Cloud Migration Services
Expert cloud migration services for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. From assessment to optimization, we help you exit data centers, modernize applications, and reduce costs—all with zero downtime and minimal risk.
Cloud Migration
AWS • Azure • GCP
Migration Benefits
The Migration Imperative
Traditional data centers worked great for decades, but today's business demands agility, scalability, and efficiency that on-premise infrastructure simply can't deliver. Cloud migration isn't just a technology decision—it's a business transformation.
On-premise infrastructure can't keep up with business demands. Hardware procurement takes months, capacity planning is guesswork, and you're paying for idle resources.
Data center costs, hardware maintenance, power, cooling, and physical security add up. Your IT budget is consumed by keeping lights on rather than driving innovation.
Meeting modern security standards and compliance requirements on legacy infrastructure requires significant investment. Patch management and audit trails are manual processes.
Provisioning environments takes weeks. Development teams wait for infrastructure while competitors ship features. Your release velocity is limited by hardware availability.
Scale up for peak demand, scale down during off-hours. Auto-scaling groups respond to traffic in seconds. Pay only for what you use, when you use it.
Reserved instances, spot pricing, and right-sizing reduce costs 30-50%. FinOps practices ensure you're never overpaying for cloud resources.
Cloud-native security with encryption at rest and in transit, IAM policies, and compliance certifications (SOC2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS) built into the platform.
Spin up new environments in minutes with Infrastructure as Code. Development teams self-serve through golden paths, accelerating delivery velocity.
Our Services
From assessment to optimization, we provide end-to-end cloud migration services for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Every migration is tailored to your workloads, timeline, and business objectives.
Comprehensive evaluation of your current infrastructure, applications, and workloads. We identify migration candidates, dependencies, risks, and create a prioritized roadmap tailored to your business objectives.
Using the 7 R's framework, we determine the optimal migration approach for each workload—whether that's rehosting, replatforming, refactoring, or retiring. Every migration is planned to minimize risk and maximize value.
Move your applications to the cloud with minimal changes. Ideal for getting out of data centers quickly or when applications can't be modified. We handle server migration, data transfer, and DNS cutover with zero downtime.
Rearchitect applications to fully leverage cloud services. We modernize monoliths into containerized microservices, implement serverless patterns, and adopt managed services for maximum scalability and cost efficiency.
Security is built into every migration. We implement cloud-native security controls, configure compliance frameworks, and establish governance policies that meet regulatory requirements.
Migration is just the start. We implement FinOps practices to continuously optimize your cloud spend—right-sizing instances, leveraging reserved capacity, and eliminating waste.
Ready to start your cloud journey? Let's assess your migration readiness.
Get a Free Migration AssessmentOur Process
Cloud migration requires careful planning and flawless execution. Our proven methodology reduces risk, ensures business continuity, and delivers value at every phase.
We conduct a comprehensive assessment of your current environment—applications, infrastructure, dependencies, and data flows. This discovery phase identifies migration candidates, risks, and opportunities for optimization.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Assessment report, application inventory, dependency maps
Using the 7 R's framework, we determine the optimal migration strategy for each workload. We create detailed migration waves, define success criteria, and develop rollback procedures for risk mitigation.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Migration strategy document, wave plan, business case
We design the target cloud architecture aligned with your requirements for performance, security, and cost. This includes network topology, security controls, and operational frameworks.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Architecture diagrams, security architecture, DR plan
We build your cloud foundation—the landing zone with account structure, networking, security controls, and governance policies. This ensures a secure, compliant base for all migrated workloads.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Production-ready landing zone, IaC templates, runbooks
We execute migrations in waves, starting with lower-risk workloads to prove patterns. Each wave includes testing, validation, and cutover with defined rollback procedures.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Migrated workloads, test results, cutover runbooks
Post-migration, we optimize for performance and cost. We implement FinOps practices, set up operational monitoring, and ensure your team is trained to manage the cloud environment.
Key Activities
Deliverables
Optimized environment, operational documentation, trained team
Cloud migration is a journey, not a destination. We help you establish continuous improvement processes for cost optimization, security posture, and adopting new cloud capabilities.
Key Activities
Deliverables
FinOps reports, security assessments, roadmap updates
Our cloud migration delivery is powered by SPARK™—our framework that brings predictability, quality gates, and transparent communication to complex migration projects. Every phase has defined outcomes and success criteria.
Technology Stack
We leverage native cloud services and industry-leading tools to execute migrations efficiently and securely. Our team holds certifications across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Amazon Web Services migration & native services
Microsoft Azure migration & native services
Google Cloud Platform migration & native services
Automation and infrastructure management
Container platforms for cloud-native workloads
Cloud security and compliance automation
Multi-cloud & hybrid expertise: We help you navigate AWS, Azure, GCP, or hybrid environments. Our cloud-agnostic approach ensures you choose the right platform for each workload.
Why Migrate
Cloud migration delivers transformative benefits across cost, agility, security, and innovation. Here's what organizations gain by moving to the cloud.
Eliminate data center expenses and pay only for what you use. Cloud economics combined with FinOps practices typically reduce infrastructure costs 30-50%.
30-50%
Cost reduction
Scale resources up or down in seconds based on demand. Handle traffic spikes without over-provisioning for peak load.
Seconds
Scale response time
Cloud providers invest billions in security. Leverage encryption, IAM, DDoS protection, and compliance certifications built into the platform.
200+
Security services
Deploy applications closer to users with global data center networks. Reduce latency and meet data residency requirements in any region.
60+
Cloud regions available
Cloud-native disaster recovery with automated failover. Achieve recovery times and recovery points that on-premise infrastructure can't match.
99.99%
Availability SLA
Access to 200+ managed services means building rather than maintaining. Accelerate development velocity with AI, ML, and analytics services.
3x
Faster time-to-market
Free your team from infrastructure maintenance. Managed services handle patching, backups, and scaling so engineers focus on building products.
40%
Less operational overhead
Major cloud providers operate on renewable energy and efficient infrastructure. Reduce your carbon footprint while improving efficiency.
80%
More energy efficient
Use Cases
Cloud migration makes sense in many scenarios. Here are the situations where migration delivers the most value.
Get Out of the Data Center Business
Your data center lease is expiring, hardware is aging, or you've decided to exit the data center business entirely. We help you migrate everything to the cloud with minimal disruption.
Common Scenarios
Transform Legacy Infrastructure
Your legacy infrastructure is holding back digital transformation. Mainframes, aging middleware, and monolithic applications need modernization to meet business demands.
Common Scenarios
Consolidate Infrastructure Fast
Post-merger, you need to integrate IT systems quickly. Cloud provides a neutral platform to consolidate infrastructure, standardize operations, and realize synergies faster.
Common Scenarios
Meet Regulatory Requirements
Regulatory requirements demand improved security posture, audit trails, and compliance certifications. Cloud platforms provide built-in compliance frameworks and security controls.
Common Scenarios
Engagement Models
Whether you need a quick assessment, a pilot project, or a long-term partnership — we have an engagement model that fits your needs.
We analyze your codebase, processes, and team dynamics to identify bottlenecks and opportunities. You get a clear roadmap — no commitment required.
Ideal for: Teams wanting an objective assessment before committing
Learn moreStart with a focused pilot project. A small Pod works alongside your team on a real deliverable, so you can evaluate fit and capabilities with minimal risk.
Ideal for: Teams wanting to test the waters before scaling
Learn moreDedicated cross-functional teams that integrate with your organization. Full accountability for delivery with built-in QA, architecture reviews, and the SPARK™ framework.
Ideal for: Teams ready to scale with a trusted partner
Learn moreNeed specific skills? Augment your team with vetted engineers who work under your direction. React, Node, Python, AI engineers, and more.
Ideal for: Teams with clear requirements and strong internal leadership
Learn moreLet's talk about your goals, team structure, and timeline. We'll recommend the best way to start — with no pressure to commit.
Schedule a Free ConsultationCloud migration is the process of moving data, applications, and IT workloads from on-premise data centers or legacy infrastructure to cloud computing platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It's a strategic initiative that transforms how organizations build, deploy, and operate technology.
Cloud migration isn't just about moving servers to someone else's data center. It's about adopting a new operating model that leverages elastic scalability, managed services, and consumption-based pricing to improve agility, reduce costs, and accelerate innovation. Organizations that migrate effectively can provision resources in minutes instead of months, scale globally with a few clicks, and focus engineering effort on building products rather than maintaining infrastructure.
At Salt, we've helped organizations of all sizes migrate to the cloud—from startups moving their first workloads to enterprises executing multi-year data center exits. We bring deep expertise across AWS, Azure, and GCP, combined with a practical approach that prioritizes business outcomes over technology for its own sake.
Cloud migration takes several forms depending on your starting point:
Not every workload should be migrated the same way. The 7 R's framework provides a structured approach to determine the right migration strategy for each application. Understanding these options is crucial for building a migration plan that balances speed, cost, and cloud optimization.
Rehosting moves applications to cloud infrastructure with minimal changes—often using tools that automate VM migration. This is the fastest path to cloud, typically taking 30-50% less time than other strategies. It's ideal for applications that work well as-is, data center exit scenarios, or when you need to migrate quickly before optimizing.
While rehosting doesn't maximize cloud benefits immediately, it gets you out of the data center business. Post-migration optimization can then modernize workloads incrementally without the pressure of data center deadlines.
Replatforming makes targeted optimizations during migration without major refactoring. Examples include moving from self-managed databases to managed services (like Amazon RDS or Azure SQL), containerizing applications without rearchitecting, or upgrading operating systems during migration.
This strategy balances migration speed with cloud optimization. You get some cloud benefits (reduced operational burden, automatic patching) while keeping timelines reasonable.
Refactoring rearchitects applications to be cloud-native—leveraging containers, serverless, managed services, and modern patterns. This maximizes cloud benefits but requires significant investment. It's reserved for applications where cloud-native architecture delivers substantial business value: better scalability, lower operational costs, or enabling new capabilities.
We often recommend a phased approach: rehost first to exit the data center, then refactor high-value applications over time. This avoids the risk of lengthy refactoring projects blocking migration.
Sometimes the best migration is replacing custom or packaged software with SaaS alternatives. Moving from on-premise CRM to Salesforce, or from Exchange servers to Microsoft 365, eliminates infrastructure entirely. Evaluate build vs. buy for every application during migration planning.
For organizations with significant VMware investments, VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution, or Google Cloud VMware Engine let you run VMware workloads in cloud without refactoring. This is often the fastest path for VM-heavy environments that want cloud benefits without re-architecting.
Not everything should move to cloud immediately. Some workloads have regulatory constraints, latency requirements, or dependencies that make on-premise better for now. A good migration strategy identifies what to retain and plans for future migration when constraints change.
Migration is an opportunity to rationalize your application portfolio. Identify applications that are redundant, unused, or better served by other solutions. Decommissioning saves migration effort and ongoing cloud costs.
Successful cloud migration follows a structured process that reduces risk and ensures business continuity. While specifics vary by organization, these phases are consistent across successful migrations.
Every migration starts with understanding your current state. This includes inventorying applications, mapping dependencies, identifying data flows, and assessing technical debt. Discovery tools can automate much of this, but stakeholder interviews are essential for understanding business context that tools can't capture.
Assessment also includes building the business case: TCO analysis comparing current costs to projected cloud spend, risk assessment identifying potential issues, and resource planning for the migration effort itself.
With discovery complete, planning maps each application to a migration strategy (using the 7 R's framework) and sequences workloads into migration waves. Early waves typically include lower-risk workloads that build team capability and prove migration patterns before tackling critical systems.
Architecture design defines the target cloud environment: account structure, network topology, security controls, and operational frameworks. This landing zone becomes the foundation for all migrated workloads.
Before migrating workloads, we build the cloud foundation. This landing zone includes account/subscription structure aligned with your organization, networking (VPCs, connectivity to on-premise), security baselines (IAM policies, encryption), and operational tooling (monitoring, logging, alerting).
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi) ensures the landing zone is reproducible, version-controlled, and can be extended as migration progresses. This foundation accelerates subsequent migrations by providing consistent, secure environments.
Migration executes in waves, with each wave following a consistent pattern: preparation (configure target environment), migration (move data and applications), testing (validate functionality), cutover (switch traffic), and hypercare (monitor and address issues). Each wave builds capability and confidence for subsequent waves.
Post-migration optimization ensures you're getting full cloud value. Right-sizing eliminates over-provisioned resources. Reserved instances and savings plans reduce costs for stable workloads. Operational runbooks and training ensure your team can manage the cloud environment effectively.
Amazon Web Services is the market leader in cloud computing, with the broadest service portfolio and largest global infrastructure. AWS provides comprehensive migration services and tools that accelerate cloud adoption.
AWS offers a suite of migration tools for different workload types:
AWS Control Tower and AWS Organizations provide the foundation for multi-account AWS environments. We design landing zones with security guardrails, network architecture, and operational controls aligned with AWS Well-Architected Framework best practices.
Microsoft Azure is the preferred cloud for organizations with existing Microsoft investments. Deep integration with Active Directory, Office 365, and Windows Server makes Azure a natural choice for enterprise environments.
Azure provides integrated migration tools within the Azure ecosystem:
Azure Landing Zones provide prescriptive architecture for enterprise-scale Azure deployments. We implement management groups, subscriptions, policies, and blueprints that ensure consistent governance across your Azure environment.
Google Cloud Platform excels in data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes workloads. Organizations with significant data processing needs or container-native applications often choose GCP for its technical capabilities.
Google Cloud offers migration tools focused on enterprise workloads:
Google Cloud Foundation Toolkit and Cloud Foundation Fabric provide infrastructure as code templates for enterprise-ready GCP environments. We build foundations with resource hierarchy, IAM, networking, and security controls aligned with Google's security best practices.
Cloud migration is complex. Understanding common challenges helps you plan effectively and avoid pitfalls that derail migrations.
Applications rarely exist in isolation. They depend on databases, APIs, middleware, and other applications. Discovering and mapping these dependencies is essential—migrating an application without its dependencies causes failures. Modern discovery tools help, but manual analysis is often needed for legacy systems with undocumented integrations.
Moving large datasets takes time. A terabyte over a 100 Mbps connection takes roughly a day; petabytes can take weeks or months. Planning data migration early and using appropriate tools (online replication, physical transfer devices) is critical for meeting timelines.
Cloud security operates differently than on-premise. Understanding the shared responsibility model, implementing cloud-native security controls, and meeting compliance requirements in cloud environments requires expertise. Organizations often underestimate the effort needed to design compliant cloud architectures.
Cloud operations require different skills than managing on-premise infrastructure. Teams need to learn cloud services, infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, and FinOps practices. Budget for training and consider partnering with experts who can accelerate learning while executing migration.
Cloud costs can spiral without proper governance. Unlike fixed on-premise costs, cloud is consumption-based—easy to over-provision or forget to shut down unused resources. Implementing FinOps practices from day one prevents cost surprises.
Based on hundreds of migration projects, these best practices improve outcomes:
Never skip discovery. Understanding your current state—applications, dependencies, data, and technical debt—is foundational for planning. Invest time upfront to avoid surprises during execution.
Establish your cloud landing zone before migrating workloads. Account structure, networking, security controls, and operational tooling should be in place. This foundation accelerates subsequent migrations and ensures consistency.
Don't try to migrate everything at once. Sequence workloads into waves, starting with lower-risk applications to build team capability and prove patterns. Each wave should be small enough to manage but large enough to be meaningful.
Manual migration is slow, error-prone, and doesn't scale. Use migration tools, infrastructure as code, and CI/CD pipelines to automate migration tasks. Automation also creates repeatability for similar workloads in subsequent waves.
Most organizations operate hybrid environments during migration—some workloads in cloud, others on-premise. Design networking and security to support hybrid operations, even if the end goal is full cloud.
Migration is just the beginning. Cloud operations, FinOps practices, and continuous optimization are ongoing. Train your team, establish operational runbooks, and plan for the operational model before cutover.
Salt brings a differentiated approach to cloud migration. Here's what sets us apart:
Deep Multi-Cloud Expertise: Our teams hold certifications across AWS, Azure, and GCP. We've executed migrations on all major platforms and can help you choose the right cloud—or combination of clouds—for your workloads.
Business-First Approach: We don't migrate for the sake of migrating. Every migration decision is grounded in business value—what will reduce costs, improve agility, or reduce risk. We recommend the simplest approach that achieves your objectives.
End-to-End Capability: From assessment to optimization, our managed pods handle the complete migration lifecycle. No handoffs between assessment teams and execution teams—the same engineers who plan your migration execute it.
SPARK™ Delivery Framework: Our SPARK™ framework brings structure to migration projects. Clear phases, quality gates, and success metrics ensure predictable delivery. You always know where you are and what's next.
Security-First Mindset: Security is built into every migration. We implement cloud-native security controls, compliance automation, and governance policies that meet enterprise requirements.
Knowledge Transfer: We don't just migrate—we teach. Every engagement includes documentation and training so your team can operate and evolve the cloud environment independently.
Ready to start your cloud migration journey? Schedule a free assessment with our team to discuss your migration goals and how Salt can help you move to the cloud with confidence.
Industries
We've built software for companies across industries. Our teams understand your domain's unique challenges, compliance requirements, and success metrics.
HIPAA-compliant digital health solutions. Patient portals, telehealth platforms, and healthcare data systems built right.
Scale your product fast without compromising on code quality. We help SaaS companies ship features quickly and build for growth.
Build secure, compliant financial software. From payment systems to trading platforms, we understand fintech complexity.
Platforms that convert and scale. Custom storefronts, inventory systems, and omnichannel experiences that drive revenue.
Optimize operations end-to-end. Route optimization, warehouse management, and real-time tracking systems.
Hire dedicated developers to extend your team
Whether you need to build a new product, modernize a legacy system, or add AI capabilities, our managed pods are ready to ship value from day one.
100+
Engineering Experts
800+
Projects Delivered
14+
Years in Business
4.9★
Clutch Rating
FAQs
Common questions about cloud migration, from planning and execution to cost optimization and compliance.
Cloud migration is the process of moving applications, data, and infrastructure from on-premise data centers or legacy systems to cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. It's important because cloud enables scalability, reduces infrastructure costs, improves security posture, and accelerates innovation. Organizations that migrate to cloud can scale instantly, pay only for what they use, and access hundreds of managed services that accelerate development.
Migration timelines vary based on scope and complexity. A single application migration might take 4-8 weeks. A full data center migration typically takes 12-24 months. We use a phased approach—starting with assessment (2-4 weeks), then landing zone setup (2-4 weeks), followed by migration waves. Each wave migrates a set of applications over 4-8 weeks. This incremental approach reduces risk and delivers value continuously rather than waiting for a big-bang cutover.
The 7 R's framework helps determine the right migration strategy for each workload: Rehost (lift and shift to cloud VMs), Replatform (lift and reshape with minor optimizations), Refactor (rearchitect for cloud-native), Repurchase (move to SaaS), Relocate (move to VMware Cloud), Retain (keep on-premise temporarily), and Retire (decommission). We assess each application against these options to create an optimal migration strategy that balances speed, cost, and cloud benefits.
Zero-downtime migration requires careful planning and the right tools. For databases, we use replication-based migration (AWS DMS, Azure DMS) that keeps source and target in sync until cutover. For applications, we use blue-green deployments or canary releases to shift traffic gradually. DNS changes with low TTLs enable quick rollback if issues arise. We define cutover runbooks with detailed steps, validation checks, and rollback procedures. Critical applications get additional rehearsal cutovers.
Security is paramount during migration. All data in transit is encrypted using TLS. Data at rest is encrypted using cloud-native encryption services (AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, GCP KMS). We implement strict access controls—only authorized personnel access migration tools and data. Network security includes private connectivity options (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute) and VPN tunnels. We maintain audit logs of all migration activities and conduct security reviews at each phase.
Migration costs depend on scope, complexity, and migration strategy. Components include: assessment and planning (consulting), migration tooling and licensing, temporary parallel running costs, and cloud consumption during migration. Post-migration, most organizations see 30-50% reduction in infrastructure costs due to right-sizing, reserved instances, and eliminating over-provisioning. We provide detailed TCO analysis comparing current state vs. cloud to build the business case before migration begins.
The best cloud depends on your specific needs. AWS has the broadest service portfolio and largest market share—great for startups and enterprises alike. Azure integrates well with Microsoft ecosystems (Office 365, Active Directory) and is often preferred by enterprises. GCP excels in data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes workloads. Many organizations adopt multi-cloud strategies. We help assess your requirements and recommend the right platform(s) for your workloads.
Gradual migration is actually our recommended approach. Big-bang migrations are risky and disruptive. Instead, we migrate in waves—starting with less critical workloads to prove patterns and build team capability. Hybrid architectures let on-premise and cloud systems coexist during transition. This phased approach reduces risk, enables learning, and delivers value incrementally. You can pause, adjust, or accelerate based on business priorities.
Your VMware investments can move to cloud. AWS VMware Cloud, Azure VMware Solution, and Google Cloud VMware Engine let you run VMware workloads in cloud without re-architecting. This is often the fastest path to cloud for VM-based workloads. Over time, you can modernize to cloud-native services at your own pace. Other technologies like databases, middleware, and monitoring tools often have cloud-native equivalents or managed service alternatives.
Cloud providers maintain compliance certifications (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR) for their infrastructure. However, you're responsible for configuring services correctly (shared responsibility model). We design architectures that meet compliance requirements—network isolation, encryption, access controls, audit logging. We implement compliance automation tools that continuously validate configurations. For regulated industries, we help map controls to cloud services and prepare for audits.
Cloud operations require different skills than on-premise. Teams need to understand cloud-native services, infrastructure as code (Terraform), CI/CD pipelines, and FinOps practices. We provide knowledge transfer throughout the engagement—pairing our engineers with your team, creating documentation, and conducting formal training sessions. We can also help your team earn cloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, etc.).
Cost optimization is ongoing, not one-time. We implement FinOps practices from day one: cost allocation tags for visibility, budgets and alerts for governance, right-sizing recommendations, reserved instance planning, and spot instance strategies for non-critical workloads. Monthly cost reviews identify optimization opportunities. We typically find 20-30% additional savings through continuous optimization in the first year after migration.
Every migration includes rollback procedures. We maintain the source environment operational until migration is validated. Database migrations use replication that can be reversed. Application cutovers use DNS or load balancer changes that can be rolled back in minutes. We define rollback triggers and procedures in cutover runbooks. If issues arise, we can revert to the source environment while investigating. Risk mitigation is built into every phase of our methodology.