybrid arrangement, Google Cloud, or Azure already. Tools like AWS Application Discovery Service are invaluable for gathering comprehensive data about your on-premises environment.
AEC environments can be a maze of CAD programs, engineering models, and data platforms. So, sorting out dependencies now heads off unexpected surprises later.
Decide What to Migrate (Apps, Data, Workloads)
Prioritizing what moves and when requires careful thinking about multiple factors: how critical each application is to your business, its technical complexity, interdependencies with other systems, and potential quick wins.
If you’re migrating applications to AWS for design work, for instance, you may choose to tackle fundamental tools that yield immediate gains first.
Creating a comprehensive migration wave plan helps you balance risk management with business value delivery. This strategic sequencing ensures that mission-critical applications for AEC operations receive appropriate attention and resources throughout the migration process.
Estimate Costs & Security Requirements
At this stage, you’ll want to figure out your cloud budget and what security measures you’ll need. AWS Pricing Calculator is your friend here for forecasting expenses. Meanwhile the AWS Well-Architected Framework provides solid guidance for designing secure environments. This planning stage helps identify potential savings, ensuring effective disaster recovery, and overall data protection.
Choose Migration Approach (Either Rehosting, Replatform, etc)
Once you have a clear overview of your cloud data migration strategy, it’s time to assign each workload to the best-suited tactic. Maybe rehost for your older apps, or replatform for those that just need a minor tweak.
Matching each application to the right strategy from the 7 Rs framework takes careful analysis of your business goals, the application’s characteristics, and timeline constraints.
Please note that most organizations end up using multiple approaches across their application portfolio. On the other hand, this phase involves a trusted third party for guidance.
This is why we help clients make critical decisions based on comprehensive assessment data and business priorities. This might mean rehosting standard business applications, replatforming project management systems, and refactoring custom design tools to fully leverage cloud capabilities
Use AWS Migration Tools
AWS offers loads of tools to lighten the workload. You’ve got AWS Migration Hub for tracking progress, AWS Application Migration Service for rehosting, AWS Database Migration Service for database transitions, and the AWS Snow Family for moving massive amounts of data. These purpose-built tools simplify and accelerate migration while significantly reducing risk.
Keep Optimize and Secure for Continuous Improvement
Remember, once you land in the cloud, your journey isn’t over. After migration, you’ll want to implement continuous monitoring, cost optimization, performance tuning, and security enhancements to maximize the value of your AWS environment. AWS services like Trusted Advisor and the Well-Architected Tool provide valuable support for these optimization efforts.
Common Cloud Migration Challenges
Organizations typically face several challenges in AWS migration strategies. Maybe your team doesn’t have the necessary skill set yet, or you run into unexpected performance slowdowns because of hidden third party app dependencies.
Meanwhile, change can stir up worries from stakeholders who aren’t used to new workflows. Let’s break down several common challenges now:
- Data transfer complexities: Typically, we can see this problem with large datasets common in AEC firms, where CAD files and BIM models can be massive. This creates bandwidth bottlenecks and extended migration timelines.
- Resource constraints: We can see various problems here, from skills gaps within internal teams to budget limitations that restrict proper testing. Meanwhile, business continuity pressures create tension between thorough migration processes and minimizing downtime.
- Organizational resistance: Stakeholders accustomed to existing workflows may push back against new cloud-based processes. These circumstances require thoughtful change management alongside technical planning to ensure user adoption.
These roadblocks are manageable if you take them seriously from the start. This is why partnering with experienced migration specialists, like Interscale Cloud Services, gives Australian businesses access to proven methodologies and deep AWS expertise.
With our specific experience in the AEC sector, we understand the unique requirements of design and engineering applications and can develop migration approaches that address industry-specific challenges.
Your Next Steps
Your cloud journey is a chance to completely reimagine how your business operates. Think of it as an opportunity to modernize your systems, boost your cloud computing capabilities, and set up rock-solid disaster recovery.
This is why we’re right here with you every step of the way. We focus on practical, tailored solutions so you can make smart decisions without any hassle. Take the time to plan and see how our proven AWS migration strategy can guide you toward a future. Let’s get started on making your digital transformation a reality.
