Cloud Computing
Lift and Shift
Definition
Lift and shift is a strategy for migrating an application to the cloud without redesigning it. It involves moving an existing application and its data to a cloud infrastructure with minimal or no changes.
Why It Matters
Lift and shift is often the fastest and cheapest way to start moving to the cloud. It allows companies to exit their own data centers quickly, although it doesn't take full advantage of cloud-native features.
Contextual Example
A company has an application running on a physical server in their office. They perform a "lift and shift" migration by creating a virtual machine in AWS and copying the application and its data to that VM. The application runs exactly the same way, just on a different server.
Common Misunderstandings
- This approach is also called "rehosting".
- While easy, it often results in higher long-term costs and lower performance compared to re-architecting the application to be cloud-native.