Migration between Clouds: Important Aspects
Migrating between cloud platforms often happens due to changes in service conditions, cost-saving goals, or the need to restructure infrastructure for better performance, availability, or scalability. This decision requires evaluating the offerings and advantages of major cloud providers. Once the benefits of switching become clear, migration often becomes inevitable.
However, cloud migration is complex and time-consuming. While some platforms, like AWS and GCP, share similar concepts (e.g., VPC, IAM, Kubernetes), their implementations differ. For example, in AWS, each VPC has default routing between subnets and across regions. In contrast, GCP separates inter-regional network integration by using Global Virtual Private сloud (GVPC), which provides inter-regional connectivity.
Azure differs architecturally from both and has its specifics for counterparts to most concepts integrated with internal services. For instance, instead of IAM, it uses Active Directory (Azure AD), and instead of VPCs, Azure employs the virtual network (VNet) model.
Each cloud provider also offers different storage options: AWS uses Amazon S3 and Amazon RDS, GCP relies on Google Cloud Storage and Google Cloud SQL, and Azure provides Blob Storage and Azure SQL Database. These services vary in features, pricing, and performance, which impacts costs and efficiency.
Migration is simpler for companies that follow a cloud-agnostic strategy from the start. Using tools like Kubernetes, Terraform, and GitOps enables easier adaptation of microservices to new platforms. Moving serverless functions, vendor-locked databases, or SaaS products can be much harder. Some services may require significant rewrites or lack equivalents on the new platform, affecting monitoring, load balancing, and notifications.
Data transfer between clouds can be expensive and time-consuming due to large volumes, connection speeds, and traffic limits. It often involves multiple steps, like converting databases to universal formats before migration. Also, some providers don’t refund unused contract terms, which could lead to extra costs.
Other challenges include performance differences (e.g., Azure’s smaller instances may underperform) and missing features (e.g., AWS features not available on GCP). Such issues require new solutions, increasing time and cost.
Cloud migration is not just a technical task — it’s a strategic decision that can shape your business’s future. That’s why it’s worth involving experts with hands-on experience in managing migrations across different platforms. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and can help you navigate challenges like hidden costs, performance trade-offs, or missing features. With such guidance, you’ll be better equipped to plan the move, adapt your systems, and avoid unnecessary headaches. It’s not just about getting to the new cloud; it’s about making sure everything runs smoothly once you’re there.
