What is Cloud Replatforming? A Comprehensive Guide

Application replatforming involves the migration of applications from outdated or inadequate systems to cloud environments. This process aims to enhance performance and reduce maintenance costs while preserving the core functionality of the application.

Companies opt for replatforming to take advantage of newer technologies, efficiently handle increased workloads, and seamlessly integrate modern technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT.

Teaming up with a reputable managed hosting provider like Liquid Web can help mitigate challenges by providing expertise in cloud infrastructure, ongoing support, and migration best practices.

This guide offers insights into migrating applications to cloud environments, focusing on enhancing performance and reducing maintenance costs while retaining core functionality. Learn about the balanced approach of replatforming and how partnering with managed hosting providers like Liquid Web can streamline the process.

What is Cloud Replatforming-Table of Contents

1. Understanding Replatforming in Cloud Computing
2. Why is Replatforming Important? Let’s Find Out!
3. Why Replatform Existing Applications?
4. How Does Replatforming Work?
5. The Importance of Phased Migration in Replatforming
6. Replatforming Vs. Rehosting Vs. Refactoring: Understanding the Differences
7. Advantages of Replatforming for Modern Businesses
8. Challenges with Replatforming
9. FAQs
10. Conclusion

Understanding Replatforming

Replatforming in cloud computing entails transferring an application from its current infrastructure to a new cloud-based platform. Essentially, it involves migrating an application to a cloud-optimized platform with minimal alterations to its codebase.  However, this procedure may require significant resources.

Why is Replatforming Important?

Software replatforming involves migrating software applications, data, and operations from one computing platform or architecture to another. This process aims to enhance functionality, improve performance, or enable scalability, often necessitating changes in technology stacks, data schemas, or operating environments.

Replatforming encompasses adjustments in databases, programming languages, application infrastructure, and more to meet evolving business requirements and leverage newer, more efficient technologies. It enables businesses to harness the advantages of cloud deployment models.

In contrast to cloud-native architecture, which is designed specifically for the cloud environment from the start, replatforming entails adjusting an application to better fit the cloud without changing its fundamental architecture. This strategy allows businesses to take advantage of cloud computing benefits, such as cloud capabilities and infrastructure, while minimizing disruptions and retaining the core functionality of their applications.

Why Replatform Existing Applications?

To leverage the capabilities of cloud computing and modern enterprise software architectures.

Modernizing legacy applications can significantly enhance performance and utilize cloud-native capabilities. Through a well-executed replatforming project, organizations can:

• Enhance application performance.
• Boost elasticity.
• Automate operations.
• Ultimately result in cost optimization.

It’s crucial to note that the motivations for modernizing applications can be categorized into IT benefits and business benefits.

• Revamping specific and problematic components of an application,
• Transitioning away from legacy software infrastructure,
• Streamlining operations,
• Introducing more advanced and competitive features.

How Does Replatforming Work?

The process of replatforming can differ based on the industry, application, and business needs. However, every successful replatforming project follows a common framework and undergoes a meticulous planning phase to ensure effective management. This framework includes:

• Evaluating business requirements

 • Performing cost analysis

 • Formulating a cloud migration strategy

• Updating and testing the application

 • Addressing and mitigating risks and challenges related to the migration.

The Importance of Phased Migration in Replatforming

Executing the migration process in phases is crucial, particularly in establishing the layer that intercepts requests between front-end and back-end systems. This approach facilitates a smoother transition, minimizing disruption and ultimately ensuring the success of the replatforming project.

Advantages of Replatforming for Modern Businesses

Adopting the replatforming process can offer various advantages for organizations aiming to update their applications and leverage the benefits of cloud computing. Some of these advantages comprise:

Enhanced Scalability and Performance

Improved application scalability and performance are paramount benefits of replatforming. By migrating to a cloud-based environment, applications can scale more efficiently, handle increased workloads, and ultimately deliver better overall performance. Enhanced Cloud Scalability:

• Facilitates growth and adaptation to fluctuating market demands.
• Ensures applications can manage increased traffic and demands.
• Maintains performance and user experience.

Cost Efficiency

• Cloud-native capabilities improve cost efficiency by reducing operational expenses and increasing ROI.
• Optimizing resource utilization and leveraging cloud-based services lead to significant cost savings
• Acquiring cloud and automation skills is essential to fully exploit these benefits.

Improved Security & Compliance

• Replatforming enhances the security and compliance aspects of applications.
• Utilizing encryption, data backup, and access controls provided by cloud providers ensures security and compliance with industry standards.
• Protects sensitive data and intellectual property, enhancing customer trust and brand reputation.

Enhanced Availability

• Cloud-based redundancy and failover capabilities ensure improved availability of applications.
• Applications remain accessible and operational during unexpected outages or disruptions.
• Increased availability leads to improved customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs.

Innovation Facilitation

• Replatforming enables organizations to adopt new technologies and innovate faster.
• Modernized applications and cloud-native capabilities allow businesses to better meet customer needs, increase market share, and achieve long-term success.
• Acts as a catalyst for innovation, empowering organizations to explore new possibilities and drive growth.

Challenges with Replatforming

While replatforming offers numerous benefits, it also presents several challenges that organizations must address to ensure a smooth transition to a modern, cloud-based infrastructure.

 Key challenges associated with software replatforming include:

Technical Debt

Managing technical debt is critical in any replatforming project to avoid increased costs and complexity in the long run. Organizations should carefully plan their projects to minimize the introduction of new debt while making necessary changes.

Working with Legacy Systems

 Integrating and modernizing legacy software systems can be complex and time-consuming due to outdated technology, lack of documentation, security vulnerabilities, and incompatibility with modern systems. Organizations must assess existing infrastructure and modernize systems while minimizing disruptions.

Data Migration

Data migration poses challenges such as data loss or corruption. Properly managing the process, accurately transferring data, and ensuring application functionality throughout the migration are crucial. Advance planning, testing, and automated tools help minimize risks and ensure a smooth transition.

Downtime

Minimizing downtime during replatforming is essential to avoid negative impacts on business operations and customer satisfaction. Proactively addressing potential downtime issues, including technical issues and integration challenges, helps maintain customer trust.

Integration Issues

Ensuring seamless integration between the replatformed application and other systems is vital for project success. Integration challenges may arise if the new platform is incompatible with existing systems, leading to disruptions in data flow and functionality. Proactively addressing integration challenges minimizes disruptions to business operations.

FAQS

1. Why Replatforming Matters?

 Replatforming is a pivotal process in application modernization, providing organizations with an efficient means to upgrade their technology stack. By migrating to newer platforms, businesses can unlock benefits such as improved performance, scalability, security, and agility, while leveraging the latest technologies.

 2. How Does Replatforming Differ?

Replatforming differs from other approaches like Rehosting and Refactoring by retaining most of the existing structure while making improvements.

3. How Do You Choose the Right Replatforming Strategy?

A: The right strategy depends on factors like business goals, IT infrastructure, and the complexity of the existing application.

Conclusion

Replatforming is crucial for digital transformation, enabling organizations to modernize applications and leverage cloud computing benefits. By addressing challenges and embracing replatforming, businesses can stay competitive and innovate in today’s digital landscape. At Alliance PRO, we specialize in delivering high-performance Java applications tailored to advanced cloud environments. Whether you’re building a new application or extending your development team, we’re here to help you accelerate and scale your business. Contact us for a free estimation call to discuss your project needs.