AWS MAP: The Key to Modernizing Applications and Unlocking the Cloud’s Potential.

Why migrate to the cloud

In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, cloud migration has become a crucial strategy for organizations seeking to remain competitive and thrive. At Paradigma, we see this transition as more than just an infrastructure upgrade—it’s an opportunity to drive business transformation and thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment.

AWS’s Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) is a pivotal tool in this journey, helping companies drive transformation, boost agility, and foster innovation across all business processes.

Countless discussions have focused on the advantages of cloud adoption, such as reducing operational costs, improving scalability, and meeting market demands. Additionally, the cloud offers unparalleled access to advanced data analytics, enabling companies to make more informed, strategic decisions. It also shortens development cycles, leading to faster time to market.

However, from our experience, these benefits are not easily achieved without a fundamental shift in how technology is managed. Organizations must adopt the right set of practices to support this transformation. Without this, even after considerable effort, the expected benefits might not materialize.

Understanding the migration process

Using a simple analogy, migrating applications to the cloud is like moving to a new house:

• First, in the planning phase, you decide what to take to your new home. You make an inventory of your belongings, decide what you really need, and what can be left behind or replaced. Similarly, in cloud migration, you review your applications and data to determine what needs to be moved, what needs to be updated or modernized, and what can be discarded.
• In the preparation phase, you pack your belongings and store them in boxes. Here, you ensure that everything is well organized and protected for the move: you carefully pack fragile items, label boxes by room, and prepare for the moving day. In the cloud context, this is equivalent to preparing the data and applications for migration, making the necessary adjustments and configurations to ensure a smooth transition.
• Finally, in the execution phase, there's the actual move. You transport your things to the new home and make sure everything arrives in good condition. Then, you start unpacking the boxes and organizing your belongings in their new place. In cloud migration, this means moving your applications and data to the cloud, checking that everything works correctly, and adjusting the configuration to optimize performance in the new environment.

Just like with a move, the process can bring some unforeseen challenges, but with good planning and preparation, the transition will be much smoother.

The role of MAP in this process and the pillars of its program

Acknowledging that this journey can be complex and challenging—especially for companies lacking a clear strategy, the role of AWS MAP (Migration Acceleration Program) is crucial as a key element to guide and facilitate the migration and modernization process.

Pillars of the program

This program is based on six fundamental pillars that provide the necessary support to ensure a successful migration. Here’s a breakdown of each pillar in straightforward terms:

1. Methodology with a structured approach

The MAP provides a methodology that guides the entire migration process, with a series of steps and best practices that support organizations from initial planning to execution and post-migration optimization. This structure minimizes risks, ensures every phase is clearly defined, and leaves no detail overlooked.

2. Specialized tools

AWS offers a wide range of tools designed to simplify and optimize the migration process. These tools not only allow for accurate workload assessment but also help automate key tasks and manage cloud applications efficiently. By leveraging them, companies can accelerate migration, minimize downtime, and significantly reduce the risk of errors, ensuring a smoother and more reliable transition.

3. Collaboration with trusted partners

AWS partners provide expertise and support in migrations. They offer the necessary assistance and experience to carry out the process successfully, ensuring best practices are followed and adapting to each client's specific needs.

4. Funds

The key pillar is access to funds, migration credits, and other financial resources that help organizations reduce the costs associated with migration. These resources can be used to fund migration services, acquire tools, or provide training, making the process more affordable and accessible. By taking advantage of these benefits, companies can reduce expenses and maximize ROI, making migration more cost-effective.
In our experience, we can say that having access to these funds directly helps kickstart the process and encourages clients to take the final step.

5. Training

Training is essential in the program as it allows teams to learn about AWS best practices and technologies. With training sessions and educational resources, employees not only develop the skills needed to manage their new cloud infrastructure but also increase their autonomy and efficiency.
This focus on learning enables them to respond more agilely to challenges and make the most of the opportunities the cloud offers. From the partner's perspective, having this training is crucial to ensure that the adoption and management of change are handled effectively.

6. Professional services at your reach

AWS also offers professional services that provide guidance and technical support throughout the entire migration process. This ensures that organizations have expert backing at every stage of their journey.

Overview MAP

As we mentioned, the MAP is structured into three main phases: Assessment, Mobilization, and Migration and Modernization, each with specific objectives, key activities, and expected outcomes, which we summarize below:

1. Assess

Goal: Evaluate cloud readiness, identify potential benefits, and develop a business case for migration.

• Key activities:
  • Analyze the current IT environment, identifying all applications and workloads.
  • Calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO) to compare current costs against cloud costs.
  • Define a migration strategy and create a detailed financial plan that justifies the investment.
• Expected outcomes:
  • Comprehensive IT environment analysis and workload inventory.
  • A strong business case that justifies migration, showing potential benefits and cost savings.
  • A preliminary migration plan outlining the next steps.

2. Mobilize

Goal: Preparing the organization for migration by addressing the gaps identified in the assessment and laying the foundation for migration.

• Key activities:
  • Optimize the IT infrastructure and establish cloud governance and security practices.
  • Train teams to acquire the skills necessary to manage the cloud environment.
  • Create a “landing zone” in AWS, a secure and well-structured environment to host workloads.
  • Identify and resolve any dependencies or issues that could impact the migration.
• Expected outcomes:
  • A cloud-ready architecture and environment optimized to handle workloads.
  • Trained personnel with cloud experience.
  • A detailed migration plan with a roadmap.

3. Migrate & Modernize

Goal: Migrate workloads to the cloud and modernize applications to maximize cloud value.

• Key activities:
  • Execute the migration using different approaches (rehosting, re-platforming, or refactoring), depending on the needs of each application.
  • Modernize applications to improve performance, security, and scalability.
  • Adopt native cloud services, such as managed databases, containers, and serverless functions, to optimize applications.
  • Monitor and optimize the post-migration environment to ensure performance and cost objectives are met.
• Expected outcomes:
  • All applications and data migrated to the AWS cloud, with improved operational efficiency.
  • Modernized applications that leverage advanced cloud capabilities, such as auto-scaling and high availability.
  • Cost reductions and performance improvements through optimized cloud resource utilization.

Advantages of joining the MAP

• Financial and technical support: AWS provides financial incentives and access to experts to reduce the cost and risks of migration.
• Proven methodology: A structured approach that spans all migration stages, ensuring a seamless transition with tailored, practical planning.
• Access to specialized services and tools: From assessment to modernization, MAP offers solutions for each step of the process.
• Skills and capabilities development: Through the program, clients receive training and resources that allow them to develop the skills needed to manage and operate their new cloud infrastructure, increasing their self-sufficiency and responsiveness.
• Enhanced ROI: Optimizing cloud operations maximizes your investment returns while minimizing risks, ensuring every step is executed seamlessly, ensuring that each step is executed correctly.

The importance of a trusted partner

Having a reliable partner throughout the migration and modernization process is crucial. A trusted partner provides the expertise and support needed to navigate challenges, accelerate the process, and ensure minimal disruption.

In upcoming posts, we will explore the tools and resources in each MAP phase and share lessons learned from our clients’ experiences. Eager to learn more? Tune into our dedicated podcasts on this topic!