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A practical route from each starting point.

The current environment, operational needs and future flexibility determine the approach.

From on-premises to the cloud

Each application is assessed to determine whether migration makes sense. Some workloads can move, others need changes or should remain on-premises for now. Availability, data, costs and operations determine the route.

  • Map applications, integrations, identity and data flows.
  • Establish networking, access, logging, backups and cost monitoring.
  • Test a representative workload. Then migrate in agreed stages, with acceptance criteria and a rollback plan.

DeliverablesA reasoned migration sequence, a tested first workload and agreements on operations and handover.

From cloud to greater digital autonomy

Greater autonomy starts with understanding dependencies. The assessment focuses on control over data, access, continuity and the ability to change providers.

  • Document dependencies on services, licences, APIs and operational knowledge.
  • Compare the benefits and costs of open standards, self-management or alternative providers for each component.
  • Test a selected workload or dataset on an alternative platform. Use the results to decide what to change.

DeliverablesA dependency overview, assessed alternatives and an actionable exit plan for the agreed scope.

From assessment to handover

Scope varies by engagement. Steps, deliverables and decision owners are agreed upfront. The responsible team remains involved in design, implementation and handover.

Hands discussing a system drawing at a worktable with notes and a laptop.
Work through the details, test and hand over together.

  1. Understand the current environment

    Discussions with users and operators establish applications, data, access, costs and bottlenecks. Unknown factors are recorded explicitly.

    Deliverables:An overview of the environment, risks, dependencies and the problem to solve.

  2. Document decisions and boundaries

    Options are compared for operability, availability, cost and dependencies. The design records the rationale for platform choices and their trade-offs.

    Deliverables:A design, defined scope, acceptance criteria and a plan that fits the available people.

  3. Test the assumptions first

    A representative workload helps test access, performance, data recovery and pipeline deployments. Issues are addressed before scaling up.

    Deliverables:Test results and a joint decision to proceed, adjust or stop.

  4. Implement in stages

    Implementation uses small, reviewable changes and infrastructure as code where appropriate. Each migration stage has agreed checks and a way back.

    Deliverables:A configured or migrated environment with version control, verification and a rollback procedure.

  5. Hand over and enable a future exit

    The operations team works through the operational tasks. Documentation, access, pipelines and recovery procedures are part of handover, including how to replace or move a component later.

    Deliverables:Operating instructions, recorded decisions, knowledge transfer and any outstanding actions.

An exit strategy needs to work in practice.

A document alone does not make a move easier. Portability requirements are agreed upfront and difficult parts are tested in practice. Not everything needs to run everywhere, but dependencies and switching costs must be understood.

Conceptual architectural model of two independent environments with a detachable connection.
Concept illustration: another environment should remain a practical option.
Data
Export format, volume, transfer time and cost. Test whether exported data can actually be imported and used.
Applications and platform
Runtimes, databases, messaging and provider-specific services. Containers and infrastructure as code help, but do not automatically make an application cloud-independent.
Identity and access
Accounts, roles, integrations and federation. A move must not leave uncertainty about who still has access.
Operations and contracts
Ownership of code and configuration, expertise, licences, notice periods and support during an exit.
The actual move
Sequence, responsibilities, acceptance, temporary duplicate costs and rollback. A rehearsal shows where time is needed.

The aim is fewer surprises and less work during a switch. A shorter exit time needs evidence from a practical test.

A practical next step for the cloud platform.

An initial conversation establishes the current environment, intended change and constraints. This provides a basis for a practical next step.

Discuss the possibilities