Cloud transformation vs cloud migration

Simon Edward • 20 January 2025

What are the differences between cloud migration and cloud transformation? Get to grips with the key issues.

Spend five minutes in the cloud sector, and you're bound to hear two phrases: "cloud migration" and "cloud transformation". They sound, well, similar. So what's the difference – and why should it matter to your business?

The simple answer is that cloud migration involves moving your data and applications from a local server to a cloud environment.

By doing this, you've already initiated a kind of transformation. You'll soon be spending less on server maintenance and can now scale up or down with ease, for starters.

But for a full cloud transformation, you need to modernise your applications. Without this extra step, you'll find you're paying for poor performance at an inflated cost.

Think of it this way: cloud migration is like moving house. It's primarily about moving from A to B. Cloud transformation, by contrast, is about making yourself at home.

Perhaps that dresser doesn't quite fit in your new bedroom. Or perhaps you need new storage for your collection of stuffed animals. In this scenario, optimisation is the name of the game.

In our opinion, cloud migration is almost always a worthwhile thing to do. But to get the most out of your new cloud environment, you should commit to a wider transformation.

In this article, we drill down into the differences between cloud migration and transformation before looking at common obstacles to both – and how a cloud consultant can help.

Cloud migration

Cloud migration is about moving data and applications from an on-premises server to a cloud-based infrastructure. This could consist of one or more public cloud environments.

Often, migrations are of the lift-and-shift variety. As the name suggests, this involves lifting your workloads and shifting them to the cloud without any substantial changes.

Sure, you might remove unwanted workloads or delete duplicates. But other than that, your workloads are moving as-is.

Nothing obviously wrong with that – but you may find that some of your older workloads are square pegs trying to fit into a round hole. This is where cloud transformation comes in.

Cloud transformation

Cloud migration gets your workloads from A to B. Cloud transformation takes steps to ensure they're firing on all cylinders in their new environment.

The cloud, after all, isn't just a storage room for data any more than your office is just a place to sit in and walk about. It's there to help you achieve your business objectives. This isn't possible if you have fusty old workloads struggling to adjust to their new cloud environment.

There are three aspects to cloud transformation: application modernisation, network transformation and security transformation. Let's take a closer look at these in turn.

What is application modernisation?

In the cloud world, old applications get a bad rap. They're called "legacy applications" (read: seen better days). They're called "monoliths" (read: they're big and cumbersome). But that doesn't mean old applications can't be modernised.

A big part of cloud transformation involves architecting applications to be cloud-native. The technical side of this is highly complex, but the outcome is easy to grasp. Cloud transformation means you can use your tried-and-trusted applications on the cloud without any compromise to performance or security.

It does this by leveraging new infrastructure and new tools – things like DevOps, micro-services and AI. The result? Modernised systems that preserve the best of your old systems and jettison the worst.

What is network transformation?

Once upon a time, networks were simple. You could draw a hub-and-spoke office network on a napkin.

These networks, however, no longer cut it. By comparison with modern networks, they're slow, hard to upgrade and not cost-effective.

For this reason, network transformation is a key part of cloud transformation. It involves modernising your network through cloud services. In its new cloud-based environment, your network is agile, scalable, cost-effective and secure.

It's also built for the age of hybrid working, where users enter and exit the network from multiple locations and multiple devices.

What is security transformation?

Finally, any cloud transformation strategy worth its salt has to prioritise security.

Modern networks, you see, have one big problem. Their ever-increasing complexity introduces new attack surfaces for cybercriminals. Simply lifting and shifting to the cloud won't necessarily keep your network secure.

Cloud security deals with this by deploying zero-trust architecture, granular access permissions, AI-driven threat detection and more.

Of course, every reputable cloud service provider will have watertight security. But remember, you share responsibility for security with them. If you suffer a data breach because of inadequate security controls, it's you, not they, who shoulder the responsibility.

What obstacles are there to cloud transformation?

In our view, there are four main obstacles to cloud transformation that even the most well-provisioned and forward-thinking enterprises face.

The first is technical complexity. Re-architecting and integrating legacy systems into new cloud services is a technical minefield. Poorly handled, it can lead to disruption and overspending.

This brings us to our next point. Many enterprises struggle to manage their costs. There's even a name for it: cloud shock. Too often, businesses wince when they get the invoice for their cloud usage.

Then there's the question of security. Data security and compliance are essential to protect both you and your customers. Cloud environments require extra protections – and not every enterprise is up to the challenge.

Finally, there's internal resistance to change. Some people will embrace your new cloud solutions. Others will fight it. Others still will disengage. Managing these reactions can be a challenge.

Luckily, help is at hand in the form of cloud computing consulting services. A reputable cloud consultant can help you optimise your cloud migration and ensure your post-migration infrastructure is fit for purpose. In the long run, that means better performance, better savings and better security.

Are you looking for an experienced VMware cloud consultant to help with migration or post-migration services? Get in touch with Ascend Cloud Solutions today to book a free fact-finding call.

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