AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)Cloud ConceptsHard
A company conducting a migration assessment identifies an internal reporting application that has had zero active users for the past 18 months because a newer BI tool replaced its functionality. The migration team recommends shutting down this application entirely rather than migrating it. Which of the 7 Rs migration strategy is being applied, and what is its primary benefit?
- ARetire; it eliminates licensing and infrastructure costs for unused applications
- BRelocate; it moves the application's hypervisor-level infrastructure to AWS
- CRehost; it moves the application without changes to reduce risk
- DRetain; it preserves the application for future compliance needs
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Retire; it eliminates licensing and infrastructure costs for unused applications
Retire is the 7 Rs strategy that involves decommissioning applications that are no longer needed, which reduces costs associated with licensing, maintenance, and infrastructure for unused systems. This differs from Retain, which keeps an application running as-is (often on-premises), and from Rehost/Relocate, which involve moving—not eliminating—the application.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Relocate moves infrastructure (e.g., VMware) to AWS without re-architecting; not applicable to decommissioning.
- C. Rehost moves the app to the cloud unchanged; this app isn't being moved.
- D. Retain keeps the app running, but here it's being shut down, not preserved.
Retire (7 Rs)
A migration strategy that involves decommissioning applications no longer needed, reducing licensing and infrastructure costs.
- Applies to unused or redundant applications
- Reduces attack surface and maintenance overhead
- One of the original 6 Rs, later expanded to 7
Memory trick: Retire = Retire the unused, don't relocate it.