Moving to the Cloud: An Irish Migration Roadmap
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Cloud migrations fail for one reason more than any other: no inventory. Teams migrate what they remember, forget what they do not, and discover both on the first billing cycle. The roadmap below is built around that lesson, workload by workload, with each stage small enough to be reversible.
Stage 1: Inventory everything
List every application, database, script, and file share, with its dependencies, its owner, and its current cost. Mark which are critical, which are idle, and which can retire. The inventory is the project: it decides the order, the approach, and the budget.
Stage 2: Decide per workload
- Lift and shift: move as-is when the priority is escaping hardware or a data centre deadline.
- Refactor to managed services: databases to managed SQL, files to object storage, apps to containers, the pattern in our Google Cloud guide.
- Go serverless: for spiky and event-driven workloads, the serverless vs VMs guide has the decision table.
The choice is per workload, not per company. Mixed estates are normal and correct.
Stage 3: Secure before you move
Identity first: access controls, MFA, and least-privilege in place before the first workload lands, using the cloud IAM discipline. Network controls, encryption, and logging follow. Security retrofitted after migration is the most expensive kind, the lesson at the core of our infrastructure foundation case study.
Stage 4: Migrate data first
Data moves first, with continuous sync until cutover, so the switch happens with current data and minimal downtime. Test the restore path before you need it, per our backup guide.
Stage 5: Cut over, then verify
Cut over one workload at a time with a rollback plan, then verify: performance, security, and the bill. The VM to serverless case study shows the end state done right: lower cost, no performance loss, cleaner operations.
Stage 6: Cost controls from day one
Budgets, alerts, and the monthly review from the cloud cost guide go live with the first workload, not after the first surprise bill.
How we run migrations
We run the full roadmap for Irish companies: inventory, decisions, security, data, cutover, and the ongoing operations. Book a call and bring your system list; we will turn it into a migration order in the first session.
Next: Serverless vs VMs
Frequently asked questions
What is the first step in a cloud migration?
Inventory: every application, its dependencies, its data, and who owns it. The inventory is the roadmap; without it, migrations drift and bills surprise.
Should I lift and shift or refactor?
Lift and shift to move fast and stop paying for old hardware; refactor where the workload will live for years and where serverless saves real money. The decision is per workload, not per company.
How do I avoid downtime during migration?
Migrate data first with continuous sync, then cut over the application once the data is current, with rollback plans in place. Cutovers should be measured in minutes, not days.
What should I secure before migrating?
Identity first: migrate or rebuild access controls, MFA, and least-privilege before workloads move, using the cloud IAM discipline. Security retrofitted after migration is the most expensive kind.
How long does a cloud migration take?
A small application migrates in weeks; an estate of several systems takes months, staged workload by workload. The roadmap below keeps each stage small and reversible.
What does a cloud migration cost?
It is a scoped project per workload, and the ongoing savings, retired hardware, and reduced maintenance usually pay for it. Budgets and alerts go in from day one, per our cost guide.