The AWS migration checklist for 2026

1. Discovery & assessment

Start with facts, not assumptions. Inventory every application, server, database and dependency. Capture utilization, data volumes, compliance requirements and who owns each system. This map drives every later decision and prevents nasty surprises at cutover.

2. Build the business case

Agree the "why": cost, agility, resilience, exiting a data center, or all four. Model the total cost of ownership on AWS versus today, and define the success metrics you will report against. Executive sponsorship lives or dies here.

3. Pick a migration strategy per workload (the 7 Rs)

There is no single right answer, choose per application:

• Rehost ("lift and shift"), fastest, minimal change.
• Replatform, small optimizations, e.g. managed databases.
• Refactor, re-architect for cloud-native benefits.
• Repurchase, move to SaaS.
• Relocate, move VMware workloads as-is.
• Retain, leave it where it is (for now).
• Retire, decommission what is no longer needed.

A pragmatic pattern is migrate then modernize: rehost to establish a stable baseline, then refactor the workloads that justify it.

4. Set up a secure landing zone

Before you migrate anything, lay the foundation: a multi-account structure (AWS Organizations), networking (VPCs, subnets, connectivity), identity and least-privilege IAM, logging, guardrails and encryption. A well-designed landing zone is what keeps a fast migration from becoming a security incident.

5. Plan data migration and cutover

Data is usually the hardest part. Decide on replication, sync windows and rollback. Rehearse the cutover in a non-production run, define the go/no-go criteria, and always keep a tested path back.

6. Migrate in waves

Move low-risk, low-dependency workloads first to build confidence and refine the runbook. Automate with infrastructure-as-code so environments are reproducible and consistent across waves.

7. Optimize after you land

Migration is the start, not the finish. Right-size, add Savings Plans, tighten security and set up 24/7 monitoring. See 7 ways to cut your AWS bill for the cost side.

The teams that succeed treat migration as a program with owners, waves and rollback, not a weekend project.