Cloud Migration Strategies for Legacy Applications

Tactical Edge - Team

May 5, 2025

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There’s no such thing as a “simple” legacy migration. When you’re moving mission-critical systems to the cloud, the wrong approach does more than waste budget—it can break integrations, introduce downtime, or lock your team into another round of technical debt.

Tactical Edge works with enterprise teams that can’t afford to get this wrong. Our job isn’t to migrate everything—it’s to help you decide which systems are worth modernizing, which can move as-is, and how to avoid mistakes that stall future upgrades.

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Strategy	Core Characteristics	When to Use It	Pros	Cons
Rehosting (Lift-and-Shift)	- Runs in IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) - No changes to code or architecture - Moves infrastructure to a pay-as-you-go model	- You need to leave a data center fast - You want fast relief from hardware costs - The system is low-risk and stable	- Quickest way to migrate - Doesn’t require code changes - Keeps things running with minimal disruption	- Doesn’t fix scaling or performance - Technical debt stays intact - No access to cloud-native tools
Replatforming (Lift-Tinker-and-Shift)	- Swaps legacy components for managed cloud services - Code and architecture mostly unchanged - Improves operations without major redevelopment	- The app is working, but clunky - You want to improve monitoring or reduce maintenance - You’re not ready to rebuild	- Reduces manual maintenance - Improves scalability and monitoring - Keeps existing functionality in place	- Architecture still has limitations - May need future refactoring - Can create dependency mismatches
Refactoring (Full Modernization)	- Application is rebuilt using microservices, containers, or serverless models - Designed for flexibility, automation, and scale	- The app is hard to update or scale - Technical debt slows teams down - You’re planning for future growth	- Easier to maintain and update - Better performance under load - Connects easily with modern data, AI, or analytics tools	- Requires the most effort and expertise - Longer timeline - Not cost-effective for every app

Why Strategy Isn’t Optional But Required

Moving applications to the cloud without a plan just shifts the same problems to a new environment. If the system was brittle before, it’ll still be brittle after. If it was expensive to scale, it still will be.

Migration and modernization need to be linked. Without that connection, teams spend just as much time maintaining systems—they’re just doing it somewhere else.

Which Path Should You Take?

No two migrations are the same, but certain signals help point to the right choice.

Factor	Rehosting	Replatforming	Refactoring
Goal	Move fast	Improve operations	Support future growth
Application Complexity	Low	Medium	High
Team Experience with Cloud	Minimal	Moderate	High
Timeline	Weeks	Months	Depends on scope
Budget	Low upfront	Moderate	High upfront, higher return

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Most organizations end up using all three strategies. You rehost the things that just need to move. You replatform the apps that are holding you back operationally. You refactor the ones you’re building the future around.

Tactical Edge helps you inventory your systems and map each one to the right approach, based on real business impact, not generic templates.

Final Thought: Make Every Migration Decision Count

A smart approach to migrating legacy applications to the cloud isn’t about clearing out your server room. It’s about making core systems easier to manage, more secure, and faster to change.

That means fewer hours spent patching old infrastructure. Fewer integration failures. And more time for your team to improve what’s next, without worrying about what might break.

Ready to Make the Right Move?

Tactical Edge works with your systems as they are, designing cloud migration and modernization plans that reduce risk, avoid rework, and prepare you for what’s next.