Lift and shift
Rehost
Move the application as it is onto cloud virtual machines. It is the fastest route out of a data centre, and a good first step before optimising later.
We use it when a deadline is tight, such as a hardware refresh or a lease ending.
Hypervisor-level move
Relocate
Move whole virtualised environments, such as VMware clusters, into the cloud without changing the machines inside them.
We use it when you already run a large virtual estate and want the smallest possible change.
Lift, tinker and shift
Replatform
Make a few targeted changes on the way, like moving the database to a managed service or the app to containers, without rewriting the code.
We use it when a small change removes a lot of maintenance work.
Re-architect
Refactor
Redesign the application around cloud-native services: microservices, serverless, event streams and managed data.
We use it when the application needs to scale, release faster or add capabilities the old design cannot support.
Drop and shop
Repurchase
Replace a self-hosted system with a software-as-a-service product that does the same job.
We use it when a good SaaS option exists and the system gives you no competitive edge.
Revisit later
Retain
Keep the application where it is for now and connect it securely to what has moved.
We use it when licensing, latency or a regulatory reason makes moving it premature.
Switch it off
Retire
Decommission applications nobody needs any more, and archive their data where the rules require it.
We use it when the assessment finds duplicate or unused systems, which it usually does.
