Components and owners
Applications, services, servers, databases, storage, domains and accountable owners.
DECISION GUIDE / MIGRATION
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Cloud Migration Discovery Checklist
Migration discovery should identify every workload component, owner, dependency, data path, access path, operating constraint and recovery requirement before a target design or cutover date is approved.
01 / GUIDE
Inventory
Build a workload record that someone other than the current operator can understand.
Usage and change
Traffic patterns, batch windows, growth, release cycles and seasonal demand.
Current operations
Monitoring, backup, patching, incident, vendor and maintenance procedures.
02 / GUIDE
Dependencies
Hidden dependencies are a common source of migration risk.
Application and data
Call paths, database connections, queues, file exchange and scheduled jobs.
Identity and access
Authentication sources, service accounts, certificates, keys and administrative paths.
Network and external services
DNS, IP allowlists, VPNs, firewalls, third-party APIs and upstream providers.
03 / GUIDE
Cutover inputs
Define how the migration is approved, observed and reversed.
Acceptance checks
Functional, data, performance, access and monitoring checks with named owners.
Data transition
Initial copy, change capture, final synchronization, validation and retention.
Rollback and communication
Rollback triggers, authority, time limits, stakeholder updates and incident path.
04 / GUIDE
Discovery outputs
Discovery ends with reviewable records, not just a meeting summary.
Inventory and dependency map
A scoped list and the critical relationships between components.
Migration wave proposal
A sequence based on dependency, risk, validation and operational readiness.
Open decisions and risks
Assumptions, missing evidence, owners and approval gates before implementation.
BOUNDARY
How to use this guide
Discovery reduces uncertainty but does not remove migration risk. The cutover plan must be reviewed against the current workload state immediately before execution.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers are shown in full so they can be read, cited and reviewed independently.
01How detailed should the inventory be?
Detailed enough to identify owners, dependencies, data, access, operating constraints and the checks needed to move each in-scope component safely.
02Can discovery happen after the target platform is selected?
Some work can, but early platform approval without discovery can embed assumptions that later affect region, service selection, sequence and cost.
03Who approves the migration wave?
The technical and business owners for the workload should approve scope, timing, acceptance, rollback and operating readiness.
NEXT STEP
Structure a migration discovery
Share the current workload, target direction, dependencies, timing and continuity constraints.
A specialist will review the service, workload, region, traffic, storage, backup and management scope with you.