Migration strategies, commonly known as the 7 Rs, are essential frameworks for moving applications and workloads to the AWS cloud. Understanding these strategies helps organizations choose the most appropriate approach based on their specific needs, timeline, and resources.
**1. Rehost (Lift and S…Migration strategies, commonly known as the 7 Rs, are essential frameworks for moving applications and workloads to the AWS cloud. Understanding these strategies helps organizations choose the most appropriate approach based on their specific needs, timeline, and resources.
**1. Rehost (Lift and Shift):** This involves moving applications to the cloud with minimal changes. It's the fastest method, ideal for organizations wanting quick migration while maintaining existing architecture.
**2. Replatform (Lift, Tinker, and Shift):** Applications are moved with minor optimizations to leverage cloud benefits. For example, migrating a database to Amazon RDS instead of managing it on EC2 instances.
**3. Repurchase (Drop and Shop):** Organizations replace existing applications with cloud-native alternatives or SaaS solutions. Moving from an on-premises CRM to Salesforce exemplifies this strategy.
**4. Refactor/Re-architect:** Applications are redesigned using cloud-native features to improve scalability, performance, and agility. This approach requires the most effort but yields maximum cloud benefits.
**5. Retire:** After assessment, some applications may no longer be needed. Retiring these workloads reduces complexity and costs.
**6. Retain (Revisit):** Certain applications might not be ready for migration due to compliance requirements, recent upgrades, or complexity. These are kept on-premises for future evaluation.
**7. Relocate:** This newer addition involves moving infrastructure to the cloud at the hypervisor level, such as using VMware Cloud on AWS, enabling migration with minimal disruption.
Choosing the right strategy depends on factors like business objectives, application complexity, compliance requirements, available skills, and budget constraints. Many organizations use a combination of these strategies across their application portfolio. AWS provides various tools like AWS Migration Hub, AWS Application Discovery Service, and AWS Database Migration Service to support these migration journeys effectively.
Migration Strategies and the 7 Rs - Complete Guide
Why Migration Strategies Are Important
Understanding migration strategies is crucial for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam because organizations moving to the cloud need a structured approach. AWS has defined seven common strategies, known as the 7 Rs, that help businesses determine the best path for each application or workload. This knowledge demonstrates your understanding of real-world cloud adoption scenarios.
What Are the 7 Rs of Migration?
1. Rehost (Lift and Shift) Moving applications to the cloud with minimal or no changes. This is the fastest migration approach, often used for quick migrations or when time is critical. Applications are moved as-is to cloud infrastructure.
2. Replatform (Lift, Tinker, and Shift) Making a few cloud optimizations during migration to achieve tangible benefits. For example, migrating a database to Amazon RDS instead of managing your own database on EC2. Core architecture remains the same.
3. Repurchase (Drop and Shop) Moving to a different product, typically a SaaS solution. For example, replacing an on-premises CRM with Salesforce or moving to a cloud-native solution like Workday.
4. Refactor/Re-architect Reimagining how the application is architected using cloud-native features. This is the most complex option but offers the greatest long-term benefits. Examples include breaking monolithic applications into microservices or adopting serverless architecture.
5. Retire Identifying applications that are no longer useful and can be turned off. This reduces costs and complexity by eliminating unnecessary workloads.
6. Retain (Revisit) Keeping certain applications on-premises or postponing migration. This applies to applications requiring major refactoring, recent upgrades, or those with compliance requirements that cannot yet be met in the cloud.
7. Relocate Moving infrastructure to the cloud at the hypervisor level. This is specific to VMware environments using VMware Cloud on AWS, allowing bulk migration of virtual machines.
How the 7 Rs Work in Practice
Organizations typically assess their application portfolio and assign each application a migration strategy based on: - Business criticality - Technical complexity - Compliance requirements - Time constraints - Available resources - Long-term cloud goals
Most migrations use a combination of strategies across different applications.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Migration Strategies and 7 Rs
Key Patterns to Remember:
• When a question mentions quick migration or minimal changes, think Rehost
• When a question mentions some optimization but same architecture, think Replatform
• When a question mentions replacing with SaaS or buying a new solution, think Repurchase
• When a question mentions cloud-native, microservices, or serverless, think Refactor
• When a question mentions decommissioning or turning off applications, think Retire
• When a question mentions keeping on-premises or not ready to migrate, think Retain
• When a question mentions VMware or hypervisor-level migration, think Relocate
Common Exam Scenarios:
• A company wants the fastest path to the cloud with lowest risk - Answer: Rehost
• A company wants to move their database to a managed service - Answer: Replatform
• A company wants to replace their email server with a cloud email service - Answer: Repurchase
• A company wants to modernize their legacy application for better scalability - Answer: Refactor
Remember: The exam tests your ability to match business requirements with the appropriate migration strategy. Focus on understanding the characteristics and use cases for each R.