Cloud migration is the process of moving digital business operations to the cloud. Cloud migration is sort of like a physical move, except it involves moving data, applications and IT processes from some data centers to other data centers, instead of packing up and moving physical goods. Much like a move from a smaller office to a larger one, cloud migration requires quite a lot of preparation and advance work.

There are different types of cloud migration a company can carry out. Commonly data and application are transferred from the internal data center of the company to the public cloud. On the other hand a cloud migration can transfer data and application from one cloud platform or provider to another cloud. This model is called cloud-to-cloud migration. A third type of migration is transferring data and application from a cloud back to a local data center in a reverse cloud migration.

The steps or processes an enterprise follows during a cloud migration vary based on factors such as the type of migration it wants to perform and the specific resources it wants to move. That said common elements of a cloud migration strategy include evaluating performance and security requirements, choosing a cloud provider, calculating costs and making any necessary organizational changes.

Common challenges an enterprise faces during a cloud migration include interoperability, data and application portability, data integrity and security, and business continuity. Without proper planning, a migration could negatively affect workload performance and lead to higher IT costs. This might negate some of the main benefits of cloud computing.

The general goal or benefit of any cloud migration is to host applications and data in the most effective IT environment possible, based on factors such as cost, performance and security.