The AWS Application Migration Service announcement aims to make cloud migration easier. But be careful, improper use can lead to insecurity and higher costs.
There’s been a lot of talk over the last months about digital transformation. Businesses are doing it, have already done it, have plans to do it or are somewhere in between, in most cases. There are still some which have not explored digital transformation yet, however, and some of that has to do with cloud migration. It’s not that businesses don’t want to do it, most of them do, but it’s hard, it’s expensive, it’s time consuming and sometimes your legacy tech simply doesn’t work in the cloud. While some of that won’t change with this announcement, Amazon Web Services announced last week a new service to help businesses “lift and shift” to the cloud, called the Application Migration Service.
The idea of the AWS Application Migration Service is to simplify the migration process. Channy Yun, a Principle Developer Advocate for AWS, wrote in a blog post:
“With AWS MGN, you can minimize time-intensive, error-prone manual processes by automatically replicating entire servers and converting your source servers from physical, virtual, or cloud infrastructure to run natively on AWS. The service simplifies your migration by enabling you to use the same automated process for a wide range of applications. By launching non-disruptive tests before migrating, you can be confident that your most critical applications such as SAP, Oracle, and SQL Server will work seamlessly on AWS.”
Prior to this service, customers used CloudEndure Migration or AWS Server Migration Service. AWS is encouraging users to use the new service as the primary migration service because it allows users to move applications to AWS without having to make any changes. It is supposed to cut the headache and costs involved with migration due to how it limits the need for additional services, as long as the application’s source infrastructure runs on a supported operating system.
Yun’s blog post includes instructions on how the process works. She also suggested launching non-disruptive tests before migration to ensure that critical applications will continue to function.
Businesses should really take a close look at this service and understand how it works before jumping in head-first. Generally, you should not “lift and shift” into the cloud, for a variety of reasons. A tool like this can be a double-edged sword. If you’re going to use it, you have to follow through with cloud migration and actually start modernizing and converting workloads to native cloud and SaaS services. If you just lift and shift and never use the cloud, you can add insecurity and bloat costs. If you’re not using the cloud or this tool for its intended purpose, it’s really just eating your budget and you’re just migrating to someone else’s data center.
Anytime your business embarks on new technology territory or is researching a new service like this, it’s always best to consult an expert. An expert can tell you if this service is right for you, or if AWS is even right for you. Maybe your business is better served with Google Cloud or Azure. The big three often have many similar services, so before you jump on the AWS bandwagon with this new service, you should absolutely make sure it’s the right move for your business.
All of that said, if you are a business which has not moved to the cloud, it is definitely time. Past time, really. The cloud is where all of technology is headed, digitization of as many businesses and processes as possible is the goal. The cloud is more secure than anything else, and while nothing is 100% foolproof, the likelihood that you lose data after an incident is far less than if you do not use the cloud. If you want your business to stay competitive, cloud migration should be at the top of your list.
The new AWS service is currently available to customers in parts of the U.S., the Asia Pacific region and Europe. If your region doesn’t have it yet, CloudEndure Migration is still your go-to service for migration needs.