How containers can accelerate cloud migration & application modernization

Cloud migration can seem overwhelming. It is common to have applications that need modernization and are typically ruled out for cloud migration because they are a 'Legacy' or "Monolithic' system. Technologies and best practices are available to help make the transition less difficult.

Containers can be one of the most effective cloud technologies that can assist with cloud migration efforts, and even provide a clear first step to application modernization. 

Containers enable benefits including Cloud Service Provider flexibility, a means to migrate, cost savings, DevOps environment, and an actionable path to modernization.

Using containers for migration is a relatively new approach, using containers falls somewhere between lift and shift and cloud-native as far as migration approaches.  This should make more sense as we explore how containers are used during migration and as a path to modernization.

Flexibility:

Containers are (should be) cloud provider agnostic

By leveraging containers we eliminate being locked-in to a single Cloud Service Provider.   The containers are isolated and are a self-contained environment with everything they need to successfully operate. Containers are extremely portable and they enable applications to run reliably even when moved from one environment to another. IT organizations that leverage containers can easily transfer their applications to a new CSP that supports containers. 

Accelerated migration and modernization

By leveraging containers an IT organization can accelerate migration to the cloud as well as application modernization.  

We still need to modernize the application code but by leveraging containers we:

• Convert Bare Metal and Virtual Machines to containers
• Refactor applications into bite-sized chunks or microservices at a container level
• Provide an automated means of migration from on-premises to the cloud by CI/CD integration
• Provide DevOps with a purpose-built environment, i.e. Migration Factory
• Provide orchestration and automation for container or microservice scaling

Cost savings

Flexibility can lead to cost savings. For example, the organization's current Cloud Service Provider has recently raised prices or has changed service offerings.  The organization could leverage a more cost-effective CSP and move workloads easily between platforms, or even create a hybrid deployment.  

Efficiency  

Containers enable an organization to break large software systems down into smaller, more independent modules of functionality. The individual containers are highly scalable and somewhat platform-independent. Organizations can leverage Kubernetes or Docker Swarm to orchestrate and automate scaling.

If an application or a bite-sized chunk of an application sees a sudden spike in demand additional containers can be provisioned rapidly without requiring application modification. 

Modernization Roadmap

The container concept can act as a map for IT teams to modernize their applications. In the past, the organization had a choice between migrating as-is or refactoring at the code level.  Containers enable organizations to begin the initial groundwork for their modernization efforts by providing a directionally correct approach that can be acted upon now.  The organization can start with new cloud-native microservices or start 'peeling off' services from the monolithic codebase.

In Conclusion

Containers enable an incredible opportunity to revolutionize and streamline the cloud migration process while saving time and headaches along the way.  Containers can also serve as a strategic roadmap for IT teams to modernize their applications.

Where we can help

• Assess how best to leverage containers
• Determining which applications are the best candidates for migration
• Cloud Migration Strategy
• DevOps healthcheck
• Custom Migration Services