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Migration Framework

The STACKIT Migration Framework is your streamlined toolkit for a predictable, secure, and efficient transition to the STACKIT Cloud. It combines proven methodologies with platform-specific best practices to accelerate your journey toward a sovereign digital future.

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Understanding the Migration Framework

Section titled “Understanding the Migration Framework”

The STACKIT Migration Framework provides clear blueprints for moving from on-prem to cloud-native. It guides teams through discovery, assessment, and cutover to ensure seamless integration into the STACKIT ecosystem.

Framework overview

Section titled “Framework overview”

The overview below summarizes the migration lifecycle from initial assessment to stable operations. It helps teams build a shared understanding of responsibilities, dependencies, and expected outcomes across all phases.

Swipe sideways to see the whole diagram
STACKIT Cloud Migration Framework Journey across the four phases Assess, Design and Mobilize, Migrate, and Run with their key modules. Assess PHASE 1 Assess Design & mobilize PHASE 2 Design & mobilize Migrate PHASE 3 Migrate Run PHASE 4 Run PLANNING Discovery Discovery Map apps and dependencies. Design Design Define target patterns. Migration plan Migration plan Sequence waves for delivery. Rapid discovery Rapid discovery Inventory workloads to create an early scope and cost baseline. TCO report TCO report Model migration economics to support investment and planning decisions. Readiness assessment Readiness assessment Assess technology and organization gaps before detailed design starts. Deepdive workshop Deepdive workshop Explore STACKIT services and platform options for target design. Briefings & workshops Briefings & workshops Align stakeholders on goals, scope, and migration expectations. Business case Business case Compare value, effort, and investment per application. Enablement ENABLEMENT Center of Excellence Trainings & Learning Paths Documentation & Reference Landing zone Landing zone Establish the secure platform base for migrated workloads. Security & compliance Security & compliance Define security and compliance controls for migration and operations. Target operating model Target operating model Define roles, processes, and ownership for target operations. Migration factory setup Migration factory setup Prepare teams, tools, and runbooks for scalable migration execution. Migrate MIGRATE Relocate Relocate Rehost Rehost Replatform Replatform Optimize Optimize Improve sizing, performance, and cost after cutover. Repurchase Repurchase Evaluate SaaS options when replacement delivers better value. Refactor Refactor Restructure strategic workloads for cloud- native scalability and agility. Operating model handover Operating model handover TOM validation and ownership transfer Hypercare Hypercare Post-cutover stabilization bridge. Operate Operate Steady-state cloud operations. Support Support Manage incidents and service requests across support responsibilities. Customer Success Customer Success Track adoption, outcomes, and value realization with stakeholders.

Purpose and goals

Section titled “Purpose and goals”

The Migration Framework is designed to reduce uncertainty in cloud transitions and create a clear path from strategy to operations. It combines business alignment and technical planning so that migration decisions are not made in isolation.

Typical goals include:

Reliable baseline

Build a reliable baseline for scope, risks, and cost drivers.

Scalable target setup

Define a target architecture and operating model that scale over time.

Controlled migration waves

Run migration in controlled waves with measurable progress.

Stable run operations

Establish stable run operations with continuous optimization.

How to use this framework effectively

Section titled “How to use this framework effectively”

Use the diagram as a navigation map, not just as a sequence of boxes. Each phase contains modules that answer a specific decision question.

Recommended way of working:

  1. Start with Assess to create a fact-based baseline and shared business context.
  2. Use Design and Mobilize to make architecture, governance, and capability decisions explicit.
  3. Treat Migrate as iterative delivery with feedback loops into planning and optimization.
  4. Anchor long-term value in Run by combining operations, customer success, and support.

Practical guidance

Section titled “Practical guidance”

The best results are achieved when business, architecture, platform, security, and operations work as one program team with regular decision cadences. Keep assumptions transparent, track dependencies between modules, and define clear entry and exit criteria per phase. This keeps the migration predictable while allowing adaptation where new findings emerge.

Typical migration use cases

Section titled “Typical migration use cases”

Organizations usually apply the framework in one of two baseline scenarios:

  • On-premises to STACKIT: Legacy infrastructure is moved to a sovereign cloud target on STACKIT.
  • Cloud to STACKIT: Workloads are transferred from another cloud provider.

Across both scenarios, migration programs often emphasize different primary motivators:

  • Cost focus: Improve cost transparency, reduce long-term run costs, and optimize consumption models.
  • Modernization focus: Increase agility, adopt managed services, and improve delivery speed.

In practice, both motivators often coexist. The framework supports balancing them by evaluating workloads through the R-strategy lens and selecting the most suitable path per application:

  • Rehost: Move workloads with minimal changes to accelerate migration.
  • Replatform: Apply targeted platform optimizations without full redesign.
  • Repurchase: Replace with a SaaS alternative where it creates higher value.
  • Refactor: Redesign parts of the workload for cloud-native capabilities.
  • Retain: Keep workloads unchanged when migration is not yet beneficial.
  • Retire: Decommission workloads that no longer provide business value.

Using these R-strategy options explicitly helps teams avoid one-size-fits-all migration decisions and align each workload transition with business value, risk profile, and implementation effort.