An overview of the cloud migration process : a case study of a migration from legacy application to cloud based application

Abstract: Switching from traditional information technology to cloud based technology is becoming more common for organizations looking to obtain benefits such as scalability, pay-per-use, and increased availability. A cloud migration is a project of high-level complexity, and having a methodological step-by-step approach can assist an organization through the process. Although there is a substantial amount of research on cloud migration, there is a lack of step-by-step descriptions to guide organizations looking to switch to cloud technology.  This is a case study evaluation of a cloud migration, where the cloud migration process is explored and compared to established frameworks for cloud migration. The case study organization is a large Swedish retail company that performed a cloud migration between 2020-2022, when switching from a legacy point-of-sale system to a cloud based application for commerce. Data collection consisted of a document review, an archival data review, and a survey that was sent out to end users of the cloud application. These three methods were selected to obtain triangulation of data and to provide an accurate description of the cloud migration process of the case study organization.  The results of the study demonstrate that the evaluated cloud migration process had many similarities to the frameworks for cloud migration, although with differences in order of execution and emphasis on activities. Challenges experienced during the cloud migration process were related to interoperability, project complexity, and having a third-party service provider. By contrast, success factors of the cloud migration were proper planning for support flow and deployment, having substantial user support, and sufficient training for end users.  This study provides a description of an executed cloud migration with an overview of the process from start to finish, along with insights into challenges and lessons learned regarding project execution. This could be of value for organizations looking to migrate from legacy applications to cloud based applications.