Server Migration
Definition
Process of moving applications, data, and workloads from on-premises servers to cloud infrastructure with minimal downtime.
Use Cases
- Netflix: Migrating large-scale streaming platform services from on-premises data centers to the public cloud to improve scalability and resilience. — Netflix performed a multi-year migration to AWS, re-architecting many components into distributed, cloud-native services while also moving remaining server-based workloads to AWS infrastructure. (Improved ability to scale globally, increased fault tolerance, and faster deployment of new features compared with a fixed-capacity data center model.)
- Capital One: Migrating enterprise applications and data center workloads to the cloud to modernize IT and increase agility in delivering financial products. — Capital One adopted AWS broadly, migrating many workloads from on-premises environments and modernizing applications with cloud services as part of a large transformation program. (Greater engineering agility and faster delivery cycles, with reduced reliance on traditional data centers.)
- Spotify: Moving backend services and supporting infrastructure from on-premises environments to cloud infrastructure to support rapid growth. — Spotify migrated major parts of its infrastructure to Google Cloud, moving workloads and evolving its platform to take advantage of managed services where appropriate. (Improved scalability and operational efficiency, supporting continued growth and global service reliability.)
Provider Equivalents
- AWS: AWS Application Migration Service (MGN)
- Azure: Azure Migrate
- GCP: Migrate to Virtual Machines
- OCI: OCI Cloud Migrations
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between server migration and cloud migration?
- Server migration is a specific type of cloud migration focused on moving server-based workloads (VMs or physical servers) to cloud compute. Cloud migration is broader and can also include moving databases, storage, networks, identity, and refactoring applications into managed or cloud-native services.
- When should I use server migration (lift-and-shift) instead of refactoring?
- Use server migration when you need to move quickly, keep the application mostly unchanged, or exit a data center on a deadline. It’s also common when the app is stable, hard to modify, or you want to migrate first and optimize later. Refactoring is better when you can invest time to redesign for managed services, lower long-term ops effort, and improve scalability.
- How much does server migration cost?
- Costs typically include (1) migration tooling (some services are free or low-cost, but may charge for replication resources), (2) temporary replication infrastructure (compute, storage, snapshots), (3) network egress from the source environment, (4) target cloud compute/storage after cutover, and (5) labor for planning, testing, and remediation. The biggest cost drivers are data volume, migration duration (how long replication runs), downtime constraints (more testing and parallel runs), and post-migration right-sizing.
Category: migration
Difficulty: advanced
Related Terms