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WHITE PAPER CLOUD APPLICATIONSStrategies for Large-ScaleCloud MigrationSEPTEMBER 2020 2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table of contentsA process framework tohelp plan migrations3Cloud migration options4Migration option selfassessment6The Enterprise DevOpsFramework7Migration success stories9Conclusion11Sources12Follow Us:@NTTDATAServicesJoin the Conversation:#NTTDATAcloudmigration
NTT DATA Services White Paper Strategies for Large-Scale Cloud MigrationA process framework to helpplan migrationsfor better security and availability, while non-CXOswant to right-size cloud to save cost.2Recently, Gartner reported that “The CIO Surveyidentified cloud computing as one of the three topgame-changing technologies.”1 A cloud migration —and the ability to take advantage of cloud benefits suchas greater agility, scalability and enhanced security— is often seen as a primary way for organizations topositively affect change and create greater productivityat optimized cost.Although momentum is pushing enterprises towardthese benefits, migrating to the cloud isn’t without itschallenges. According to Gartner, “through 2023, at least99% of cloud security failures will be the customer’sfault” and “through 2024, 80% of companies unaware ofmistakes made by organizations in their cloud adoptionwill overspend in cloud by 20% to 50%.”3,1And based on IDC’s May 2020 COVID-19 Impact onIT Spending Survey, organizations worldwide arelooking to utilize cloud. This includes moving moreapplications to the cloud because it provides bettersecurity and availability, investing in cloud datamanagement to drive value from data, and migratingcore business applications (for example, SAP andOracle) to the cloud. However, there appears to besome divergence across stakeholders. C-level officers(CXOs) view cloud as a method to move applicationsThere are many approaches to large-scale cloudmigration, which can make the process overwhelmingand confusing, especially for large enterprises withmyriad business-critical applications. This paper willdiscuss large-scale cloud migration approaches thatdrive strategic business change and are supported by abest-of-breed team and vendors.3
2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.Cloud migration optionsand application components to deploy cloud-nativefeatures and advanced concepts like microservicesand serverless computing. Application code itselfisn’t refactored, but rather the services composing it.Although the application business logic remains thesame, the application itself is factored into differenttiers and pieces, with services like databasesswapped out for the cloud service equivalent.As an organization begins looking at its largertechnology landscape through the lens of cloudcomputing and strategic change, several optionsemerge. For companies that want to centralize andstandardize their infrastructure to reduce both overallsystem maintenance and costs as well as growgovernance, risk and compliance (GRC) capabilities thatdon’t result in excessive rigidity, there are four distinctmigration approaches and three non-migration choices.y Repurchase: When software moves from a versionthat previously ran on data center hardware to anew software-as-a-service (SaaS) — or similar —version of the same application, it’s repurchased(for example, moving from on-premises customerrelationship management (CRM) to Salesforce’scloud-based option).These approaches also offer the opportunity to renovatehardware, software and processes, and to simplifysystems in the process.y Re-host: Sometimes referred to as lift and shift,re-hosting takes a forklift approach to movingbusiness applications to the cloud without any codemodification. In this case, a virtual machine (VM) istreated like a blackbox and simply copied bit by bit.y Retain: Choosing to retain an application leaves it onpremises, running just as it currently does.y Retire: When an application is retired, the organizationdetermines that it has met end-of-life criteria.y Reinstall: Similar to re-hosting, a reinstallationentails a wholesale move of applications to thecloud. Although new VMs are created in the cloud,the same software is installed from scratch withno configuration changes. It’s more work thana re-host, but this approach has the benefit ofallowing some cleanup to happen during themigration, which enables companies to avoidcopying unnecessary software and configurationsthat may have accumulated over the years andare no longer in use (for example, an agent thatwas installed for monitoring software that’s nolonger used). It also allows for the addition of newpractices (for example, the installation of a newvulnerability detection agent on all VMs or the useof standardized VM images for all apps).y Replatform: Called “lift, tinker and shift” by StephenOrban, Head of Strategy at Amazon Web Services(AWS), replatforming is the process of movingapplications to the cloud with a small amount ofup-versioning — perhaps of an OS or database — tobenefit from cloud infrastructure.4 Replatformingtakes advantage of containers and VMs, onlychanging application code when needed to usebase platform services like cloud-native databases,storage, compute and autoscaling.y Refactor: This is the process of re-architectingsome portion of an existing application to leveragecloud-native frameworks and functionality. Mostoften, refactoring entails changing middleware4
NTT DATA Services White Paper Strategies for Large-Scale Cloud MigrationApproachMaturityUses only pure infrastructureas-a-service (IaaS) resourcessuch as VMs and networkingPros Faster migration withfewer resources thanks toautomation tools Migration operator cantreat VMs like a blackbox,because it requires minimaltribal knowledgeRe-hostingCons Can be more costly to runapps in the cloud this waycompared to a replatformedor refactored app Apps don’t benefit fromall cloud features, likemanaged services Once a migration factory hasbeen built, migration becomesa push-button activityReinstalling Uses fresh VMs in the cloudwith some new tools, like avulnerability detector Although not the fastest,migration is still fairlyspeedy Automates the provisioningof infrastructure but notfull-stack Takes advantage of somenew tools Allows retirement oftechnical debt that mayhave accumulated with onpremises servers Can be more costly to runapps in the cloud this waycompared to a replatformedor refactored app Apps don’t benefit from manycloud features Migration operator requiresa deeper knowledgeof the applicationinstallation process Manual installs require effort Uses advanced IaaSfeatures, like autoscaling,native load balancers andcontainer services This middle ground betweenre-hosting and refactoringallows apps to take advantageof cloud functionality Also uses platform as aservice (PaaS) Automating operations likeautoscaling saves effort Automates installation ofthe entire stack Automating softwareprovisioning provides agilityand continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD)capabilitiesReplatforming Slows migration time Requires more knowledgeand resources Increased agility opens thedoor for more innovation Once common apparchitecture patterns areidentified and automated,migration happens at a rapidpace in a self-service mannerRefactoringUses advanced platformservices that lead to paradigmchanges (for example, movinga monolith to microservicesusing containers andserverless technologies) Apps can be modifiedto take full advantage ofcloud-native features Apps can be modified tomaximize cost efficiency inthe cloud Takes longer to develop Requires more resourcesupfront Offers the best cloud returnon investmentRepurchasing(as SaaS)Uses a brand-new applicationor the SaaS version of theapp (for example, switchingto Salesforce rather than anon-premises CRM app) Faster than refactoring Generally cost-efficient Permanently frees IT fromupgrades and patchingTable 1: Migration options comparison guide.5 Scalability, availability,security, compliance andmore are dependent on theSaaS provider Integration can bechallenging
2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.Migration option self-assessmentbenefits outweigh the cost and the direction isachievable within the constraints, refactoring isthe right choice. Due to these constraints, mostapplications aren’t easy to refactor at the onset,and companies often refactor a very small fraction(less than 10%) of their portfolio. For example,if an application suits the serverless computingmodel (for example, using AWS Lambda) and thedevelopment team has the resources to refactor touse Lambda, refactoring is possible. Next, evaluatethose resources against the effortless scaling andminimal maintenance made possible by a moveto Lambda. If the benefits can be achieved withminimal business interruptions and/or impact tothe teams, refactoring is the right choice.Assessing the migration path is an exercise in feasibilityand cost-benefit analysis. For example, although anapplication may benefit from cloud features, if it’s onlyused once a year by two people in the organization, thecost is most likely not worth the benefit. To help assessthe cost and benefit of each strategy, here are somesample questions and considerations that NTT DATArecommends organizations address for each applicationthey may migrate to the cloud:y How strategically imperative is this application tothe business? Is it an application that contributesto revenue and should be invested in (otherwiseknown as an invest application), or is it anapplication necessary to just run the businessthat will be sustained at the lowest possibletotal cost of ownership (a sustainapplication)? This is important,because migrations are often boundby time and budget, and the energyrequired to replatform/refactor isbetter spent on invest applicationsrather than sustain applications. Forexample, an ecommerce websitefor a retailer is an app that shouldbe invested in, but the employeevacation reporting system for HR issomething to sustain. Given typicalconstraints, it’s best to considera replatform/refactor for theecommerce website and a simplere-host for the vacation reporting app.y For sustain applications, is it evenpossible to re-host the application?If all technologies can run in theFigure 1: Assessing the migration path — an exercise in feasibility andcloud, then re-hosting is the best option.cost-benefit analysis.If not, look for a SaaS alternative. If analternative is found, retire the app. If not, retain it.y For invest applications, if refactoring isn’tFor example, if the vacation reporting app usesfeasible, replatforming is the right choice. Givenan IBM AS400 machine, it may be best to eithertight constraints, we see companies opting toreplace the app entirely with a different tool orreplatform 25% to 30% of their portfolios. In theseretain the application on-premises rather thancases, the burden is on the DevOps team to build ainvesting developer resources to refactor (recode)test harness or automated test framework for theit for the cloud.application without requiring major code changesy Analyze the cost in terms of developmentor leveraging the benefits of cloud features suchresources and any business interruptions thatas autoscaling, self-healing, containers, etc.may be required with a significant rewrite. It’sFor example, an ecommerce website written inoften impossible to refactor applications, becausea framework that’s not suitable for serverlessthe original development teams are currentlycomputing may be replatformed.inaccessible due to other priorities. But if the6
NTT DATA Services White Paper Strategies for Large-Scale Cloud MigrationRationalization in this way can be an effective first step before deciding which path to take for any given application.By looking at the totality of an IT system, it may be possible to identify which infrastructure and workloads are lowcomplexity and low business value. These are ideal candidates for retirement. It can also identify which are lowcomplexity but high business value, because these can be more easily relocated to the cloud.Yet, modernizing a highly complex system often meets resistance from the various interested members within the ITand management teams. A rationalization process should help combat political push-back against a comprehensivemodernization project by making clear which systems need to be relocated or retired and why.The Enterprise DevOps FrameworkOnce a migration strategy is established, NTT DATA consultants use our Enterprise DevOps Framework (EDF) as afoundation for migrating applications and creating the needed infrastructure to effectively support these apps in thecloud. Regardless of the migration approach, the EDF acts as a guide for planning and implementation. Organizationscan build a platform for change that incorporates advanced cloud technologies with services, landing zones,pipelines, inspectors and injectors.ServicesThe EDF provides the following benefits:y A clear structure and process foradoption, with technology mapping toDevOps processesy Accelerated time frames for an initialproof of concept (POC)y Reduced risk, by starting withbest practicesy Hardened security through increasedadherence to security and governancey The agility of independent managementEstablish a beachheadThe code, configuration and infrastructureof the services to be deployedInjectorsPipelineInspectorsTools to injectenvironmentinformation intoservices in thepipelines anddeployed in thelanding zoneTechnology-enabled processes fordeploying services in the landing zoneAutomated toolsto monitor, logand introspectservices in thepipeines anddeployed in thelanding zoneLanding zoneService-agnostic infrastrucure andconfiguration componentsFigure 2: The NTT DATA Enterprise DevOps Framework: Mapping the EDF to cloudmigration approaches, illustrating how each approach brings assets to the cloud.In the EDF, the traditional IT operations team leverages a concept called the landing zone. It creates a foundationwhere services deploy and, as a result, focus on catching service-agnostic components as they’re delivered viapipelines. In cloud architecture, the concept of a service-agnostic foundation is very critical, as is the idea ofservice teams owning more of their dependencies. A strong cloud foundation is a requirement regardless of themigration strategy.This approach provides a beachhead and allows teams to decouple field planning from the creation of a basic,scalable structure for cloud services. Teams can send applications to the landing zone quickly, because the work canbe done in parallel. It starts with the applications teams prepping applications to be sent to the zone.Because the basic foundation is agnostic, applications teams don’t need to worry about what it looks like. The teamsonly need to get the applications set for migration. This approach can breed quick success, because the teams workin tandem.This approach also helps speed the success of POCs, because it can support small, impactful first steps. Whilemany teams might want to start by building a network architecture based on best practices, for example, that’s not7
2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.Best-in-breed supportimpactful by itself, because it doesn’t add businessvalue. It’s analogous to building an airport withouthaving any airplanes to land. You need theairplanes to demonstrate the value. In this way,the foundation provides a landing zone to easilyshowcase early migration wins and, in turn, helpsbuild internal momentum.There are different types of professional servicesorganizations, from managed services providers (MSPs)to traditional IT service houses, many of which havethe expertise to help with large-scale cloud migrations.To find the best partner for a migration project, werecommend asking two best practice questions:Specialist or jack of all trades? Service organizationstend to either grow deep, diving down into a few specificareas, or wide, expanding across a breadth of services.Because the latter is a jack of all trades but a master ofnone, this type of provider may not be the best choice —especially for organizations that need advice along theway or someone to design a migration blueprint. To thatend, specialists are more likely to have implemented asimilar project and, as a result, be more educated aboutpotential pitfalls to avoid and what steps to take toensure success.In addition, specialists are more likely to haveestablished partnerships with complementary vendorsthat help ensure success. For example, partnershipswith tool and ecosystem vendors, from cloud platformsto Docker, Ansible, HashiCorp and more, are extremelyhelpful when designing and executing a mass cloudmigration. This is especially true for migrations whereadvanced services are needed to replatform andrefactor applications.Sandboxes as a strategicenabler for cloud migrationManaged services or self-managed? Digitaltransformation has opened up unprecedented computepower, instant access to the latest technology andrevolutionary ways to empower businesses. This maymake it easier to manage a migration project internally.At the same time, the resulting complex environments— where multiple technologies must be integrated withthe legacy systems on which businesses currently rely— may lead some organizations to prefer to leverage thedeep experience of an MSP. Doing so can help balancetheir time, efforts and budget. An MSP keeps existingcritical applications running at peak levels while notdisrupting the business, which keeps the organization’sfocus on the pressing need for transformation.For the list of applications to be moved — and asorganizations discern whether to re-host, replatformor refactor them — secure sandboxes can be a helpfuldevice. Teams use these environments to experimentto help determine where to start with a migration.Specifically, this approach allows business units tocultivate ideas on how a cloud migration can help theirefforts by giving them a secure space to explore theplatform without creating barriers to entry.NTT DATA consultants recommend creating securesandboxes as organizations start down the path toa cloud migration. These environments can helpprioritize migration targets and generally shed lighton the benefits cloud computing will bring todifferent applications.8
NTT DATA Services White Paper Strategies for Large-Scale Cloud MigrationMigration success storiesReinstall: TechnipFMCSingle app replatform:Rent-A-CenterTechnipFMC is a renewable energy leader thathad two parallel goals. First, it wanted to usecloud migration as an opportunity to overhaulits business processes. Second, during themigration process, the organization wantedto build in standardization while increasingdeveloper agility, growing global access for itsworkers and decreasing capital expenses.Rent-A-Center (RAC) wanted to move itsecommerce platform to the cloud in time for abusy holiday season. The company’s goal was toroll out a platform that would support the entireonline shopping workflow using SAP’s Hybrisplatform. It required a cluster of Hybris servers,called nodes, that would cater to online webbased demand. Using advanced Amazon featureslike autoscaling, elastic load balancing andcontainer services, RAC and NTT DATA createdan architecture that would scale up to meet theclient’s growing demand and scale down oncedemand subsided.Time was of the essence and Technip soughtto move the enterprise wholesale to AWS,so it chose a reinstall approach. Followingthe migration, the company championed ITtransformation, especially once it achievedstandardization. The project, initially deliveredby NTT DATA, began with migration expertsreviewing critical data about the applications tobe moved and designing push-button deploymentframeworks that were then used to quickly selectand stand up new environments. This allowedthe client’s DevOps team to focus their effortson specific applications, not the foundationalpolicies that are part of AWS automation. Theteams moved one application at a time intoAWS, starting with a web app for residentialsolar monitoring.With Amazon ECS as a backbone technology,RAC deployed a Hybris setup with autoscaling,self-healing, one-click deployment, CI/CD and PCIcompliance consistent with the company’s latesttechnology guidelines, meeting the requirementsof its newly formed culture of DevOps andextreme agility. In addition to taking advantageof advanced cloud functionality — like extremescalability — by refactoring its ecommerceplatform, RAC has set the stage for refactoring inthe future, allowing the company to plan for evengreater agility and experimentation.To establish standardization and maintainseparation of duties, the NTT DATA teamintroduced AWS Service Catalog, where 80% ofapplications are defined by a small number oftemplates. In this way, the energy company wasable to standardize builds with security controlsin place, encouraging best practices to befollowed by default. And, to streamline DevOps,AWS was used to create multiple environmentsfor each team, increasing speed to market andoperational efficiencies.9
2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved.Migration success storiesMass replatforming: Enterprisemedia companyRefactor: Healthcare providerThis healthcare organization was looking tomove its monolithic application to the cloud and,in the process, re-architect it for greater agility,visibility and business responsiveness. Usinga containerized approach, the NTT DATA teamhelped the client refactor its application, movingit to an AWS-based microservices architecture.NTT DATA had the opportunity to work with anenterprise media group on its modernizationproject. Working with our specialists, the firmwalked through the migration options for its onpremises applications and built a securesandbox where business units could experimentand learn. From these exercises, the two teamscreated a 12-month roadmap, broken downby quarter, mapping each application to itsmigration path and a specific timeline.A blueprint for the new microservicesenvironment was created, with AWS ECS andDocker as the backbone. One of the initialconcerns the team had was how to create a newarchitecture and process flow that incorporatedAWS automation, security controls, greatervisibility and build repeatability. NTT DATArecommended AWS Service Catalog, and withit in place the development team was able toeasily achieve AWS provisioning of the assetsthe client needed within minutes. By breaking itssingle code base into small, individual services,the healthcare provider achieved greater humanresource utilization. Bottlenecks were removedand developers could work autonomously ontheir individual services, incorporating changesmuch more flexibly and nimbly and introducingnew services to the business.Using the NTT DATA approach and ourEnterprise DevOps Framework, the clientidentified systems of innovation anddifferentiation and then separated more than200 apps from the strategy for systems ofrecord. We designed a platform for innovationand helped the firm gain knowledge about thestrategies and underlying technologies neededto gain greater business agility.Of the firm’s 400 apps that needed to bereplatformed or refactored were applicationtechnologies that included 80 Microsoft .NETIIS apps on Windows, 40 Java/Tomcat apps onKubernetes and 80 Java/Tomcat apps on Linux,as well as Adobe Experience Manager (AEM),Atlassian tools, WordPress and SugarCRM.Approximately 40% were maintenance-level yetbusiness-critical and flagged for replatforming/refactoring. In this way, the firm was able tostrategically migrate its assets, maximizing cloudbenefits for applications that would gain themost while not spending resources on those thatwould provide minimal benefits.10
NTT DATA Services White Paper Strategies for Large-Scale Cloud MigrationConclusionA mass migration from an on-premises data centerto the cloud can seem formidable, especially forenterprises with hundreds of business-criticalapplications. Using the approaches outlined in thispaper, including leveraging a best-of-breed team ofspecialists with deep cloud computing, migration andenterprise experience, can help organizations createa strategic migration roadmap that helps them fullyachieve digital transformation.NTT DATA: Building a platformfor changeEnterprises ready to migrate to cloud infrastructure facehundreds of critical questions. To help increase thesuccess and speed of migrations, NTT DATA created asuite of cloud transformation services for enterprisesthat need to meet the mounting demands on businessand IT — and need both facets to be nimble, costefficient and automated.Using a toolbox of proven frameworks, NTT DATAempowers enterprises to migrate by providinginfrastructure, coaching and automation throughall phases of complex migration projects. Our endto-end suite encompasses cloud consulting, actualmovement to the cloud, and financial, operational andapplication management in the cloud. We bring togethercapabilities across multiple cloud providers, best-ofbreed partnerships, global experts and proprietaryNTT DATA expertise to meet our clients’ needs.See what NTT DATA can do for you.y Deep industry expertise and marketleading technologiesy Tailored capabilities with your objectivesin mindy Partnerships to help you build and realizeyour visionVisit nttdataservices.com to learn more.11
Sources1.Gartner, “Lessons Learned From the Most CommonMistakes Made by Cloud Infrastructure Adopters,”Miguel Angel Borrega, Published 8 May 2020.The 2020 Gartner CIO Survey was conductedonline from 4 June 2019 through 5 August 2019among Gartner Executive Programs membersand other CIOs. Qualified respondents are eachthe most senior IT leader (CIO) for their overallorganization or a part of their organization (forexample, a business unit or region). The totalsample is 1,070, with representation from allgeographies and industry sectors (public andprivate). The survey was developed collaborativelyby a team of Gartner analysts, and was reviewed,tested and administered by Gartner’s ResearchData and Analytics team. Disclaimer: “Results donot represent ‘global’ findings or the market as awhole but reflect sentiment of the respondents andcompanies surveyed.”2.David Tapper. “IDC Worldwide Managed CloudServices Deal Penetration for the IT OutsourcingServices Market, 2015–2019.” IDC. August 20193.Gartner, “How to Make Cloud More Secure ThanYour Own Data Center,” Neil MacDonald, Tom Croll,Published 9 October 20194.Stephen Orban. “6 Strategies for MigratingApplications to the Cloud.” AWS Cloud EnterpriseStrategy Blog. November 1, 2016. /Visit nttdataservices.com to learn more.NTT DATA Services, a global digital business and IT services leader, is the largest business unit outside Japan of NTT DATA Corporationand part of NTT Group. With our consultative approach, we leverage deep industry expertise and leading-edge technologies powered byAI, automation and cloud to create practical and scalable solutions that contribute to society and help clients worldwide accelerate theirdigital journeys. 2020 NTT DATA, Inc. All rights reserved. 0000092020 496685-Large-Scale-Cloud-Migration-Whitepaper.indd Rev. 1.0
Table 1: Migration options comparison guide. Re-hosting Uses only pure infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) resources such as VMs and networking Faster migration with fewer resources thanks to automation tools Migration operator can treat VMs like a blackbox, because it requires minimal tribal knowledge Once a migration factory has
