Authors:
Frank Fowley
1
;
Divyaa Manimaran Elango
1
;
Hany Magar
1
and
Claus Pahl
2
Affiliations:
1
IC4 and Dublin City University, Ireland
;
2
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
Keyword(s):
Cloud Migration, Experiment, Prototyping, Migration Method, SME, Cloud Architecture, Cloud Cost Model.
Abstract:
The migration of IT systems to the cloud is still a problem, in particular for smaller companies without much
cloud expertise. Generally, some expected benefits are defined and an awareness of potential problems does
exist to some extent in the organisations. However, this is often not sufficient to confidently embark on a
full migration project in the cloud. While discussions and conceptual analyses can help to some extent, we
explore here the suitability of feasibility studies with experimental explorations at the core. These studies
would typically cost 5% of the overall migration cost based on our use cases, but can help with a reliable
risk assessment. It can clarify how much of the expectations and intentions can materialise in the cloud. The
cost of the migration, but, more importantly, the cost of operating an IT system in the cloud can be estimated.
Using a feasibility study with an experimental core based on a partial prototype delivers much more reliable
figures r
egarding configurations, quality-of-service and costing than a theoretical analysis could deliver.
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