A global manufacturing company is migrating its critical enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to AWS. The ERP system consists of a complex, tightly coupled monolithic application running on Windows Server with a SQL Server database. The company requires minimal downtime during the migration and wants to modernize the application over time without a full re-architecture upfront. Which migration strategy is most appropriate for this scenario?
- ARe-platforming the application to use Linux and PostgreSQL, then migrating the data.
- BRepurchasing the ERP system as a SaaS solution and migrating the historical data.
- CRe-architecting the application into microservices and migrating the data to Amazon DynamoDB.
- DRe-hosting (Lift and Shift) the application and database to EC2 instances and RDS SQL Server, respectively.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Re-hosting (Lift and Shift) the application and database to EC2 instances and RDS SQL Server, respectively.
Re-hosting, or 'Lift and Shift,' involves moving applications with minimal changes. For a monolithic Windows/SQL Server application with minimal downtime requirements and a future modernization plan, re-hosting to EC2 and RDS SQL Server allows for quick migration and provides a foundation for future modernization without immediate re-architecture.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Re-platforming involves significant changes (OS and database), which contradicts the 'minimal downtime' and 'no full re-architecture upfront' requirements.
- B. Repurchasing as SaaS would mean a completely new system and potentially significant data migration and integration challenges, not a migration of the existing system.
- C. Re-architecting is a major undertaking that would involve significant downtime and effort, directly contradicting the requirements.
Re-hosting (Lift and Shift)
Re-hosting, or 'Lift and Shift,' is a migration strategy where applications and databases are moved to a cloud environment with minimal or no changes to their architecture. This approach is often used for quick migrations and to gain immediate cloud benefits.
- Minimal architectural changes
- Fastest migration path
- Good for gaining initial cloud experience
- Can be a first step towards future modernization
Memory trick: 7 Rs of Migration: Right Move for the Right App.