Cloud Migration Services
Our cloud migration services move business-critical applications to AWS or Azure in stages, decide what to rehost, change, or leave alone, and plan the cloud bill before cutover, not after.
Data stays in sync
- WebsiteWebsiteLive
- OrdersOrdersLive
- DatabaseDatabaseMoving
- ReportingQueued
- File sharesQueued
PARALLEL RUN
Data center
Ready as fallback
What Is Cloud Migration?
Cloud migration moves applications, data, and infrastructure from a data center or hosted servers to a cloud provider such as AWS or Azure. It can lower hardware costs and make scaling easier, but it doesn't fix a hard-to-change application on its own. Moved as-is, an application brings its problems with it.
Is a lift and shift enough?
A lift and shift moves an application to the cloud as it is, while other cloud migration strategies change the code or design along the way. A migration assessment and application inventory show which path fits each application.
MIGRATION STRATEGIES
Choosing Among Cloud Migration Strategies
There are seven common cloud migration strategies, and most portfolios use several of them at once.
| STRATEGY | WHAT IT MEANS | WHEN IT FITS |
|---|---|---|
| Rehost | Move to new infrastructure, usually cloud, with little code change | Infrastructure is the main problem |
| Replatform | Move to a managed platform or newer runtime with targeted changes | Hosting is outdated but the code is sound |
| Refactor | Restructure the code without changing what it does | The code is hard to change but the design still fits |
| Rearchitect | Break a monolith into services or APIs | The design limits scale or speed of change |
| Repurchase | Switch to a SaaS or off-the-shelf product | A standard product now does the job |
| Retire | Shut it down, keeping the data you still need | Few people use it, or another system already covers what it does |
| Retain | Leave it and connect around it | It works, and changing it costs more than it returns |
How we choose the strategy
We don't apply one strategy to a whole portfolio. Every migration starts with an assessment of each application: how well it works today, how hard it is to change, how much business value it carries, and what it costs to run. Those answers point to the right path. Sound code on outdated hosting is a candidate to rehost or replatform. Where the design limits scale, we refactor or rearchitect. When a standard product now does the job, we recommend you repurchase, and some applications should simply be retired. Others should stay where they are, and the assessment says which.
LEGACY APPLICATIONS
Migrating Legacy Applications to the Cloud
Older applications rarely move cleanly with a lift and shift. They often depend on specific servers, local files, scheduled jobs, or databases that don't map one to one to cloud services, and many hold years of undocumented business rules. Migrating enterprise applications to the cloud usually means mapping those dependencies first, then deciding what to change on the way. For a bulk liquids shipping company, JBS Dev moved a homegrown voyage and pricing system to AWS, rewriting it in Python and Django and migrating its historical data with an automated tool. When the application itself is the problem, legacy application modernization comes first or alongside.
MAPPED FIRST
Servers and local files
Dependency mapping
Scheduled jobs and databases
THEN DECIDED
Move as-is
Sound code, outdated hosting
Modernize first
The application is the problem
HOW IT WORKS
How a Cloud Migration Runs
A cloud migration runs in six steps, from assessment to optimization, with applications moving in stages so the business keeps running.
STEP 1
Assessment and inventory
We inventory applications and dependencies and choose a strategy for each.
STEP 2
Migration plan
We set the order of moves, the cutover approach, and the target cloud bill.
STEP 3
Pilot
We move one component first to prove the approach in production.
STEP 4
Waves
We move the rest in stages, one component or application at a time.
STEP 5
Cutover
Traffic shifts to the new environment, with the old one ready as a fallback.
STEP 6
Optimize
We tune performance and cost once real usage data comes in.
Avoiding downtime with a parallel run
We avoid downtime by running old and new side by side. Traffic moves gradually, a small share at first, then more as the new environment proves itself, and data stays in sync between them. If something goes wrong, traffic goes back to the old environment while we fix it. For a wine retailer, website components moved to AWS Lambda incrementally over about four months before the whole site ran there.
Data migration and validation
Data moves in planned stages and gets validated before cutover. For a bulk liquids shipping company, an automated tool retrieved, transformed, and migrated years of historical data from spreadsheets and a homegrown system into Amazon RDS. Where older sources hold inconsistent records, reconciliation is part of the job. For larger data moves, see legacy data migration.
RESULTS
Cloud Migration Results
For a direct-to-consumer wine retailer, JBS Dev completed a move to serverless AWS Lambda by February 2020, and the site absorbed a 400% traffic increase with no outages. For a top worldwide restaurant chain, JBS Dev migrated more than 100 integration jobs to Azure in 213 days.
400%
Traffic increase absorbed, no outages
E-commerce
Serverless Ecommerce for Wine Access
Challenge: Wine Access ran its site on costly self-hosted servers from the 1990s.
Result: A move to AWS Lambda and Amazon Aurora absorbed a 400% traffic increase with no outages and cut database costs by about 50%.
Read the Wine Access case study5+ yrs
Age of the homegrown system it replaced
Logistics
Modernizing a Bulk Liquids Shipping Platform on AWS
Challenge: A homegrown system tracked voyages and pricing, but reports were manual and history lived in Excel.
Result: A Python and Django rebuild on AWS added Tableau self-service reporting and vessel tracking, with considerable cost savings.
Read the shipping platform case study100+
Jobs moved to Azure in 213 days
Restaurants
Integration Platform Migration for a Top Worldwide Restaurant Chain
Challenge: A costly, unreliable proprietary workflow platform was nearing contract expiration.
Result: More than 100 jobs moved to VisualCron, SSIS, and .NET Azure APIs in 213 days, with estimated annual savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Read the restaurant chain case study"JBS feels more like an extension of our internal team than a traditional vendor relationship."
Senior IT Leader, AmeriVet Partners
COST AND TIMELINE
What Drives Cloud Migration Cost and Timeline
Cloud migration cost and timeline depend mostly on how many applications move and how much each one changes on the way.
- 01Number of applications and servers
- 02Data volume
- 03How much each application changes
- 04Integrations and dependencies
- 05Downtime tolerance
- 06Security and compliance needs
How the timeline is set
Timelines depend on how many applications move and how much each changes, and the assessment sets them. Moving in stages means value arrives early. As reference points, JBS Dev migrated more than 100 integration jobs to Azure for a top worldwide restaurant chain in 213 days, and moved a wine retailer's site to AWS Lambda in about four months.
How cost is set
We don't quote a migration before we understand the portfolio. The assessment produces an estimate for each application and the strategy chosen for it, including the expected monthly cloud bill after the move. Retiring some applications or leaving them where they are often lowers the total. We also check that each move pays for itself before recommending it.
Keeping the cloud bill under control
Plan the bill before the move, not after. Serverless services such as AWS Lambda charge only for what you use, which suits uneven traffic; a wine retailer cut its database costs by about 50% after moving to Amazon Aurora. After cutover, we tune with real usage data. See cloud cost optimization and FinOps.
ENGAGEMENT MODELS
Ways to Work With Us
Each model stands alone or leads into the next. Compare all the ways to work with us.
Assessment & Strategy
For companies that need clarity before committing to a build.
Start here if you're not sure what to change first. We review the system component by component, weigh difficulty against business impact, and recommend a path for each part, including what to leave alone. You get a roadmap you can act on with us or on your own.
- Technical assessment
- Architecture review
- AI opportunity mapping
- Modernization roadmap
- Prioritized recommendations
Best when: You need to understand the opportunity, risk, architecture, or roadmap before investing in a larger build.
Projects
For companies ready to build or modernize a defined system.
For a defined scope, senior engineers lead delivery from architecture through release. We work in stages, write tests for core components, and ship through CI/CD. You own everything we build, plus knowledge transfer and documentation tailored to your team.
- Modernization projects
- Custom applications
- Cloud platforms
- Data systems
- Integrations
- AI agents
Best when: You have a clear business problem, workflow, or platform that needs to be built, modernized, or connected.
Teaming / Managed Delivery
For companies that need experienced delivery capacity.
When you need more than a single project, services we can provide include architectural guidance for your existing team, hands-on development, QA, and ongoing support. Senior US-based engineers lead our builds, and nearshore support is an option for ongoing work.
- Senior-led teams
- Embedded engineering
- Ongoing development
- Knowledge transfer
- Flexible support
Best when: You need reliable engineering capacity, technical leadership, or ongoing delivery support without adding unnecessary management overhead.
WHY JBS DEV
How to Choose a Cloud Migration Partner
A migration partner should know what not to move as well as how to move it. Here are four questions to ask, and how we answer them.
- Do they hold the AWS Migration competency?
- Yes. JBS Dev is an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner with Generative AI, Migration, and Retail competencies. Read more about our AWS partnership, including the work behind each competency and the AWS services we build with.
- Will they tell you what not to migrate?
- Yes. Every application gets assessed on how well it works, how hard it is to change, and what it's worth. Some should be retired, some replaced, and some left exactly where they are, and we'll say which.
- Who plans the cutover?
- Senior engineers and technical leaders who can make architecture, integration, and security decisions directly. That means fewer handoffs, faster decisions, and a cutover plan written by the people who will run it.
- Where is the team?
- Senior US-based engineers lead our builds, with nearshore support available for ongoing work. From the first call, you will know exactly who is planning your migration, running the cutover, and supporting you after.
JBS Dev is a senior-led custom software development company, founded in 1999, that builds, modernizes, and integrates enterprise systems around the technology clients already own.
FAQ
Cloud Migration Services FAQs
What do cloud migration services include?
Cloud migration services cover assessing your applications, choosing a strategy for each, planning the move, migrating applications and data in stages, cutting over, and tuning cost and performance afterward. Ours move business-critical applications to AWS or Azure while the business keeps running, and include deciding what not to move.
What are the main cloud migration strategies?
The seven common strategies are rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, repurchase, retire, and retain. Rehosting moves an application with little change; replatforming makes targeted changes for a managed service; refactoring and rearchitecting change the code or design; repurchasing swaps in a SaaS product; retiring shuts it down; retaining leaves it in place. Most portfolios use several.
How long does a cloud migration take?
It depends on the number of applications and how much each changes, and the assessment sets the timeline. Because we migrate in stages, the first applications move well before the last. For a top worldwide restaurant chain, JBS Dev migrated more than 100 integration jobs in 213 days.
How much does a cloud migration cost?
It depends on the number of applications and servers, data volume, how much each application changes, integrations, downtime tolerance, and compliance needs. The assessment turns those factors into an estimate for each application, including the expected cloud bill afterward, before you commit to the move.
Can you migrate without downtime?
In most cases, yes. We run old and new environments side by side, keep data in sync, and shift traffic gradually. If something goes wrong, traffic moves back while we fix it. A wine retailer's site moved to AWS Lambda component by component and later absorbed a 400% traffic surge with no outages.
Should we modernize before we migrate?
Sometimes. If an application is hard to change, depends on outdated servers, or limits the business, moving it as-is just relocates the problem. If the code is sound and hosting is the issue, migrate first and modernize later. The assessment decides application by application. See legacy application modernization.
Which clouds do you migrate to?
We migrate to AWS and Azure. For AWS migration services, JBS Dev is an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner with the Migration competency. We've also moved workloads to Azure, such as a restaurant chain's integration jobs to .NET on Azure App Service. We recommend the cloud that fits your applications, skills, and existing agreements.
How do you keep cloud costs from rising after migration?
Plan the bill before you move, then tune it with real usage. We size services to actual demand, use serverless where traffic is uneven, and review spend after cutover. A wine retailer cut database costs by about 50% after moving to Amazon Aurora. See cloud cost optimization.
