Choosing the right cloud migration type protects your business from unnecessary costs, compliance issues, and failed projects. There are several types of cloud migration. No single approach fits every company.
Cloud adoption is growing in popularity among small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). The trend toward cloud-based infrastructure is due in part to the benefits of scalability, reduced upfront infrastructure costs, and support for hybrid work environments.
Cloud migration is the process of moving on-premise infrastructure (applications, data, and workloads) to the cloud, from a data center to a cloud environment, or from one cloud platform or provider to another. The migration can be partial or complete. Moving some assets to the cloud and not others is known as “hybrid cloud migration.”
Some people assume that cloud migration is a single process. In reality, there are different types and strategies. Business owners and executives who are familiar with the options will be better positioned to ensure a successful cloud migration process.
Types of Cloud Migration (Where You Migrate)
Cloud migration type describes the source and destination environments of your applications, workflow, and data. These include on-premise to cloud, data center to cloud, hybrid, and cloud-to-cloud.
On-Premise to Cloud Migration
On-premise to cloud migration involves moving applications, servers, and data from on-site infrastructure to a public or private cloud environment.
Benefits of On-Premise to Cloud Migration
- Reduced hardware investments
- Increased scalability
- Better disaster recovery abilities
- Easier remote access
Challenges of On-Premise to Cloud Migration
- Security planning
- Network dependency
- Legacy application compatibility
On-premise to cloud migration is well-suited to small and medium-sized businesses that want to modernize their existing infrastructure. Working with an experienced cloud management services provider will help your organization transform IT from a finance-intensive obligation to a strategic, scalable asset.
Hybrid Cloud Migration
Hybrid cloud migration keeps certain systems on-premises while moving others to the cloud.Businesses with certain compliance requirements or legacy systems often choose this type of migration process to complement their existing infrastructure. A 2025 survey, for example, revealed that a high percentage of global organizations keep corporate financial data on-premises.
Benefits of hybrid cloud migration include:
- Greater flexibility with existing applications that may not have a cloud-based equivalent
- Improved regulatory compliance, as businesses can keep sensitive data on-premises or in a private cloud rather than in the public cloud
- Less disruption of business operations, as critical workloads or applications that aren’t migrated can continue to be used uninterrupted
Challenges of hybrid cloud migration include:
- Higher management complexity
- More intricate migration requirements
Data Center to Cloud Migration
Data center migration moves workloads from a data center to a cloud-based environment. The process typically entails moving large amounts of data.
Benefits of data center to cloud migration:
- Continuous uptime, as data is replicated across physically separated data centers or availability zones
- Cost savings for businesses with outdated physical servers
- Reduced hardware redundancy
Challenges with data center to cloud migration:
- Unplanned service disruptions during the migration process due to network overloads, data format mismatches, or configuration conflicts
- Unintended data loss if there is an interruption during the migration process
- Security or compliance gaps if access controls are not correctly secured or data is not encrypted adequately before moving sensitive data to a public cloud environment
Cloud-to-Cloud Migration Process
Cloud-to-cloud migration involves moving cloud resources between different cloud providers or cloud platforms. For example:
- AWS to Azure
- Azure to the Google Cloud Platform
- SaaS platform replacements
SMBs that are unsatisfied or need a change due to current cloud performance, features, or pricing often use this strategy.
Benefits of cloud-to-cloud migration include:
- Cost savings
- Access to better services
- Reduced vendor lock-in
Challenges with cloud-to-cloud migration include:
- Data compatibility issues
- Reconfiguration issues when changing platforms or providers
Expert tip: Reconfiguration issues mainly stem from architectural incompatibilities or service mismatches. Find a trusted cloud management provider to help you complete a successful cloud migration journey from one platform to another.
Cloud Migration Strategies: The 7 Rs (How You Migrate)
Businesses must choose the best strategy for moving data and applications. These 7 Rs are a strategic framework that small and mid-sized businesses use to choose the best approach for moving each specific workload.
Rehost (Lift and Shift)
Rehosting involves moving applications into the cloud with minimal changes. It works well for simple applications and fast modernization projects. This is typically the fastest migration strategy with the least upfront effort.
Replatform
Replatforming involves making small optimizations when moving applications to the cloud. This offers better application performance and improves scalability. However, it does require a moderate implementation effort. Organizations that want a quick turnaround without having to redevelop use this strategy.
Refactor (Re-architect)
Refactoring redesigns applications with cloud-native features. A successful cloud migration using this strategy maximizes the cloud benefits of scalability and efficiency. It typically means higher costs and a longer migration process, making it best for business-critical applications.
Repurchase
Repurchasing exchanges existing software with cloud-based SaaS options.This reduces the need for maintenance and comes with a subscription fee. Businesses that are moving to more up-to-date software, like from an on-premise customer relationship management (CRM) system to Salesforce, for example, often choose this strategy.
Relocate
Relocation moves the whole virtualized environment to a cloud infrastructure with minimal modifications. This process is faster than rebuilding. However, it does require compatible environments.
Retain
Retaining keeps specified applications in their current environment. There is no disruption with this strategy, but it does carry a continued maintenance burden. This cloud migration strategy is best for small businesses with a regulated or legacy system.
Retire
Retiring eliminates unnecessary applications before the cloud migration begins. The benefits of this strategy are reduced scope of migration and greater cost savings. Perform an application assessment before removing any systems to avoid issues. Businesses with software sprawl should use this strategy to clean up their infrastructure.
Which Type of Migration Is Best?
The best cloud migration type for your business depends on your budget, goals, compliance needs, and application complexity. A mismatch between the type of cloud migration you choose and your company’s workloads leads to critical financial and operational problems down the road. Careful planning and comparison between data migration options is important for the future of your business operations.
Data Migration Comparison Table
Compare the different cloud migration types to see which best suits your company’s needs.
| Migration Type | Cost | Complexity | Flexibility | Best For |
| On Prem to Cloud | Medium | Medium | High | IT modernization |
| Hybrid | Medium | High | Very High | Compliance |
| Data Center | High | High | Medium | Infrastructure refresh |
| Cloud to Cloud | Medium | Medium | High | Optimization |
Most small and mid-sized businesses benefit from an on-premises to cloud migration, using a mix of rehosting, replatforming, and retiring old systems. Assessing your business goals and creating a strategic migration process are two important steps in our cloud migration checklist.
Common Cloud Migration Mistakes
Poor planning is one of the main causes of cloud migration delays and budget overruns. AI-driven cloud monitoring and automated cost optimization tools help businesses reduce migration expenses.
Consider implementing this extra set of eyes to avoid common planning mistakes, such as:
- Migrating unused applications
- Underestimating bandwidth needs
- Skipping security assessments
- Mistakes made by employees who are not familiar with the process
- Lack of governance policies
How Managed Cloud Services Simplify Migration
Professional cloud management services simplify migration by working with you to develop a comprehensive migration plan. They also provide:
- Workload assessments
- Security reviews
- Ongoing optimization
- Compliance support
- Monitoring and backups
FAQ
Which cloud migration strategy costs the least?
The “Retire” strategy costs the least, followed by “Rehost.” Your business must decide whether to prioritize the initial migration cost or the long-term cost of ownership.
What is the safest way to migrate sensitive data?
The safest way to migrate sensitive data is to implement a “Zero-Trust” strategy. This involves end-to-end encryption, phased transfer, and strict access controls to avoid data breaches and data loss.
The Best Cloud Migration Type for Your Business
Knowing the types of cloud migration and the seven migration strategies helps business owners make informed choices about technology investments. A successful cloud migration minimizes disruptions and helps build a solid infrastructure for long-term business continuity.
Small and mid-sized businesses typically benefit most from on-premises to cloud migration. Businesses that want to change cloud platforms will need to perform a cloud-to-cloud migration. In both cases, partnering with an expert cloud services provider makes the transition a positive experience and minimizes downtime.
