Overview

The cloud migration survey is not a one-time effort. It needs to be performed for multiple times during the migration to the cloud. The information to be collected varies in each phase. This section describes the approach of survey analysis, which can be used as a reference in any phase of cloud migration. Companies that do not lead their cloud migration can follow this approach to cooperate with third parties. As for the information required in a phase, collect as much of them as possible in a single survey, so as to reduce the number of surveys, especially interviews.

• Basic environment survey: The survey is conducted before the cloud architecture design, collecting information about the overall IT technical architecture and IT governance status and requirements.
• Application survey: The application survey is performed throughout the cloud migration process. In the evaluation and planning phase, only the service overview is required. In the migration pilot and large-scale cloud migration phases, the detailed technical architecture of each application system needs to be analyzed, and the details about the technical components of each application system needs to be collected, including the versions and parameters of the components.
• Big data survey: Survey the overall big data technical architecture and then gradually analyze details.

A survey involves the following steps:

1. Determine the survey objectives and sort out the information to be surveyed in the current cloud migration phase.
2. Align existing information to avoid repeated survey.
3. Based on the survey objectives, identify the information to be collected, why the information is required, and how to collect the information.
4. Determine the stakeholders who can provide the information based on the company's organizational structure and division of responsibilities.
5. Develop the survey interview outline and survey template, and develop the communication strategies and plan.
6. Obtain the required information based on the authorization mode recognized by stakeholders, sort out the information, and complete the survey.

Figure 1 Survey methods

A survey should start with easy methods and general information, followed by complex methods and detailed information. It should be continuously iterated. The details are as follows:

• Start with easy survey methods. Select simple and quick survey methods to start with.
• Start with general survey content. The information obtained in the evaluation and planning phase is general, whereas that obtained in the implementation phase is the most detailed.
• Continuously iterate the survey process. A survey is a continuous effort. It needs to be continuously iterated, especially in a large-scale migration. A survey on details can be conducted in multiple stages based on the migration phases.