How to Migrate from On-Premises to Cloud: A Step-by-Step Guide for a Secure and Successful Transition 

Moving from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud is no longer simply an infrastructure upgrade. For many organizations, it is part of a broader modernization strategy designed to improve scalability, resilience, accessibility, security, and operational efficiency. 

But cloud migration should not be approached as: 

Move everything → switch DNS → shut down the data center. 

A successful migration requires decisions about which workloads should move, how they should move, what should be modernized, what should remain on-premises, and how success will be measured. 

Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework, for example, organizes cloud adoption around strategy, planning, readiness, adoption, governance, security, and ongoing management.  

For enterprises, that broader perspective is important because the migration itself is only one stage of the cloud journey. 

In this guide, we explain how to approach an on-premises to cloud migration, from initial assessment and provider selection through migration execution, validation, optimization, and long-term operations. 

If you are planning an Atlassian environment migration specifically, MicroGenesis can help you assess the current environment, plan the migration, manage dependencies, and execute the transition through its Atlassian Cloud Migration Services.

Why Migrate from On-Premises to the Cloud? 

Organizations typically consider cloud migration for a combination of business and technical reasons. 

Scalability 

Cloud infrastructure allows organizations to scale resources based on workload requirements instead of relying entirely on fixed on-premises capacity. 

Accessibility 

Cloud-based applications can provide easier access for distributed and hybrid teams when appropriately secured. 

Operational flexibility 

Managed cloud services can reduce the amount of infrastructure maintenance handled directly by internal teams. 

Resilience 

Cloud architectures can provide additional options for backup, disaster recovery, redundancy, and geographically distributed workloads. 

Modernization 

Cloud migration can create an opportunity to modernize applications, databases, integrations, and infrastructure instead of simply moving existing systems unchanged. 

Cost visibility 

Cloud platforms provide detailed consumption data, although cloud adoption does not automatically guarantee lower costs. Effective governance and optimization are essential. 

That last point is particularly important. A workload that is inefficient on-premises can remain inefficient in the cloud if its architecture and resource usage are not addressed. 

On-Premises vs Cloud: What Actually Changes? 

Area	On-Premises	Cloud
Infrastructure	Organization-owned	Provider-managed or shared responsibility
Capacity	Planned in advance	Can scale dynamically
Hardware	Purchased and maintained	Abstracted through cloud services
Provisioning	Often slower	Can be automated
Disaster recovery	Requires dedicated planning	Multiple architecture options
Maintenance	Internal responsibility	Shared with cloud provider
Cost model	Capital + operational	Primarily consumption-based
Governance	Organization-controlled	Requires cloud governance model
Security	Organization-managed	Shared responsibility
Access	Often network-dependent	Designed for secure remote access

The important word in the security row is shared. 

Moving to a cloud provider does not mean security becomes someone else’s problem. 

Your organization still needs appropriate identity, access, data protection, configuration, monitoring, and governance controls. 

Step 1: Assess Your Current On-Premises Infrastructure 

The first step should be discovery. 

Do not start migration by selecting a cloud service. 

Start by understanding what you already have.

Build a Complete IT Asset Inventory

Document: 

• Applications  

• Servers  

• Databases  

• Storage  

• Networks  

• Integrations  

• Middleware  

• Virtual machines  

• Security systems  

• Dependencies  

• Business owners  

For each workload, capture information such as: 

Attribute	Example
Application	Customer Portal
Owner	Digital Business
Criticality	High
Database	PostgreSQL
Dependencies	CRM, Identity
Current Hosting	On-prem VM
Users	10,000
Compliance	Required
Target Cloud	AWS/Azure/GCP
Migration Strategy	Replatform

This inventory becomes the foundation for migration planning. 

Microsoft’s current guidance similarly recommends maintaining a complete workload inventory that includes ownership, business criticality, dependencies, migration strategy, success metrics, and cost estimates. 

Identify Dependencies

Dependency mapping is one of the most important parts of migration planning. 

For example: 

Customer Portal 

→ Authentication Server 

→ Database 

→ Payment Gateway 

→ Internal API 

→ Reporting System 

Moving the portal without understanding those dependencies can create unexpected failures. 

Ask: 

• Which applications communicate?  

• Which databases are shared?  

• Which APIs are internal?  

• Which systems require low latency?  

• Which workloads must move together?  

• Which systems can remain on-premises temporarily?  

Classify Workloads by Business Criticality

Not every application deserves the same migration strategy. 

A practical classification might be: 

Tier 1: Mission-critical 

Failure could significantly affect revenue, customers, safety, or operations. 

Tier 2: Business-critical 

Important to business operations but with more recovery flexibility. 

Tier 3: Supporting 

Useful applications with lower business impact. 

Tier 4: Legacy or low-value 

Applications that may be candidates for retirement or replacement. 

This classification helps determine migration sequencing. 

Step 2: Evaluate Cloud Readiness 

Once your infrastructure is understood, evaluate whether each workload is ready for cloud migration. 

Assess: 

Application compatibility 

• Operating system  

• Runtime  

• Database  

• Middleware  

• Dependencies  

Architecture 

• Monolithic architecture  

• Microservices  

• Stateful applications  

• External dependencies  

Performance 

• CPU requirements  

• Memory  

• Storage  

• Network latency  

• Throughput  

Security 

• Identity  

• Authentication  

• Encryption  

• Network controls  

• Data protection  

Compliance 

Consider applicable requirements such as: 

• GDPR  

• HIPAA  

• Industry-specific regulations  

• Data residency requirements  

• Internal security policies  

Microsoft’s cloud migration guidance emphasizes validating compatibility, security, network connectivity, authentication flows, and performance before production cutover.  

Step 3: Define Your Cloud Migration Goals 

A migration should have measurable business objectives. 

Instead of saying: 

“We want to move to Azure.” 

define the reason. 

For example: 

Goal 1: Reduce provisioning time 

Current: 2 days 

Target: 2 hours 

Goal 2: Improve disaster recovery 

Current: Recovery process requires manual intervention 

Target: Automated recovery procedures 

Goal 3: Improve scalability 

Current: Capacity planning requires hardware procurement 

Target: Automated scaling based on workload demand 

Goal 4: Reduce infrastructure management 

Current: Internal teams maintain physical infrastructure 

Target: Shift appropriate workloads to managed cloud services 

The migration should be judged against these outcomes, not simply against the percentage of workloads moved. 

Step 4: Choose the Right Cloud Provider 

Common enterprise cloud platforms include: 

• Amazon Web Services  

• Microsoft Azure  

• Google Cloud  

• IBM Cloud  

• Oracle Cloud  

There is no universally “best” provider. 

The right choice depends on: 

• Existing technology  

• Application architecture  

• Data requirements  

• Compliance  

• Skills  

• Integration  

• Geographic availability  

• Managed services  

• Cost model  

• Long-term strategy  

For example, Azure’s current Cloud Adoption Framework emphasizes establishing strategy, planning, a ready environment, governance, security, and management around workload migration.  

Questions to ask before choosing 

Can the provider support our workloads? 

Does it meet our security requirements? 

Where will our data reside? 

What managed services can reduce operational effort? 

Do we have the skills to operate the environment? 

How will we manage cloud costs? 

The provider decision should be based on your workload portfolio rather than brand preference. 

Step 5: Select a Migration Strategy for Each Workload 

One of the biggest mistakes in cloud migration is using the same migration method for every application. 

Different workloads require different approaches. 

Microsoft currently describes an expanded 8 Rs model: 

Retire  

Retain  

Rehost  

Replatform  

Refactor  

Rearchitect  

Rebuild  

Replace  

Let’s look at the most common approaches.

Rehost: Move as-is

Often called lift and shift. 

The application is moved with minimal changes. 

Best when: 

• The application is stable  

• Migration speed is important  

• Modernization is not immediately required  

• The workload is compatible with the target environment  

Limitation 

You may carry existing technical debt into the cloud. 

Replatform: Optimize With Limited Changes

The application is modified enough to take advantage of selected cloud services. 

For example: 

Moving from a self-managed database to a managed database service. 

Best when: 

• You want improved reliability  

• You want less infrastructure administration  

• You need moderate modernization  

• You want to avoid a full application rewrite 

Refactor: Modernize the Application

The internal application structure is improved without necessarily changing its core business functionality. 

This can help: 

• Reduce technical debt  

• Improve maintainability  

• Improve performance  

• Enable cloud-native services  

Rearchitect: Redesign for Cloud

The architecture is substantially redesigned. 

For example: 

Monolithic application 

↓ 

Containerized services 

↓ 

Cloud-native architecture 

This approach can provide significant long-term benefits but requires more planning, engineering effort, testing, and risk management.

Rebuild

Instead of migrating the existing application, you build a new cloud-native implementation. 

This can make sense when the existing system is too outdated or restrictive to modernize economically.

Replace

Sometimes the best migration strategy is not migration at all. 

An organization may replace an internally hosted application with a SaaS solution.

Retire

If an application no longer provides sufficient business value, decommissioning it may be the better option.

Retain

Some workloads should remain where they are. 

Reasons may include: 

• Regulatory restrictions  

• Technical constraints  

• Business requirements  

• Low migration value  

• Existing architecture  

This is why cloud migration should not be measured by: 

“How much did we move?” 

Instead ask: 

“Did we put each workload in the environment that best supports its business and technical requirements?” 

Step 6: Build a Migration Roadmap 

Once migration strategies are selected, create a roadmap. 

A practical roadmap can contain: 

Phase 1: Discovery 

• Inventory  

• Dependency mapping  

• Application assessment  

• Business requirements  

Phase 2: Foundation 

• Cloud accounts/subscriptions  

• Networking  

• Identity  

• Security  

• Governance  

• Landing zones  

Phase 3: Pilot 

• Select low-risk workloads  

• Validate migration approach  

• Test operations  

• Measure results  

Phase 4: Migration Waves 

• Group related workloads  

• Migrate by priority  

• Validate each wave  

• Address dependencies  

Phase 5: Optimization 

• Performance  

• Security  

• Cost  

• Monitoring  

• Automation  

Phase 6: Decommission 

• Shut down source workloads  

• Update documentation  

• Remove unused infrastructure  

• Review licensing  

A cloud adoption plan should provide a single source of truth for migration decisions, workload information, dependencies, timelines, and success metrics.  

Step 7: Prepare the Cloud Environment Before Migration 

Do not move production workloads into an unstructured cloud environment. 

Establish the foundation first. 

Identity and Access 

Implement: 

• Role-based access  

• Least privilege  

• MFA  

• Privileged access controls  

Network 

Define: 

• Virtual networks  

• Subnets  

• Routing  

• Firewalls  

• Connectivity to on-premises systems  

Security 

Implement: 

• Encryption  

• Logging  

• Security monitoring  

• Vulnerability management  

• Backup controls  

Governance 

Establish: 

• Naming standards  

• Tagging  

• Resource policies  

• Access policies  

• Cost controls  

• Compliance controls  

A landing-zone approach can provide this foundation before workloads are onboarded. Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework specifically recommends establishing the environment and governance foundation before migrating workloads.  

Step 8: Back Up and Protect Your Data 

Data migration deserves special attention. 

Before migration: 

• Back up critical data  

• Validate backups  

• Test restoration  

• Identify retention requirements  

• Define rollback procedures  

• Verify data integrity  

Do not assume that having a backup means you have a recovery strategy. 

Ask: 

Can we actually restore the data within the required recovery window? 

For critical workloads, consider replication and carefully planned synchronization before cutover. 

Step 9: Perform a Pilot Migration 

Do not begin with your most critical production application. 

Select a workload that is: 

• Important enough to provide meaningful learning  

• Not so critical that failure creates major business disruption  

• Representative of your environment  

A pilot can validate: 

• Network connectivity  

• Authentication  

• Data migration  

• Application performance  

• Security  

• Monitoring  

• Backup  

• Operational procedures  

The goal is not simply to prove: 

“We can move an application.” 

The goal is to prove: 

“We can move an application safely using a repeatable process.” 

Step 10: Execute Migration in Controlled Waves 

After the pilot, organize workloads into migration waves. 

For example: 

Wave 1 

Low-risk internal applications 

Wave 2 

Supporting business applications 

Wave 3 

Customer-facing workloads 

Wave 4 

Mission-critical systems 

Each wave should have: 

• Defined scope  

• Dependencies  

• Owners  

• Migration method  

• Test plan  

• Cutover plan  

• Rollback plan  

• Success criteria  

Microsoft’s current migration guidance recommends iterative testing and cutover followed by validation against functional, performance, security, and cost baselines.  

Step 11: Validate Before and After Cutover 

Migration is not complete when the workload starts running in the cloud. 

Validate: 

Functionality 

Does the application behave correctly? 

Performance 

Is response time acceptable? 

Connectivity 

Can dependent systems communicate? 

Security 

Are access and security controls working? 

Data 

Is the migrated data accurate and complete? 

Monitoring 

Are logs, metrics, and alerts functioning? 

Cost 

Is resource consumption within expectations? 

Create a baseline before migration so you can compare the post-migration environment objectively. 

Step 12: Optimize After Migration 

The first cloud configuration is rarely the final configuration. 

After migration, review: 

Performance 

• CPU  

• Memory  

• Storage  

• Network  

• Application response time  

Cost 

• Unused resources  

• Oversized instances  

• Storage consumption  

• Idle environments  

• Licensing  

Security 

• Permissions  

• Exposed services  

• Vulnerabilities  

• Configuration  

Reliability 

• Backup  

• Disaster recovery  

• Monitoring  

• Availability  

Microsoft’s current migration guidance includes post-migration optimization covering performance tuning, cost management, monitoring validation, and backup verification.  

How to Avoid Cloud Migration Cost Surprises 

Cloud migration can improve cost efficiency, but only when the environment is actively managed. 

Common causes of unnecessary cloud spending include: 

• Overprovisioned resources  

• Idle environments  

• Unused storage  

• Unoptimized databases  

• Poor scaling policies  

• Duplicate environments  

• Lack of ownership  

• Uncontrolled resource creation  

Create cost governance from the beginning. 

Track: 

Resource → Owner → Environment → Business Unit → Cost 

This makes it easier to identify where spending is occurring and why. 

Security Considerations During Cloud Migration 

Security should be designed into the migration rather than added after workloads are moved. 

Evaluate: 

Identity 

Who can access what? 

Network 

Which systems can communicate? 

Data 

Where is sensitive information stored? 

Encryption 

Is data protected at rest and in transit? 

Monitoring 

Can suspicious activity be detected? 

Compliance 

Can the environment meet regulatory and organizational requirements? 

Recovery 

Can systems and data be restored after an incident? 

A secure migration requires attention to both the cloud provider’s responsibilities and your organization’s responsibilities. 

Common Cloud Migration Challenges and How to Solve Them 

Challenge	Recommended Approach
Incomplete asset inventory	Build and validate a workload inventory
Unknown dependencies	Perform dependency mapping
Data loss risk	Back up, replicate, validate and test recovery
Downtime	Use phased migration and controlled cutover
Compatibility problems	Conduct workload readiness assessment
Performance degradation	Establish a baseline and test before cutover
Security gaps	Establish identity, network and security controls early
Cost overruns	Implement cloud governance and cost monitoring
User resistance	Provide training and change management
Operational confusion	Define cloud ownership and operating model

The important point is that migration challenges should be addressed before they become production incidents. 

Cloud Migration for Atlassian Environments 

Cloud migration becomes particularly specialized when the environment includes Atlassian applications such as: 

• Jira  

• Confluence  

• Jira Service Management  

• Bitbucket  

• Marketplace apps  

• Custom integrations  

An Atlassian migration requires more than moving application data. 

Teams also need to consider: 

• User and group migration  

• Data volume  

• Marketplace app compatibility  

• Integrations  

• Authentication  

• Permissions  

• Automation  

• Custom configurations  

• Downtime  

• Data validation  

If Atlassian is part of your migration scope, our guide on migrating to Atlassian Cloud: steps, challenges and benefits provides a more focused view of that process. 

And before starting an Atlassian Cloud migration, it is worth reviewing Jira Cloud migration risks so potential issues can be identified during planning rather than during cutover. 

How to Make an Atlassian Cloud Migration Safer 

For organizations migrating Jira or other Atlassian workloads, a successful approach typically includes: 

Assess 

↓ 

Plan 

↓ 

Prepare 

↓ 

Pilot 

↓ 

Migrate 

↓ 

Validate 

↓ 

Optimize 

This is where specialist migration expertise can make a meaningful difference. 

If your team is unsure about app compatibility, migration sequencing, data dependencies, user migration, or cutover planning, MicroGenesis Atlassian Cloud Migration Services can help you build a migration plan around your existing environment rather than forcing a generic migration template. 

7 Metrics to Measure Cloud Migration Success 

Migration success should be measurable. 

Track at least these seven areas:

Migration completion

Percentage of planned workloads successfully migrated.

Downtime

Actual downtime versus the approved migration window.

Data integrity

Number of data validation issues after migration.

Application performance

Compare response time and throughput against the pre-migration baseline.

Security

Track security findings before and after migration.

Cloud cost

Compare actual consumption against the approved business case.

User experience

Monitor incidents, support requests, and user feedback after migration. 

These metrics provide a more meaningful picture than simply saying: 

“The migration is complete.” 

When Should You Use a Cloud Migration Partner? 

Not every organization needs external migration expertise. 

However, specialist support becomes valuable when you have: 

• Hundreds of applications  

• Complex dependencies  

• Multiple cloud platforms  

• Large data volumes  

• Strict compliance requirements  

• Limited internal cloud skills  

• Mission-critical applications  

• Complex Atlassian environments  

• Tight migration timelines  

• Significant integration requirements  

A migration partner can help with: 

• Discovery  

• Readiness assessment  

• Migration strategy  

• Architecture  

• Dependency mapping  

• Security  

• Data migration  

• Pilot planning  

• Cutover  

• Validation  

• Post-migration optimization  

The goal should not be to permanently outsource your cloud knowledge. 

A good partner should also help your internal teams understand the new environment. 

How MicroGenesis Can Help With Cloud Migration 

Cloud migration is one of those initiatives where planning quality directly affects execution risk. 

MicroGenesis can help organizations move from an on-premises environment toward a cloud operating model through structured assessment, migration planning, execution, validation, and optimization. 

For Atlassian environments specifically, our Atlassian Cloud Migration Services can support organizations through the migration lifecycle. 

Our approach can include: 

Migration Assessment 

Understand your existing environment, workloads, dependencies, users, data, applications, and integrations. 

Migration Strategy 

Determine whether each workload should be rehosted, replatformed, refactored, rearchitected, replaced, retired, retained, or rebuilt. 

Migration Planning 

Create migration waves, dependencies, timelines, ownership, testing requirements, and rollback procedures. 

Security and Governance 

Help establish appropriate access, security, compliance, and governance controls before workloads move. 

Migration Execution 

Support controlled migration, data movement, configuration, integrations, and cutover. 

Validation 

Verify functionality, performance, data integrity, security, and user access after migration. 

Optimization 

Identify opportunities to improve performance, operational efficiency, reliability, and cloud resource utilization. 

For Atlassian teams, this can include assessing Marketplace apps and integrations before migration rather than discovering compatibility issues during the final cutover. 

If you are still evaluating whether your Atlassian environment is ready for Cloud, you can also review why Atlassian users choose Cloud to understand the broader business and operational drivers behind cloud adoption. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is on-premises to cloud migration? 

On-premises to cloud migration is the process of moving applications, data, infrastructure, and related workloads from organization-managed infrastructure into a cloud environment. 

What are the main steps in cloud migration? 

The major steps include assessment, cloud readiness analysis, migration strategy selection, planning, cloud environment preparation, pilot migration, migration waves, validation, optimization, and eventual decommissioning of the source environment. 

What is the best cloud migration strategy? 

There is no single best strategy. Each workload should be evaluated individually. Options include rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, rebuild, replace, retire, and retain. Microsoft’s current Cloud Adoption Framework uses these eight strategies to help organizations align workload treatment with business drivers.  

Is lift-and-shift always the best approach? 

No. Rehosting can be appropriate when speed and minimal disruption are priorities, but it can also carry existing technical debt into the cloud. Workloads with significant architectural or performance limitations may benefit from modernization instead.  

How can I reduce cloud migration risk? 

Start with discovery, dependency mapping, workload assessment, backups, security preparation, pilot migration, testing, controlled cutover, rollback planning, and post-migration validation. 

Should every application move to the cloud? 

No. Some workloads may be better retained temporarily or permanently because of compliance, technical, business, or economic considerations. Others may be candidates for retirement or replacement. 

How long does cloud migration take? 

There is no universal timeline. Duration depends on the number of workloads, dependencies, data volumes, architecture complexity, compliance requirements, migration strategy, and available resources. 

Cloud Migration Checklist 

Before starting your migration, make sure you have: 

• Complete workload inventory  

• Application owners identified  

• Business criticality documented  

• Dependencies mapped  

• Cloud readiness assessed  

• Migration strategy selected for each workload  

• Cloud landing zone prepared  

• Identity and access controls established  

• Security requirements documented  

• Data backup and recovery validated  

• Pilot workload selected  

• Migration waves defined  

• Testing plan created  

• Cutover plan prepared  

• Rollback plan documented  

• Success metrics established  

• Post-migration optimization plan defined  

Final Takeaway 

Moving from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud is not simply a technology migration. 

It is an opportunity to reconsider how your organization operates applications, manages infrastructure, protects data, supports users, and scales technology. 

The strongest migrations begin with understanding the current environment. 

Then they move through: 

Assess → Strategize → Prepare → Pilot → Migrate → Validate → Optimize 

The key is to avoid treating every workload identically. 

One application may be suitable for rehosting. 

Another may benefit from replatforming. 

A legacy system may need to be rebuilt. 

An obsolete application may be better retired. 

And some workloads may have a legitimate reason to remain where they are. 

That workload-by-workload decision-making is what turns cloud migration from a large infrastructure project into a business-led modernization program. 

If you are planning an Atlassian migration, moving Jira or Confluence from Data Center or Server to Cloud, or need help assessing migration risks and dependencies, MicroGenesis can help you plan and execute the transition. 

Explore MicroGenesis Atlassian Cloud Migration Services 

Move with a plan. Validate before you cut over. Optimize after you migrate