Introduction
Migrating to the cloud is one of the most impactful decisions a company can make. Done right, it reduces costs, increases scalability, and accelerates innovation. Done wrong, it leads to cost overruns, security vulnerabilities, and months of firefighting.
At Cloudrix, we've helped 47+ European companies migrate to AWS. This checklist distills our experience into actionable steps.
Phase 1: Assessment & Planning
1. Inventory Your Applications
Before moving anything, you need a complete picture of what you're working with:
- List all applications and their dependencies
- Document data flows between systems
- Identify which databases each application uses
- Note any third-party integrations
2. Categorize by Migration Strategy
Not every application should migrate the same way. Use the 6 R's framework:
- Rehost - Lift and shift (quickest)
- Replatform - Minor optimizations
- Refactor - Rebuild for cloud-native
- Repurchase - Move to SaaS
- Retire - Decommission
- Retain - Keep on-premises
3. Calculate Total Cost of Ownership
Include all costs: compute, storage, data transfer, training, and temporary parallel running of systems.
Phase 2: Security & Compliance
4. Design Your Security Architecture
Security should be designed in, not bolted on:
- Implement least-privilege IAM policies
- Set up VPCs with proper network segmentation
- Enable encryption at rest and in transit
- Plan for secrets management (AWS Secrets Manager)
5. Address Compliance Requirements
For EU companies, GDPR compliance is non-negotiable:
- Ensure data residency in EU regions
- Document data processing activities
- Implement proper consent mechanisms
- Plan for right-to-deletion requests
Phase 3: Execution
6. Set Up Landing Zone
Your AWS foundation should include:
- Multi-account structure (dev, staging, prod)
- Centralized logging and monitoring
- Baseline security controls
- Cost allocation tags
7. Migrate in Waves
Don't try to move everything at once. Start with low-risk applications to build confidence and refine your process.
8. Test Exhaustively
Before cutting over:
- Run load tests at 2x expected traffic
- Verify all integrations work
- Test disaster recovery procedures
- Validate security controls
Phase 4: Optimization
9. Right-Size Resources
After migration, analyze actual usage and adjust instance sizes. Most companies over-provision by 30-40% initially.
10. Implement Cost Controls
- Set up AWS Budgets with alerts
- Use Reserved Instances for steady workloads
- Implement auto-scaling for variable loads
- Review and delete unused resources monthly
Conclusion
A successful cloud migration requires careful planning, security-first thinking, and continuous optimization. The investment pays off: our clients typically see 40-60% reduction in infrastructure costs within 6 months.
Need help with your migration? Book a free consultation to discuss your project.