AWS Cloud Migration Strategies and Tools for Singapore

What is AWS Cloud Migration?

AWS cloud migration is the process of moving your organization’s digital assets, applications, databases, IT resources, and workloads from on-premises data centers or other cloud environments to Amazon Web Services (AWS). For businesses in Singapore, this migration offers the opportunity to leverage AWS’s scalable, flexible, and cost-effective infrastructure tailored to the specific needs of the local market.

By migrating to AWS, Singaporean organizations can benefit from enhanced scalability, flexibility, disaster recovery capabilities, and access to a wide range of advanced services such as machine learning, analytics, and IoT, all while complying with local regulations and leveraging AWS’s global infrastructure.

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Top AWS Cloud Migration Strategies in Singapore

Rehost (“lift and shift”)

The rehost migration strategy involves leveraging cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings to redeploy workloads on a cloud instance. This approach allows enterprises to move an on-premises application and all its dependencies as-is to the cloud.

Without changing the core infrastructure, this strategy enables organizations to transfer all application data and workflows to cloud services that match the workload’s existing storage, networking, and computing requirements. Since the operational and configuration constructs of workloads remain intact, the rehost strategy is relatively easy to perform and is suitable for enterprises that lack in-house cloud-native expertise. 

This method in AWS cloud migration provides a straightforward path to cloud migration, minimizing disruptions and allowing businesses in Singapore to quickly benefit from the cloud’s scalability and flexibility. For Singaporean enterprises, this approach ensures a seamless transition to the cloud, leveraging the robust infrastructure and regulatory compliance offered by local and global cloud providers.

Replatform (“Lift and Reshape”)

With the replatform strategy, an enterprise can move an application to the cloud while optimizing the platform to leverage cloud-native capabilities. The application’s source code and core architecture remain unchanged, maintaining legacy applications while ensuring cloud-based compliance and security.

This strategy enhances the flexibility, agility, and resilience of workloads by enabling cloud-native capabilities such as automation. It also saves time and migration costs, as enterprises can modernize workloads without rewriting application code. 

Replatforming in AWS cloud migration allows organizations in Singapore to selectively modernize components, improving application agility and maximizing ROI. Since the application’s architecture and functionality are retained, teams don’t require extensive training to operate the migrating workloads, making the transition smoother and more efficient.

Repurchase (“drop and shop”)

The repurchase AWS cloud migration strategy involves replacing internally managed systems with third-party managed services offered by cloud providers. This approach allows teams to retire legacy systems and transition to a consumption-based SaaS subscription model, aligning IT costs with revenue generation. Since third-party vendors build and manage these services, the repurchase model reduces the operational burden on in-house teams.

This strategy also simplifies and expedites the migration process, minimizes downtime, and enhances scalability and regulatory compliance. By fully leveraging cloud-native capabilities, the repurchase option is ideal for workloads requiring improved application performance and user experience while minimizing operational overhead.

Relocate (“Hypervisor-Level Lift and Shift”)

The relocate strategy of AWS cloud migration involves migrating workloads without disrupting ongoing operations, rewriting application source code, or acquiring new hardware. 

With this approach, an enterprise can migrate a collection of servers from an on-premises platform, such as Kubernetes or VMware, to a cloud-based version of the same platform. Examples include managed Kubernetes services like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).

Relocating minimizes downtime and disruption, ensuring clients remain seamlessly connected during the migration process. Since this strategy does not require significant changes to the configuration and architecture of workloads, there is no need to retrain staff or invest in upgraded hardware, thereby reducing operating expenses. Additionally, the strategy makes migration costs more predictable by establishing clear scalability limits.

Retire 

This strategy for AWS cloud migration includes terminating or downsizing applications that are no longer useful in production. It is often used for business-critical workloads that operate on inefficient legacy frameworks. 

Retiring these outdated systems is the first step towards adopting modern, cloud-native deployments, helping organizations streamline their operations and reduce costs associated with maintaining obsolete technology.

Retain (“Revisit”)

This strategy is for applications that cannot be retired and must continue operating in their existing framework. Singaporean businesses often retain workloads that rely on other applications needing migration first or when there’s no immediate business value in moving them to the cloud. For vendor-based applications, retention is also chosen if the provider plans to release a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model.

Retaining applications avoids disruptions and costs associated with premature migration. It ensures dependent applications function seamlessly while allowing time for future migration planning. If a vendor is developing a SaaS version, retaining the current application until the new version is available can optimize resources and minimize risks, providing a gradual path toward modernization.

This approach allows Singaporean enterprises to strategically plan their AWS cloud migration, ensuring stability and efficiency throughout the process.

Refactor (“Re-architect”)

Often considered the most complex migration option, refactoring involves re-architecting workloads to support cloud-native capabilities from the ground up. Although this strategy requires significant investment in effort and resources, it is regarded as the most future-proof migration approach for AWS cloud migration. Refactoring allows applications to leverage advanced capabilities such as serverless computing, autoscaling, and distributed load balancing.

By breaking down a monolithic application into microservices, refactoring achieves high availability and enhanced automation levels that are often complex with in-house deployments. 

While rearchitecting applications for service-oriented architecture may be costly during the migration phase, the resulting framework’s operating costs are substantially lower than those of the legacy framework. This strategy ensures long-term efficiency, scalability, and resilience, making it a valuable investment for forward-thinking  Singaporean enterprises.

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Top AWS Cloud Migration Tools in Singapore

AWS cloud migration requires the right tools to ensure a smooth and successful transition. Here are some key tools that can streamline the migration process:

• AWS Application Discovery Service: This tool helps gather valuable insights about your on-premises data centers, allowing you to better understand your workloads and plan your migration strategy. It is particularly beneficial for organizations with complex environments, providing detailed insights into application dependencies and performance characteristics for informed decision-making.
• AWS Migration Hub: This central hub automates and tracks your application migrations across multiple tools. It simplifies planning and monitoring your migration progress, keeping you organized and ensuring a smooth process.
• Migration Partner Solutions: Leverage the expertise of AWS migration partners to navigate the complexities of moving your applications to AWS. These partners offer valuable assistance throughout the migration process, ensuring a seamless transition.
• AWS Landing Zone: Set up secure and well-architected multi-account AWS environments with AWS Landing Zone. It creates a standardized foundation for your workloads, making it easier to manage and scale your infrastructure.
• AWS Control Tower: Establish and govern a secure and compliant multi-account AWS environment with AWS Control Tower. It provides guardrails and best practices to help you maintain control and ensure the security of your AWS resources. AWS Control Tower simplifies governance, ensuring that your AWS accounts adhere to company policies and best practices from the start, crucial for maintaining a secure and compliant cloud infrastructure.

By utilizing these tools, you can streamline your AWS cloud migration, reduce complexity, and ensure a successful transition. Whether you need to gather insights, automate migration tracking, enlist migration partners, or establish a secure AWS environment, these tools provide comprehensive support.

Conclusion

AWS cloud migration is a complex undertaking that requires a thorough analysis of ongoing challenges and mapping them with the necessary changes to achieve business objectives. This process demands AWS cloud expert advice.

SmartOSC, recognized as an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner, showcases the exceptional quality of our expertise in adhering to international standards and best practices for software services and solutions. 

For businesses in Singapore, SmartOSC is your trusted partner in establishing or expanding your AWS capabilities. Ready to streamline your AWS migration? Contact us today and let us help you achieve your cloud computing goals.