A global manufacturing company operates a critical enterprise resource planning (ERP) application on-premises, using a proprietary database and application server. The application is essential for daily operations, but its infrastructure is aging, making it difficult to patch, scale, and recover from failures. The company wants to migrate this ERP system to AWS to improve reliability, reduce maintenance burden, and enable future innovation, but they have a strict requirement that the application and database must remain tightly coupled and managed as a single unit, similar to their current setup, to simplify operations and support. A full re-architecture into microservices is not an immediate option. Which AWS migration strategy should the Solutions Architect recommend?
- ARe-host the entire ERP application, including its proprietary database, onto dedicated Amazon EC2 instances, leveraging AWS Backint Agent for backups.
- BRe-factor the ERP application into a serverless architecture using AWS Lambda and Amazon DynamoDB, decoupling the application and database.
- CReplace the ERP application with a SaaS solution available in the AWS Marketplace.
- DRe-platform the application and database to run on Amazon EC2 instances within an Auto Scaling group and use Amazon RDS for the database.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Re-host the entire ERP application, including its proprietary database, onto dedicated Amazon EC2 instances, leveraging AWS Backint Agent for backups.
Re-hosting (lift and shift) the tightly coupled proprietary ERP application and its database onto dedicated EC2 instances preserves the existing architecture, meets the 'managed as a single unit' requirement, and immediately benefits from AWS infrastructure reliability and management tools like AWS Backint Agent for backups.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Re-factoring to serverless involves a complete re-architecture and decoupling, which is explicitly stated as not an immediate option and violates the 'tightly coupled and managed as a single unit' requirement.
- C. Replacing with a SaaS solution is a 'repurchase' strategy and might not be feasible if the proprietary ERP has highly customized business logic or specific integrations that cannot be replicated by a generic SaaS offering. It also shifts control significantly.
- D. Re-platforming to RDS and Auto Scaling Groups would decouple the application and database, potentially violating the 'managed as a single unit' requirement, especially if the proprietary database is not supported by RDS.
Re-host (Lift and Shift) Migration
Moving an application and its components to the cloud with minimal or no changes. It's often the fastest migration strategy, preserving existing architecture and operational models.
- Minimal application changes required.
- Faster migration time.
- Leverages existing licenses and operational processes.
Memory trick: The 7 Rs of migration: Re-host, Re-platform, Re-factor, Re-purchase, Retire, Retain, Relocate.