Author / Co-author: Paulina Sancho Vallejo & Yanid Perez Rodriguez
A timeline of the typical migration process
Cloud or Hybrid Migration projects can be a complex journey, but with the right strategies it becomes a manageable challenge. ThousandEyes provides insights and data at every stage of your migration, helping you make informed decisions and a smooth transition.
In this article we’ll break down the three key phases of cloud migration, pre, during, and post, and explore how ThousandEyes can be leveraged to maximize your success.
Pre-Migration Phase
A typical Pre-Migration project plan/preparation map
The pre-migration phase is mostly about mapping the terrain of the work ahead: it’s essential to define your objectives clearly. Some organizations may already have a clear vision of the services they want to monitor and migrate, while others might need to start from scratch. Here’s what you should focus on:
- Identify Applications and Dependencies. Determine which applications you plan to migrate and understand their dependencies. This step ensures that all related services function correctly after migration. You may also need to consider backend services as well!
- Set Targets and Test Types. Based on your findings, start identifying the targets, proper test types, and intervals. This will lay the groundwork for effective monitoring during and after the migration. Lower interval configuration is recommended if the application is critical.
Tip: Consider adjusting intervals based on the phase of migration. Example: Using lower intervals during the in-migration phase may be better as more granular data is required to ensure things are migrating properly.
- Establish Naming Conventions. Consistency is key! Implementing a clear naming convention for tests and dashboards is vital for clarity, especially when collaborating with different teams. The data presented in ThousandEyes Native Dashboards derives from test names, so it's important to be precise and consistent. Consider names that convey location, application and/or criticality.
Here is an example:
In contrast, here is a naming convention that transmits context:
- Document processes & prepare your team. Consider training the broader team and/or creating a playbook or a method of procedures manual for the people involved.
Documentation also includes saving a dashboard snapshot before the migration. This ensures that monitoring in the post-migration phase remains consistent, allowing you to confirm metrics you are tracking are not impacted after the migration.
In-Migration Phase
A typical example of the In-Migration phase
This is where the actual migration takes place. Depending on your needs, this could involve a simple DNS change or more complex modifications to your cloud infrastructure such as adjustments to load balancers and other dependencies. Here’s how ThousandEyes can help:
- Executing the Migration Plan. With data collected during the homework done in the pre-migration phase, you already have your acceptance criteria and dashboards set up. This preparation allows you to monitor the migration process in real-time.
- Ingesting Telemetry Data. ThousandEyes telemetry can be integrated into other dashboards, providing a comprehensive view of your migration's progress. This data helps you make informed decisions about whether to proceed, troubleshoot, or roll back if necessary.
Post-Migration Phase
A typical Post-Migration phase timeline
After completing the migration, it’s important to continue monitoring to ensure everything functions as expected. This phase focuses on stabilizing and optimizing the new environment. While some might say this could be two different phases, for the present article, let’s consider it as one. So what should you consider when stabilizing and optimizing your environment?
- Monitor Real User Traffic. Observing real user traffic for a period (e.g., one to two weeks) helps ensure that the migration was successful and that the new setup performs well under actual conditions.
- Improving and Controlling the environment. With the test coverage and dashboards established in the pre-migration phase, you can document and analyze results, create root cause analyses (RCAs), and communicate effectively with your team. Using shared links and saved events within ThousandEyes facilitates clear communication and documentation.
- Establish Baselines Understanding the normal operation metrics of your new environment allows you to build robust risk mitigation and rollback plans. This preparation is crucial for maintaining service reliability and performance. ThousandEyes makes it easy to view your baselines at a glance with dashboards (more information on that here, and here)
Some examples of dashboards pre- and post-migration
Take a look at this example of a dashboard that compares the application performance of a site that has been migrated from Azure to AWS: https://app.thousandeyes.com/share/dashboard/snapshots/?snapshotId=e0844c76-074e-4e05-ba07-6377be0324ea&teRegion=0
Takeaways:
Each phase of cloud migration—pre, during and post—requires a structured approach and the right tools. ThousandEyes provides the comprehensive test coverage, dashboards, and collaboration features necessary for a successful cloud migration. By leveraging these capabilities, organizations can ensure a successful transition to the cloud (or any other physical or virtual location).
If you have questions about your upcoming migration, or want further insight into how ThousandEyes can help your business succeed, please consider chatting with us!