Cloud migrations can consume significant time and resources if not properly planned. Asking these six critical questions before you start will help you avoid costly mistakes and set realistic expectations.

Rationale

Why are you migrating? Is it cost, performance, scalability, or compliance? Understanding your true motivation helps you make decisions throughout the project and sets clear success criteria.

App Disposition

Which applications should migrate, rehost, replatform, or retire? The 6R framework (Retire, Retain, Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase) helps you categorize each workload and determine the appropriate migration path.

Identity

How will you manage identity and access? Cloud identity strategy is fundamental to security and operational effectiveness. Plan your directory structure, SSO integration, and MFA requirements early.

Networking

What's your connectivity model? Will you use VPN, Direct Connect, or SD-WAN? Define your network topology, IP address management, and connectivity to on-premises systems.

DR

What are your disaster recovery requirements? Define RTO, RPO, and test scenarios for each application. Cloud-native DR options often provide better capabilities than traditional approaches.

FinOps

How will you control costs? Cloud costs can spiral without proper governance. Establish budgets, set up billing alerts, implement right-sizing policies, and continuously optimize.