August 23, 2025|5:22 PM
Whether it’s IT operations, cloud migration, or AI-driven innovation – let’s explore how we can support your success.
How confident are you that a move to the public platform will protect your data and keep applications running without interruption?
We set the stage by explaining why selecting the right aws cloud migration tools matters, because the process touches data integrity, application performance, and business continuity. Our goal is to show how native services like Application Migration Service, Database Migration Service, and Migration Hub pair with partners such as Carbonite Migrate, Dynatrace, Fivetran, and Integrate.io to reduce risk and speed outcomes.
We walk through the migration phases—assessment, mobilization, execution, and modernization—and show how each phase benefits from specific capabilities: encrypted replication, non‑disruptive testing, continuous replication, and centralized tracking. By aligning choices to business goals, we translate strategy into execution and keep stakeholders focused on measurable wins.
In this guide we will compare native services and partner offerings, evaluate integration and lifecycle cost, and provide actionable steps so you can map tools to your applications and data with confidence.
A well‑assembled migration stack reduces downtime and ties each technical choice to business priorities.
We compare options against concrete goals—speed, minimized downtime, and business alignment—so the final stack supports revenue continuity and your risk tolerance. The process we recommend follows four phases: assess, mobilize, migrate, and modernize, each mapped to specific capabilities.
Phase alignment matters. Assessment uses agentless discovery and cost modeling to map server and application dependencies. Mobilization applies governance and orchestration to prepare accounts and guardrails. Migration and modernization employ replication, non‑disruptive testing, and database replication to cut over with confidence.
We favor a hybrid approach: native services for core paths and partner offerings for AES‑256 encrypted continuous replication, dependency mapping, and managed ELT/ETL where needed. Integration with identity, networking, CI/CD, and observability is essential so the operating model remains consistent after cutover.
We begin by mapping current infrastructure and defining goals for cost, performance, and scalability.
Start with compatibility: verify that each migration tool supports your applications, server operating systems, and databases to avoid rework and surprises during execution.
Next, assess integration depth. Ensure the migration solution connects cleanly with identity, networking, storage, and observability services so operations stay consistent after cutover.
Align selections to your approach: rehost for rapid cutover, replatform to adopt managed databases without code change, and refactor when modernization delivers measurable business value.
Compare cost models—licensing, usage, and hidden fees—and test performance at scale for throughput and concurrency limits.
We profile native services and partner solutions so teams can choose the right mix for risk, cost, and schedule.
Native essentials centralize tracking and automate rehosting while preserving data fidelity. Migration Hub consolidates progress across accounts and integrates with partner services for unified reporting.
AWS Application Migration Service enables automated lift‑and‑shift with continuous server replication and non‑disruptive testing, supporting physical, virtual, and cloud servers. AWS Database Migration Service handles homogeneous and heterogeneous engines with continuous data replication and minimal downtime for critical databases.
Carbonite Migrate offers AES‑256 encrypted, near‑zero downtime replication, ideal for M&A and large server estates. Dynatrace provides full‑stack observability, automatic dependency mapping, and AIOps to spot issues fast.
Fivetran delivers managed ELT and auto schema management into Redshift, reducing analytical lag. Integrate.io supplies drag‑and‑drop ETL/ELT and reverse ETL to speed data onboarding into storage and analytics.
| Solution | Primary strength | Ideal use case |
|---|---|---|
| Migration Hub | Centralized tracking | Program‑level visibility across native and partner offerings |
| Application Migration Service | Automated rehosting, continuous replication | Lift‑and‑shift for servers with non‑disruptive testing |
| Database Migration Service | Heterogeneous DB support, continuous replication | Minimal‑downtime database cutovers |
| Carbonite Migrate | Encrypted near‑zero downtime replication | M&A consolidation and large estate moves |
| Dynatrace | Automatic dependency mapping, AIOps | Detecting and resolving performance issues during transfer |
| Fivetran | Managed ELT, auto schema | Reliable analytics ingestion into Redshift |
| Integrate.io | Rapid ETL/ELT, reverse ETL | Fast data onboarding and API generation |
We start by converting infrastructure telemetry into a defensible business case and a sequenced execution plan.
First, we inventory servers, storage, and network endpoints so every dependency and usage pattern is visible. This factual baseline reduces surprises and informs rightsizing, cost models, and cutover windows.
Application discovery captures configurations, process usage, and inter‑server calls to produce accurate TCO inputs. We use this output to sequence interdependent workloads and to build a prioritized backlog that minimizes risk.
Migration Evaluator analyzes current infrastructure and workload telemetry to create a data‑driven business case. We calibrate rightsizing recommendations and cost projections so executives get realistic forecasts and fewer surprises during execution.
Migration Hub consolidates status, groups applications, and visualizes network baselines to guide planning across services and partners. We hold regular progress reviews in Hub to align teams, surface compliance needs, and map storage and database profiles to rehost or replatform choices.
| Capability | Primary output | Planning benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Application Discovery Service | Dependency maps, server inventory | Accurate sequencing and TCO inputs |
| Migration Evaluator | Cost model, rightsizing | Defensible business case and budget forecasts |
| Migration Hub | Centralized status, network view | Clear progress, governance, and handoffs |
Mobilization reduces friction by locking in governance, automating account setup, and defining repeatable workflows before broad execution.
We implement AWS Control Tower to create a landing zone that enforces security guardrails and automated account provisioning. This establishes baselines for identity, encryption, and logging, so teams work inside approved boundaries as scale increases.
We adopt Migration Hub Orchestrator to run templates that streamline rehosting and replatforming tasks. The orchestrator handles EC2 rehosts, SQL Server to RDS transitions, VM imports, and SAP flows while tracking end‑to‑end progress.
Operational discipline matters: we bake compliance checks, logging, encryption, and a clear checklist into the process. This keeps teams aligned, improves throughput, and reduces human error as we scale parallel workstreams.
We execute cutovers that protect availability while reducing manual effort, sequencing work by dependencies and testing each step.
Application migration relies on continuous replication from physical, virtual, or remote instances to create a live copy in our target accounts.
We run non‑disruptive tests against that copy to validate configuration and performance before cutover. This reduces downtime risk and speeds verified rollouts.
Database migration service supports over 20 engines and continuous data replication. We use it to sync changes, stage validation, and enable rapid, low‑downtime cutovers.
For analytics flows, we stream to warehouses like Redshift and run schema and functional checks to confirm integrity.
For large server fleets we use agentless, incremental replication to produce AMIs ready for EC2 deployment.
When teams must preserve VM images or keep hybrid options, VM Import/Export lets us import and export images without losing configuration fidelity.
| Service | Primary capability | Best use case |
|---|---|---|
| Application Migration Service | Continuous replication, non‑disruptive testing | Fast, predictable rehosting of servers and apps |
| Database Migration Service | Homogeneous/heterogeneous moves, continuous data replication | Minimal‑downtime database cutovers and streaming to analytics |
| Server Migration Service / VM Import/Export | Incremental VM replication, image portability | Large estates and hybrid rollback flexibility |
When datasets grow to terabytes or petabytes, we choose strategies that minimize network impact and preserve integrity.
AWS DataSync accelerates and automates large data transfer to storage services, letting us schedule moves, validate checksums, and free teams from manual copy tasks.
AWS Transfer Family provides secure, managed file endpoints for recurring B2B exchanges, supporting SFTP, FTPS, FTP, and AS2 so partners keep existing processes with added security.
For petabyte‑scale transfers or disconnected environments we use Snow Family devices to move data and run compute at the edge, reducing reliance on the network and keeping timelines predictable.
AWS Mainframe Modernization helps us rehost and run mainframe applications within managed services, enabling sustained operations while we refactor to modern platforms.
We leverage CloudEndure lineage inside modern application migration paths for continuous replication patterns proven in lift‑and‑shift scenarios.
| Use case | Primary benefit | When to pick |
|---|---|---|
| High‑throughput transfer | Automated, integrity‑checked moves to storage | Large datasets, scheduled windows |
| Offline petabyte transfer | Edge compute and physical shipment | Limited network bandwidth, remote environments |
| Mainframe lift | Managed runtime with modernization runway | Legacy applications requiring minimal disruption |
Process note: we validate network constraints, combine online and offline transfer where appropriate, and run integrity and access checks so applications consuming transferred data remain secure and reliable.
We pair financial telemetry with real‑time traces so teams can act fast when performance or spend deviates.
Visibility and spend control must work together during any migration program. We instrument services with a single agent for traces and link those signals to cost dashboards so decisions reflect both performance and price.
We deploy Dynatrace OneAgent to map dependencies automatically, capture traces and logs, and run AIOps to surface root causes during cutover. This gives us fast insights into application behavior before and after traffic shifts.
CloudZero provides Migration Cost Monitoring with real‑time spend alerts, anomaly detection, and an industry dashboard for MAP credits and tagging. We use those signals to prevent budget overruns and guide rightsizing decisions.
We connect Fivetran for managed ELT into Redshift and use Integrate.io for drag‑and‑drop ETL/ELT, reverse ETL, and API generation. That speeds data availability for analytics and keeps schema drift in check.
A clear, phased approach ties discovery, orchestration, execution, and optimization into a repeatable playbook that reduces risk and shortens timelines.
We reaffirm that native capabilities cover assessment, orchestration, server and database execution, and high‑throughput transfer, while partners add encryption, observability, and ELT/ETL features. Use aws application discovery and cost modeling early to shape sequencing and rightsizing.
Validate every step: test replication, confirm data integrity, and run performance checks before cutover. Keep security, cost monitoring, and observability active so operations improve as you move environments.
Choose a pragmatic mix of services and partner solutions, document runbooks, and plan immediate optimization after transfer. We can help map strategy, select the right tools, and execute to meet measurable business goals.
Using native migration services gives us tight integration with the provider’s management, security, and monitoring features, which reduces operational overhead and shortens time-to-value; these offerings support automated rehosting, continuous data replication for databases, and centralized progress tracking so we can minimize downtime and maintain compliance during cutover.
We compare based on application compatibility, scale, and required features — if you need deep integration, automated orchestration, and single-pane management, native options often win; if you require specialized replication features, broader source support, or advanced ETL/ELT for analytics, vetted partners such as Dynatrace, Fivetran, or Integrate.io can fill gaps while integrating with the core stack.
We follow Assess, Mobilize, Migrate, and Modernize: start with discovery and cost modeling to build a business case and rightsizing plan, then implement governance and orchestration to enforce guardrails, execute lift-and-shift or refactor moves with non-disruptive testing, and finally modernize to realize operational efficiencies and lower run costs.
We use continuous data replication and change data capture to synchronize source and target systems ahead of cutover, perform staged validation and failback testing, and schedule final switchover during low-traffic windows; employing a migration service that supports heterogeneous replication lets us move between different database engines without extended outages.
Application dependency mapping and automated inventory collection provide the foundation for a reliable TCO; with discovery services and migration evaluators we capture server, application, and storage relationships, utilization metrics, and performance baselines so we can model costs and sizing precisely.
We deploy a control plane that enforces guardrails, predefined workflows, and centralized oversight across accounts and regions; orchestration tools coordinate migration tasks, approvals, and sequencing to maintain compliance while accelerating execution for large estates.
For high-throughput or offline transfers, physical import/export appliances and edge devices provide petabyte-scale movement with strong encryption and tamper-evident handling; managed agents and accelerated transfer services handle secure, automated replication where networks permit, and specialized tools cover legacy and mainframe scenarios.
We integrate full-stack observability and real-time cost monitoring to track application health, latency, and resource spend; combining application performance tools with migration-specific cost dashboards allows us to detect regressions, control overruns, and validate SLAs throughout the transition.
We recommend refactoring when long-term goals include improved scalability, lower operational burden, or use of managed platform services that deliver measurable business value; if an application can benefit from managed databases, serverless patterns, or containerization and the cost of change is justified by reduced run costs and faster feature delivery, refactor is the right choice.
We apply consistent identity and access controls, network segmentation, encryption in transit and at rest, and continuous auditing from discovery through cutover; enforcing policies centrally and validating configurations before switchover preserves compliance and minimizes exposure during each migration phase.
