Cloud Migration Best Practices: Lessons from 100+ Projects

After helping over 100 companies migrate to the cloud, we've learned what separates successful migrations from painful ones. Here are the key lessons we've gathered along the way.

## Assess Before You Migrate

Not every application should move to the cloud, and not all should move the same way. Conduct a thorough assessment of your portfolio to determine the right strategy for each workload.

## Plan for Security from Day One

Cloud security is a shared responsibility. Understand what your provider handles and what you're responsible for. Implement security controls early, not as an afterthought.

## Embrace Cloud-Native Patterns

Simply lifting and shifting applications rarely captures the full benefits of cloud. Where possible, refactor to take advantage of cloud-native services like managed databases, serverless functions, and container orchestration.

## Build a Strong Landing Zone

Your landing zone - the foundational infrastructure that hosts your workloads - should be designed for security, compliance, and operational excellence. Invest time in getting this right.

## Don't Neglect People and Process

Technical challenges are often easier to solve than organizational ones. Invest in training, update your processes, and build cloud expertise across your teams.