Cloud Migration Checklist 2027: Readiness Test and Free Template
Quick Answer: A cloud migration checklist is a phased list of tasks that takes every workload from inventory to a verified cutover and a cost review. Start by scoring your readiness across business goals, inventory, security, skills, data and budget. Then assign one of the 7 Rs migration strategies to each application and move a low risk pilot before anything critical. Keep a written rollback plan active until the old environment is finally switched off.
Key Points
- Build identity, networking and cost alerts before the first workload moves, because retrofitting a landing zone is far harder than designing one.
- Flexera’s 2027 State of the Cloud Report puts wasted IaaS and PaaS spend at 29%, the first rise in five years, so cost control is a checklist item, not an afterthought.
- For large portfolios, AWS guidance favors rehost, replatform, relocate and retire over refactoring in the middle of a migration.
- Jira, AEM, Tableau, Pega and Workday each ship their own migration tooling and prechecks, which generic checklists ignore.
- The project ends when old hardware is decommissioned and old contracts are canceled, not when the last server boots in the cloud.
How Ready Are You? Score Your Cloud Migration Readiness First
Score six areas from 0 to 2 before you plan a single move. A total of 10 to 12 means start detailed planning, 6 to 9 means close the gaps first, and anything lower means the project needs a sponsor and discovery work before it needs a cloud provider.
| Readiness area | 0 = Not ready | 2 = Ready |
|---|---|---|
| Business case | “The cloud is cheaper” is the only reason | Written goals with KPIs for cost, uptime and release speed |
| Inventory | No complete list of servers and apps | Every workload, owner and dependency documented |
| Security and compliance | Data classification unknown | Data classified; HIPAA, PCI DSS or SOC 2 needs mapped |
| Skills | Nobody has run production in the cloud | Trained team or a partner engaged |
| Data | Database sizes and growth unknown | Sizes, change rates and transfer method confirmed |
| Budget | Only migration labor funded | Run costs, dual running months and egress fees forecast |
Give a 1 to anything in between. In practice, the inventory row drags most scores down, because forgotten scheduled jobs, shadow IT and hardcoded IP addresses rarely appear in an asset database.
The Cloud Migration Checklist, Phase by Phase
Phase 1: Discover and Assess
- List every server, application, database and scheduled job with a named business owner.
- Map dependencies with an automated discovery tool, not interviews alone.
- Record licensing terms, since some vendor licenses restrict cloud use.
- Classify data and note residency rules for regulated records.
- Capture baseline CPU, memory and latency for later comparison.
Dependency mapping comes first for a mechanical reason. Applications that talk constantly must move in the same wave. Split them, and a call that took a millisecond on your local network now crosses a WAN link, a classic source of “the cloud is slow” tickets.
Phase 2: Pick a Strategy for Every Workload
AWS documents seven strategies, the 7 Rs, which build on a model Gartner identified in 2019.
| Strategy | What it means | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Retire | Decommission it | Duplicate or unused apps |
| Retain | Leave it in place for now | Apps with blockers or planned replacements |
| Rehost | Lift and shift with no code changes | Fast data center exits |
| Relocate | Move at the hypervisor level, such as VMware Cloud on AWS | Large VMware estates |
| Repurchase | Switch to a SaaS product | Commodity CRM, HR or ticketing tools |
| Replatform | Small changes, such as a managed database | Quick wins without rewrites |
| Refactor | Rebuild around cloud native services | Apps that need elastic scale |
What most articles miss: retire is the cheapest line on your future bill. Every application you switch off is one you never test, secure or pay for in the cloud. If the service models behind repurchase and replatform feel fuzzy, see our breakdown of IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS.
Phase 3: Build the Landing Zone Before You Move
- Set up single sign on, MFA and least privilege roles first, the core of any cloud security baseline.
- Design IP ranges, private links (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute) and DNS up front, because changing address space later means rebuilding networks.
- Separate accounts or subscriptions for production, staging and shared services.
- Check service quotas in every target region.
- Define infrastructure as code with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation or Bicep.
Phase 4: Migrate, Test and Cut Over
- Run a pilot with a low risk, low dependency workload.
- Prove a restore works, not just the backup job, as part of your data backup and recovery plan.
- Lower DNS TTL values several days before cutover.
- Validate data with row counts and checksums.
- Write rollback triggers in advance, such as a sustained error rate above an agreed threshold.
DNS resolvers cache the old record until its TTL expires, so a 24 hour TTL can leave some users hitting your old servers for a full day after the switch.
Phase 5: Optimize After Go Live
- Rightsize instances after two to four weeks of real usage data.
- Commit to savings plans or reservations only for steady workloads.
- Tag every resource by owner, environment and cost center.
- Shut down old hardware and update your asset inventory.
Cloud Migration Checklist Template (Excel, Google Sheets or PDF)
Copy these columns into a spreadsheet to get a free, working template. One row per task keeps ownership clear.
| ID | Phase | Task | Workload | Owner | Strategy | Due | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assess | Map dependencies | Billing app | J. Rivera | Replatform | Mar 2 | Done | Discovery report |
| 2 | Landing zone | Enforce admin MFA | All | Security lead | n/a | Mar 9 | In progress | Policy screenshot |
| 3 | Cutover | Lower DNS TTL | Customer portal | Network lead | Rehost | Apr 1 | Not started | DNS ticket |
In Excel, press Ctrl+T to turn the range into a table and add a Data Validation dropdown for Status. Save As PDF gives you a printable copy. Pega’s official checklist adds separate completion dates for client and vendor, a format worth copying.
AWS vs Azure Cloud Migration Checklist: Native Tools Compared
Both providers follow the same assess, migrate and optimize arc, but tool names differ, and AWS reshuffled its lineup in 2025. Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework uses four stages: prepare, assess, deploy and release.
| Checklist step | AWS | Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Methodology | AWS Prescriptive Guidance (7 Rs) | Cloud Adoption Framework |
| Assessment | AWS Transform assessments | Azure Migrate |
| Server rehost | AWS Transform MGN (formerly Application Migration Service) | Azure Migrate replication |
| Databases | AWS Database Migration Service | Azure Database Migration Service |
| Cost after go live | AWS Cost Explorer and Budgets | Azure Cost Management and Advisor |
Platform Specific Cloud Migration Checklists
Jira and Atlassian Server or Data Center to Cloud
Atlassian ended Server support on February 15, 2024. The Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (JCMA) checks some data automatically, but Atlassian says it won’t check everything. Add these manually:
- Upgrade to a supported Jira version, because JCMA will not run on older ones.
- Fix invalid or duplicate user email addresses.
- Allow Atlassian cloud IP addresses and domains through your firewall.
- Confirm each Marketplace app has a cloud version or replacement.
- Run a test migration into a sandbox site.
AEM as a Cloud Service
Run Adobe’s Best Practices Analyzer on a clone of production and upload the report to Cloud Acceleration Manager. Refactor flagged code, move content with the Content Transfer Tool (AEM 6.3 onward), then work through the Go Live checklist in Cloud Acceleration Manager.
Tableau Cloud
The Tableau Migration SDK moves users and content from Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud, but it is a framework for Python or .NET developers, not a click through tool. Content without REST API support may need manual moves.
Pega Cloud
Pega requires a full assessment of your current deployment first. Plan the upgrade to your target Pega Infinity version, write a connectivity plan for every integration, and list each database schema and table in your data migration plan.
Workday Public Cloud
Workday partners with AWS and Google Cloud to run tenants in the public cloud. Partners such as PwC describe leaving Workday’s private data centers as required by 2030, so confirm your timeline with your Workday account team. Test integrations in sandbox tenants first.
When Should a Workload Stay Where It Is?
Keep a workload on premises when moving it adds cost or risk without a clear gain. Examples include systems needing very low latency to factory equipment, software licensed in ways that penalize cloud hosting, and apps scheduled for retirement within a year. Tableau itself notes that compliance needs keep some customers on Tableau Server, and comparing public vs private vs hybrid cloud often settles these cases.
Most people discover one trade off after the move: rehosting is fast but relocates inefficiency, turning an oversized server into an oversized instance billed hourly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a cloud migration take?
A small application can move in days, while a full data center exit usually takes months, so estimate from a timed pilot.
Is there a free cloud migration checklist template?
Yes. The template table in this guide is free to copy into Excel or Google Sheets. Atlassian, Pega and Microsoft also publish free official checklists for their platforms, which you can merge in as extra rows.
What is the difference between a readiness assessment and a migration plan?
A readiness assessment tells you whether your organization can migrate safely now. A migration plan sets how and when each workload moves, with waves, owners and cutover dates.
Who should own the cloud migration checklist?
One accountable migration lead should own the master list, with every task assigned to a named person so cross team work never goes orphaned.
What is a common cloud migration mistake teams overlook?
Treating migration as purely technical. When users are not told about cutover dates, new login steps or changed URLs, even a flawless migration floods the help desk and erodes trust in the new platform.
How do you migrate with minimal downtime?
Replicate data continuously while the source stays live, then switch during a short scheduled window. AWS Database Migration Service, for example, keeps the source database running during replication.
Is lift and shift cheaper than refactoring?
Lift and shift is cheaper and faster up front because no code changes. Over time it can cost more, since apps built for fixed hardware rarely use cloud elasticity well.
What security items belong on a migration checklist?
Include MFA, encryption at rest and in transit, network segmentation, logging and compliance mapping. Under the shared responsibility model, the provider secures the infrastructure while you secure data, identities and configurations.
When does Atlassian Data Center reach end of life?
On March 28, 2029. Jira Software, Jira Service Management and Confluence Data Center licenses then expire and instances become read only. Sales to new customers already ended on March 30, 2026.
Is Bitbucket Data Center affected by the end of life?
No. Atlassian excluded Bitbucket Data Center because source code can take longer to move. Existing customers get a license covering both Bitbucket Data Center and Bitbucket Cloud.
What replaced AWS Migration Hub?
AWS Transform. Migration Hub stopped accepting new customers on November 7, 2025, though existing customers can finish current projects there, and AWS says switching requires no data migration.
Do I need to code to migrate from Tableau Server to Tableau Cloud?
Not always. Tableau recommends its manual migration guide for sites with fewer than 100 users, and points larger sites without Python or C# skills toward Tableau Professional Services or migration partners.
Conclusion
A checklist only works when it reflects your real environment, so score readiness honestly, trim the list to workloads that matter, and add vendor steps for platforms like Jira or AEM. For deeper reference, see AWS Prescriptive Guidance on migration strategies, the migration assessment checklist in Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework, and Atlassian’s Data Center end of life timeline.