Cloud migration checklist: what to settle before you move workloads
A concise checklist covering strategy, security, cost and operations for a smooth migration.
Migrations go smoothly when decisions are made before workloads move. Use this checklist to prepare.
Strategy
- Define the business reason: cost, speed, resilience or capability.
- Inventory applications, data and dependencies.
- Choose a path for each workload: rehost, refactor, replace or retire.
Security and compliance
- Map regulatory and data residency requirements to cloud regions.
- Design identity, access, encryption and key management.
- Set up logging and monitoring from day one.
Architecture
- Build a landing zone with accounts, networking and guardrails.
- Plan connectivity between on-premises systems and the cloud.
- Define backup, recovery and availability targets.
Cost
- Estimate running costs, not only migration costs.
- Tag resources and set budgets and alerts.
- Assign ownership for ongoing cost review.
Delivery and operations
- Automate infrastructure and deployment as code.
- Test performance and failover before cut-over.
- Plan cut-over windows and a rollback path.
- Train the operations team and update runbooks.
After the move
Review cost, performance and security regularly, and keep improving. Our Cloud Strategy & Security team can help you plan and run the migration.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decide which workloads to migrate first?
Start with workloads that are low risk, well understood and offer clear benefit, then use what you learn to plan more complex ones.
How can we control cloud cost after migration?
Tag resources, set budgets and alerts, review usage regularly and size services to actual demand.
Related services
Cloud Strategy & Security
Secure cloud foundations aligned with your business and regulatory needs.
Infrastructure Management
Infrastructure built and maintained to grow with the business.
DevOps & Platform
Delivery pipelines and internal platforms that speed up safe releases.