Modernizing applications to the cloud will not only save time and resources but also help in scaling your offering! Sounds familiar? Well, it has to since everyone is pacing ahead of the cloud curve. So isn’t it an obvious move for those age-old legacy applications to be modernized to cloud? Here is a quick read on how you can go cloud-native:

Challenges faced during modernizing application(s):

• Can I modernize only the application(s), If I do, will that work?
• Which of my applications are ready for cloud?
• Rehost – Refactor – Retire application(s)?
• Will existing resources be able to support? How will application(s) support once it is cloud-native?
• Time, budget, vendor lock-in?… and many more.

Why change when it is working – usual method to the madness! However, smarter managers think in advance to ensure business continuity, staying ahead of the competition, enhance user-experience, etc. While modernizing applications, one can take the following 3 steps:

1. Discover infra and application(s):

   • There are typically two scenarios, one of them being – there are X number of nodes/hosts (VM or Bare metal), don’t know the number of applications. The second, here is a list of applications deployed across Y number of nodes/hosts. In either of the scenarios, understanding the behavior of the application’s services (internal and external) is crucial. Also, need a recommendation and a report from the tool which will enable a decision-making process. Which tool(s) will automatically discover application services and figure out dependencies and provide a recommendation report? Enter: CloudHedge’s Discover tool! Group the list of nodes and run the applications in the background along with Discover tool. It will figure out a list of application services and give intelligent inputs on what can / cannot be modernized along with the reason(s).

2. Transform application(s):

   • Based on the business needs and the technical recommendation, the option to rehost/refactor/retire needs to be chosen. Once the decision is made, rehosting or refactoring of application(s) can be done with a few clicks of buttons. Validate the container images (for refactoring) or machine images (for rehosting). This is only possible if the entire process is automated. Which tool? CloudHedge’s Transform, of course!

3. Deploy and Monitor:

   • Once the application is cloud-enabled, deployment on public or private cloud can be decided based on the benefits (cost or otherwise). If refactored, a blueprint can be created of container images to represent application(s). An alternate method is to create a HELM chart and deploy it on the target Kubernetes cluster. Windows containers are also supported by Kubernetes. Which tool enables a user to create application blueprint (and manage multiple versions) and create Kubernetes cluster (has monitoring feature)? CloudHedge’s Cruize.

So, anyone looking to migrate/modernize applications (not the entire infra and the app) with predictability and within budget – take a look at CloudHedge.io. View the video below for more information on how the tools (Discover – Transform – Cruize) work.