Cloud Migration Framework for Enterprises in 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

01.What is a cloud migration framework?

A cloud migration framework is the method a company uses to decide what happens to each workload when it moves to the cloud: which migration strategy applies, which wave it moves in, how it is cut over and rolled back, and when the source system is switched off. It has one owner and a decommission date.

02.Should we rehost or refactor during a cloud migration?

For a large migration, rehost, relocate or replatform first. AWS calls refactoring the most complex and costly of its seven migration strategies and recommends modernizing applications after the migration is complete (AWS, May 2022). I would refactor during the move only where a workload cannot run any other way.

03.How many applications can be retired before a migration?

More than most teams expect. AWS guidance says it is not unusual to find that more than ten percent of workloads in an enterprise IT portfolio are no longer useful and can be turned off (AWS, May 2022). Retiring them before the first wave shrinks the scope you migrate, secure and run twice.

04.Does DORA affect a cloud migration?

For EU financial entities, yes. Since 17 January 2025, Article 28(8) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 requires documented, tested exit strategies for ICT services supporting critical or important functions, and Article 30(3)(f) requires those contracts to set a mandatory adequate transition period. A migration plan for such a function needs its exit path written before cutover.