What You Need to Know About the Cloud Migration Process

When there is no clear plan, moving to the cloud becomes more expensive and disruptive. According to Oracle, 83% of cloud migrations fail or exceed budget schedules because of poor planning and a lack of defined outcomes. This is a major concern for businesses that depend on uptime and secure data access.

As Matt Elias, COO of Outsource Solutions Group, says, “When businesses don’t know what to expect during a migration, they risk overpaying and underdelivering.”

A focused migration process helps avoid both problems and stabilizes your systems during the shift.

In this blog, you’ll walk through every critical step in the cloud migration process. You’ll understand what to prepare, how to plan, how to move your data and apps, and how to avoid risks that could cost your business time and money.

Prepare for Your Cloud Migration

Flexera reports that forecasting cloud spend remains difficult because organizations are overshooting budgets by 17%.

Preparation is not a suggestion. It’s a must. Before you move even a single file, you need a full understanding of your current systems. Many organizations underestimate the time and effort required to prepare, which leads to delays, overspending, or operational gaps.

The first thing you must do is analyze your IT infrastructure. This includes servers, networks, and the software your team uses daily. Each system contributes to whether your cloud setup will succeed or fail. You must also involve people from different departments in this process. IT, finance, operations, and compliance all need a voice.

Once that baseline is clear, you can map it to your goals. Are you moving for better performance, lower costs, or stronger security? Your reasons will shape the rest of your decisions.

Finally, you need to choose the right cloud model for your business. This decision affects how you manage access, security, and cost long-term.

Key preparation tasks:

• Assess your current environment: Identify what systems you have, how they perform, and which can be migrated without major issues.
• Define your business goals: Whether it’s reducing costs or improving flexibility, every choice should support a real objective.
• Select a cloud deployment model: Choose between public, private, or hybrid clouds based on your workloads and compliance needs.
• Create benchmarks for success: Define clear metrics like uptime, cost savings, or response time. You’ll use these later to measure success.

Preparation sets the stage for every other step in the cloud migration process. Without it, migration quickly becomes chaotic and unpredictable.

Plan the Cloud Migration Process

Cloud services support 87% of companies today. Once you have a solid understanding of your systems and goals, planning the actual migration becomes much easier. This step is where your technical and business strategies align. You’ll choose how to move each app and service, and decide in what order they’ll transition.

Not every app or workload needs the same type of migration. Some apps are ready to move “as-is,” while others need to be updated or replaced. Knowing the difference saves time and avoids rework.

You also need to design your migration in stages. A phased rollout helps reduce risk and gives your team the time to fix small issues before they grow. Think of it like moving to a new house. You pack, move, and unpack in sections, not all at once.

Core planning activities:

• Identify the steps for application migration: Build an inventory of apps and determine their migration readiness and required changes.
• Choose your migration method: Each strategy fits a different use case. Your choice should reflect your technical and business goals:
  • Reshifting (Lift-and-shift): Move apps with little or no change. Fast, but less optimized.
  • Refactoring: Redesign the app to take full advantage of cloud tools. Longer, but more scalable.
  • Replatforming: Make limited changes to improve performance in the cloud.
  • Replacing: Retire the old app and adopt a cloud-native solution.
• Build a realistic migration timeline: Map out each step with clear owners, deliverables, and fallback plans. Include time for testing and reviews.

Execute the Cloud Migration Steps

Now comes the actual move. This is the most technical and time-sensitive phase. Mistakes at this point can result in data loss, downtime, or poor performance after launch.

Cloud migration poses security and compliance risks, with 56% of CIOs reporting challenges. That’s why executing in a controlled, phased manner matters.

Start with your cloud infrastructure. Set up the environment based on the architecture you planned earlier. That includes virtual machines, storage volumes, user access, and security settings. Get these foundations right before moving anything else.

Then, begin transferring applications. Follow the sequence you built in the plan. Test every application as it’s deployed to confirm it works correctly.

Finally, move your data. This is usually the most sensitive part, especially for businesses with strict compliance needs or large data volumes. Make sure you encrypt and back up your data before you start.

Execution essentials:

• Set up infrastructure and access controls: Configure cloud environments, user roles, and security features to support all apps and users.
• Move apps in controlled phases: Migrate apps in the planned order. Test each before moving on to the next phase.
• Test for performance and stability: Make sure applications perform as expected in the new cloud setup. Watch for latency or access issues.

Executing properly avoids most of the problems that happen in rushed or poorly tested migrations.

Validate and Optimize After Migration

A migration isn’t complete just because everything is in the cloud. Post-migration validation ensures your business benefits from the move. It also helps you identify areas for optimization and cost savings.

Start by tracking performance. Compare it to the benchmarks you created during planning. Are apps faster? Are users getting better access? If not, adjustments need to be made.

Look at cloud usage and costs. Many businesses overpay for resources they don’t need. Cloud-native tools can help right-size your services to avoid waste.

Finally, train your teams. Cloud environments offer features that your users may not be using yet. Awareness and training ensure your team gets full value from the investment.

Steps for cloud optimization:

• Monitor application performance and cost trends: Use real-time analytics to track uptime, usage, and any performance drop-offs.
• Adjust resources to avoid overuse: Reduce unnecessary services and scale down underused resources to save money.
• Educate users on the new environment: Offer training on cloud tools and security practices to increase adoption and minimize risk.

Validation is about seeing that your migration delivers business value and not just technical success.

Common Cloud Migration Challenges and How to Avoid Them

Even well-planned migrations face problems. Knowing the most common ones helps you avoid surprises.

Many businesses run into data compatibility issues. Formats that work in legacy systems may not translate directly to cloud platforms. Always test these early and adjust your migration plan as needed.

Downtime is another major concern. Extended downtime during migration disrupts operations and affects customer experience. Use backup systems and phased rollouts to keep operations stable.

Security gaps are also common. When data moves, it can be intercepted or corrupted without strong protections. Use encrypted transfers, strict identity controls, and endpoint security to maintain compliance.

Key pitfalls to plan around:

• Data compatibility errors
  Run pre-migration tests on sample data to spot format or schema issues.
• Unexpected downtime
  Build in fallback plans and minimize outages with phased migrations.
• Weak security posture during migration
  Use multi-layered security tools and limit admin access during critical changes.

Post-Migration Maintenance Tasks You Should Not Ignore

Even after your migration is complete, your work isn’t. Many businesses neglect ongoing maintenance, which leads to poor performance and unexpected costs. These tasks are essential to keeping your cloud systems healthy and efficient.

Neglecting these tasks can lead to increased risk, higher costs, and lower performance. Keeping a regular schedule ensures your investment continues to deliver value.

Let Outsource Solutions Group Guide Every Step of Your Cloud Migration Process

The cloud migration process doesn’t have to be complicated. When you follow proven cloud migration steps, you reduce risk, avoid downtime, and improve outcomes. Preparing properly, planning in detail, executing in phases, and validating post-migration ensures you get the most from your cloud move.

Outsource Solutions Group has over 20 years in business. Our team delivers secure, tailored migrations with minimal disruption. We support you before, during, and after your migration with expert guidance and consistent communication.

Ready to start your cloud migration? Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the next step confidently.