Cloud Workload Migration Services
FinOps-aware migrations for AWS, Azure, GCP, and VMware workloads. We plan the cost story before cutover - not after.
The 5 migration failure modes we plan around
Every migration we run plans for the same five patterns. Specific, named, and recoverable.
Underestimated dependencies
Apps depend on services nobody mapped. Mid-cutover discoveries cause rollbacks and overruns.
Lift-and-shift without rightsizing
Move as-is, get hit with 2–3× cloud bills within 90 days. Cost shock kills the project narrative.
No performance baseline
You can’t tell if the cloud version is “as good” because you never measured the on-prem version.
Cutover plans without rollback
Migration goes wrong, the cutover window passes, no clean revert path.
No post-cutover ownership
Apps move to cloud, teams disband, drift sets in, costs creep, tagging decays.
Our migration methodology - the 7Rs
For each workload we choose one of seven strategies, with the tradeoffs made explicit before cutover.
Rehost
Lift & shift. Fastest path, lowest optimization. Use when time pressure dominates.
Replatform
Lift, tweak, & shift. Managed DB swap, EOL OS upgrade. Best general-purpose strategy.
Refactor
Re-architect for cloud-native patterns. Highest cost, highest long-term return.
Repurchase
Replace with SaaS (legacy CRM → Salesforce, on-prem mail → M365). Cheapest if a credible SaaS exists.
Retain
Keep on-prem. For workloads with regulatory, latency, or dependency constraints.
Retire
Kill it. 10–20% of audit-targeted workloads turn out to be unused.
Relocate
VMware vSphere → VMware Cloud (AWS / Azure / GCP). Bridges hybrid strategies.
What's included
The capabilities every engagement draws from, mixed to fit your environment.
Application dependency mapping
Surface every service, database, integration, and quirky cron job your apps depend on before cutover, not during.
Target architecture design
Cloud-native target design that survives the next three years, not just the cutover. Includes network, identity, and data flow.
Migration wave planning
Workloads grouped into waves of 5–15 with dependency-aware sequencing. Each wave gates the next.
Cost modeling & TCO
Pre-cutover TCO models per workload so you know what the bill will look like before you sign the cutover plan.
Cutover playbooks & runbooks
Step-by-step runbooks with named owners, checkpoint criteria, and decision gates. No improvisation at cutover.
Parallel-run validation
Run on-prem and cloud side-by-side, validate outputs, then flip traffic. Confidence before commitment.
Rollback plans
Every cutover has a tested revert path. If something goes wrong in the window, you go back, not forward.
Post-cutover hardening & handover
Tuning, security baselines, runbook handover, and on-call rotation alignment. We don't disappear at cutover.
Workload coverage
Multi-runtime, multi-source. The workload types we migrate most.
VMware vSphere & VCF
vMotion-aware migrations to VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution, and Google Cloud VMware Engine. Re-platform candidates identified alongside.
Legacy databases
Oracle, SQL Server, DB2 → cloud-managed equivalents or migration to PostgreSQL / Aurora. License modeling included.
Monolithic apps
.NET Framework / Java EE moved to managed runtimes (App Service, Elastic Beanstalk, Cloud Run) or containers when refactoring pays off.
Kubernetes workloads
Cluster migrations across EKS, AKS, GKE, and OpenShift. Manifests, secrets, network policies, and observability moved together.
Data warehouses & analytics
Hadoop and legacy warehouse to BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, or Synapse. ELT pipelines redesigned where needed.
AI/ML & GPU workloads
Training pipelines, GPU clusters, model registries, and inference endpoints. Cost-aware GPU selection (A10/L4 vs A100) built into the plan.
Migrate once. Don’t pay for it forever.
Most migrations land technically but become cost disasters within six months. We bake FinOps into migration: cost modeling pre-cutover, FOCUS-aligned tagging set up on day one in cloud, Fintropy baseline scans before and after - so you can prove the migration didn’t blow up your bill.
- • Pre-migration TCO modeling - by workload, by phase
- • FOCUS-aligned tagging set up before cutover, not after
- • Fintropy baseline scan pre- and post-migration
- • 90-day post-migration cost review baked into engagement
Already through migration? See our Cloud Cost Optimization Services →
How an engagement works
Four phases. Cost modeling sits inside Discovery, not after cutover.
Discovery
Application inventory, dependency mapping, 7Rs classification per workload, and cost modeling for the top candidates.
Plan
Target architecture, wave plan, cutover playbooks, rollback strategies, FOCUS tagging blueprint - everything written down before we touch anything.
Migrate
Waves of 5–15 workloads at a time. Each wave: cutover window → parallel-run validation → confidence checks → next wave. Rollback if anything fails the gates.
Optimize
90-day post-cutover cost review and hand-off to ongoing FinOps operating cadence - yours, or our Cloud Cost Optimization Services.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a cloud migration take? +
Depends on workload count and complexity. A mid-market migration of 30–80 workloads is typically 8–16 weeks. Large enterprise migrations of 500+ workloads run 6–12 months. Discovery and planning are the first 4 weeks regardless.
What's the difference between cloud migration and modernization? +
Migration moves a workload to the cloud. Modernization changes the workload itself - refactoring to cloud-native services, breaking up monoliths, replacing legacy DBs. The 7Rs framework covers both: Rehost is pure migration; Refactor is modernization.
Will my apps experience downtime during migration? +
Depends on the workload architecture. Stateless apps can be migrated with near-zero downtime via blue/green cutover. Stateful systems with dependency chains have a planned cutover window we work to minimize. We tell you the expected window per workload during Discovery.
Do you migrate VMware workloads? +
Yes. vSphere and VCF environments to VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution, and Google Cloud VMware Engine. We also identify replatform candidates where moving off VMware to native cloud services makes more economic sense long-term.
How do you decide between Rehost, Replatform, and Refactor? +
We evaluate each workload on time pressure, cloud-native fit, expected lifetime, and TCO. Rehost wins when there's a hard cutover deadline. Replatform is the default for ~60% of workloads. Refactor is reserved for workloads where the cloud-native return justifies the rewrite.
What does a typical migration cost? +
Discovery and planning are fixed-fee. Execution is typically a blend of fixed-scope waves plus T&M for workloads where scope is harder to lock in. The pre-cutover TCO model includes our fees so you see total cost of the migration plus the projected cloud bill.
How do you prevent the post-migration cost spike that hits most teams? +
Three things. (1) TCO modeling per workload before cutover, so the bill is no surprise. (2) FOCUS-aligned tagging set up at day-1 cutover, not as a year-2 cleanup. (3) Fintropy baseline scans before and after, plus a 90-day post-cutover cost review built into the engagement.
Can you help with regulated workloads (PCI, HIPAA, SOX)? +
Yes. We design target architectures that maintain in-scope boundary controls, plan cutovers to preserve audit trails, and coordinate with your compliance team on attestation. Some workloads end up classified as Retain rather than migrated - and we'll tell you when that's the right call.
What is workload migration? +
Workload migration is the process of moving an application, service, or data system from one computing environment to another - typically from on-premise infrastructure to a cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP), between clouds, or from a legacy environment to a modernised stack. It covers the full lifecycle: discovery, dependency mapping, TCO modelling, cutover execution, and post-migration validation.
What is enterprise workload migration? +
Enterprise workload migration is the structured migration of large-scale, business-critical application portfolios - typically 50 or more workloads with complex dependencies, compliance requirements, and multi-team coordination. It differs from simple lift-and-shift in that it requires formal 7Rs classification per workload, wave-based cutover planning, pre-migration TCO modelling, and FinOps governance from day one to prevent the post-migration cost spikes that affect most large-scale programmes.
How do you reduce IT costs through cloud modernization? +
Cloud modernization reduces IT cost through three levers: (1) replacing capex hardware refresh cycles with opex cloud subscription, (2) eliminating on-prem maintenance/support contracts on legacy systems, (3) enabling demand-elastic infrastructure that scales to actual use vs sized for peak. Realistic outcome: 20–40% TCO reduction on modernized workloads over 3 years, depending on starting architecture. The savings are larger when refactoring is part of the modernization, not just rehosting.
What's the typical cost of migrating an enterprise workload to the cloud? +
Per-wave fixed-scope migrations typically range $25K–$250K depending on workload complexity, dependencies, and target architecture (rehost vs refactor). A 200-server datacenter migration in 4–8 waves typically runs $200K–$800K all-in including discovery, runbook authoring, cutover support, and post-cutover stabilization. We price waves individually after a 1-week discovery so scope and cost are locked before execution begins.
How long does an AWS or Azure migration take for a 200-server datacenter? +
Realistic timeline: 6–12 months end-to-end for a 200-server estate. Breakdown: 4–6 weeks discovery & wave planning, 4–8 waves at 4–6 weeks each, 4–8 weeks of post-cutover stabilization. The variable is application complexity, not server count - a heterogeneous estate with legacy middleware extends; a homogeneous VMware estate with modern apps compresses.
Related at Nuvika
Looking for something different? Here's where to go next.
Cloud Cost Optimization Services
Post-migration discipline. FinOps-led optimization across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Kubernetes.
Fintropy FinOps platform
The 497-rule platform we use to baseline cost before and after migration.
FinOps program & governance framework
Stand up a FinOps practice that scales with your new cloud - operating model, governance, tooling, enablement.
Further reading from the Nuvika blog
Field notes from real migration and multi-cloud platform decisions.
Tri-cloud deployment in practice
What it actually takes to run the same workload across AWS, Azure, and GCP - and where the abstraction leaks.
Cloud Run vs. Kubernetes
How to decide between managed serverless and full Kubernetes when planning a migration target.
The FinOps gap in India
Where Indian cloud adopters lose money post-migration - and the controls that actually close the gap.
Transparent ranges, fixed at SOW.
India-headquartered clients are invoiced in INR. Ranges are indicative - scope locked at SOW after a 1-week discovery.
See all service pricing →Let's Solve Together
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