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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.

What is the migration framework?

Section titled “What is 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.

Content

Assess

Analyze your existing IT landscape to determine cloud readiness and define the optimal migration strategy for every workload.

Design and mobilize

Establish your secure STACKIT Landing Zone and prepare your technical foundation and teams for the transition.

Migrate

Execute the move of applications and data to STACKIT using proven methodologies to ensure a seamless, low-risk cutover.

Run

Transition to steady-state operations while continuously optimizing performance, costs, and cloud-native capabilities.

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.

STACKIT Cloud Migration Framework Overview of four phases with aligned modules and key dependencies. Assess Assess Design and Mobilize Design & Mobilize Migrate Migrate Run Run Rapid Discovery Rapid Discovery Quantity baseline for cost modeling TCO Report TCO Report Total cost of cloud migration Readiness Assessment Readiness Assessment Migration readiness and cloud strategy Deepdive Workshop Deepdive Workshop Detailed view on STACKIT services Briefings and Workshops Briefings & Workshops Information and stakeholder alignment Discovery Discovery Apps and dependencies Design Design Target architecture Migration Plan Migration Plan Waves and sequencing Business Case Business Case Per application Center of Excellence Center of Excellence Enablement model STACKIT University STACKIT University Structured learning paths Documentation and Framework Documentation & Framework Guidance and reference Landing Zone Landing Zone Platform foundation Security and Compliance Security & Compliance Control requirements Target Operating Model Target Operating Model Roles and processes Migration Factory Setup Migration Factory Setup Execution readiness Migrate Migrate Rehost Replatform Optimize Optimize Rightsizing and continuous tuning Repurchase Repurchase Evaluate SaaS offerings Modernize Modernize Refactor and cloud-native redesign Run Run Operate migrated workloads Customer Success Customer Success Adoption and value realization Support Support Advanced operational support

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 6R 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 6R options explicitly helps teams avoid one-size-fits-all migration decisions and align each workload transition with business value, risk profile, and implementation effort.