Which cloud migration strategy is right for your legacy applications?
For many organizations, moving to the cloud is no longer a question of if, but when—and above all, how. Especially in sectors such as government and healthcare, where legacy systems have often been in place for decades, cloud migration is a strategic and technical challenge.
However, there is no single right way to do it. One application may be moved in a weekend, while another may require months of preparation. In this blog, you will discover different cloud migration strategies, the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, and how to apply them to legacy systems in sectors such as healthcare, government, and manufacturing.
Cloud migration starts with the right environment
When you think of cloud migration, you may immediately think of the major public players such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud. But especially in regulated sectors such as government and healthcare, private cloud is a fully-fledged and often wiser alternative.
Public cloud means that your application runs on shared infrastructure from hyperscalers such as Amazon, Microsoft, or Google, often spread across the globe. This offers economies of scale, but also raises questions about data location, compliance, and control.
Private cloud, such as the AXI Cloud, offers the same flexibility and scalability, but in a dedicated, controlled environment, usually with data centers in Belgium. This makes it easier to comply with European regulations such as GDPR, NIS2, or sector-specific requirements such as eHealth or archiving legislation. For many customers in the public and healthcare sectors, the AXI Cloud is therefore a logical choice: high-performance, secure, and reliable, without compromising on innovation.
Re-host: lift & shift without modifications
The first, and perhaps best-known, cloud migration strategy is the classic lift and shift. You move an application one-to-one to the cloud without changing the code or architecture. Think of a Windows Server with an internal archiving tool that you move to a virtual machine in the cloud.
The advantages: it is fast and relatively inexpensive. The main disadvantage: this strategy does not allow you to enjoy the typical cloud-native benefits, such as the ability to automatically scale up or down based on usage. As a result, you may end up with higher costs for 24/7 workloads.
When is lift & shift a good idea? For example, if you need to quickly get rid of unsafe or expensive infrastructure, or if your system changes very little.
Some examples:
- A hospital moves an internal reporting system to a VM in the AXI Cloud to phase out outdated hardware.
- A government licensing application is transferred ‘as is’ to enable the closure of a data center.
- An MES app is temporarily moved to the cloud until the cloud-native rebuild is complete.
Re-platform: slight adjustments for greater profits
In this case, you make minimal adjustments to an application so that it makes better use of cloud services. For example: migrating an on-prem MySQL database to a managed instance in Microsoft Azure.
In the long term, this strategy reduces the maintenance of your system and improves scalability and performance, without requiring any major rebuilding. Of course, this is more complex than a lift & shift and requires more planning. If you want to enjoy the benefits of the cloud without rebuilding your application, this is a good option.
An example from production: monitoring software is repackaged in containers and hosted on a Kubernetes cluster in the cloud. The advantage: scalable, easy to update, and no more operating system maintenance.
Repurchase: SaaS as a replacement
Simply put, you replace a legacy, on-premise application with a SaaS solution. For example, an HR application is replaced with Workday. This means no infrastructure migration, but a switch to a completely new platform. This strategy largely frees you from maintenance concerns and keeps your application up to date.
However, a new application may require your processes to be adapted and your employees to be retrained. There may also be data migration challenges, such as security, limited import options, or incompatible data formats.
When is a repurchase a good idea? When a mature SaaS alternative is available and your organization is ready to adapt its processes.
Re-architect: rebuilding for the cloud
This is the most radical form of migration: you rebuild the application from scratch, using the cloud as your starting point. Think of breaking down a classic monolith into microservices, or switching to a serverless architecture.
An example from the manufacturing industry: a custom application for production planning, which ran on-premises for years as one large monolithic system, is rebuilt as a cloud-native solution. The application is split into microservices and runs on containers in the AXI Cloud. The result: faster rollout of new functionalities, better integrations with MES/ERP systems, and higher availability during peak hours.
The big advantage? You immediately get the most out of the cloud: scalability, flexibility, future-proofing, and easier maintenance. The downside: this approach requires a substantial investment in time, budget, and specialized knowledge of cloud architecture.
No move to the cloud: also an option?
Not every application needs to be moved to the cloud. Some systems are deliberately retained, while others are better phased out completely.
Often, systems are not (yet) ready for migration. Keeping a PACS system with dozens of terabytes of image data on-premises because of the large amounts of data that need to be available quickly is also a strategy. The same applies to control software linked to local production machines that need to run 24 hours a day with minimal latency.
Phasing out what you no longer need can be a smart move, as it results in immediate cost savings. For example, discontinuing an old intranet after switching to Teams.
If the costs or risks of migration outweigh the value of the application, then a retain or retire strategy is perfectly justified.
Which cloud migration strategy do you use?
The truth is: you rarely use just one strategy. It is often a mix, depending on the type of application, the dependencies, and your objectives. Therefore, start with a thorough application inventory:
- Which systems are mission-critical?
- What are the dependencies (data, interfaces, processes)?
- What quick wins are there?
And above all: take your time, involve your teams, and choose a strategy for each application that works, both technically and organizationally.
But more importantly, don't make those choices alone. Cloud migration affects not only IT architecture, but also security, cost management, compliance, business continuity, and change management. With the right guidance, you can avoid typical pitfalls and discover migration options or optimizations that you might not immediately think of yourself.
At AXI, we have already guided dozens of customers in public services, healthcare, and industry. Thanks to this experience, we know which approach works for organizations with critical legacy systems and strict compliance requirements. Our Hybrid Cloud Advisor service helps you quickly and objectively determine which strategy best suits your application landscape and future goals.
Why hybrid works
We don't believe in “everything to the cloud at once.” Every organization migrates at its own pace. That's why we deliberately work in a hybrid way: we combine the existing on-premise with AXI Cloud and with public cloud where it makes sense. This allows you to maintain control over risks, costs, and data, while still modernizing step by step.
Ready for the next step?
We would be happy to work with you to determine the right migration approach for your application landscape. Interested in an exploratory meeting? Let us know.
