11 PART 6 Third-party support A pre-migration checklist A company preparing to start a migration to the cloud needs to understand a host of variables, dynamics, and implications. These include: ͓ ͓The requirements of service level agreements (SLAs) ͓ ͓The security architecture that needs to be in place ͓ ͓Data access and flow issues ͓ ͓The migration paths required by different workloads ͓ ͓Data replication requirements ͓ ͓The financial impact as workloads are moved to the cloud ͓ ͓Managing the risk factors of the move to the cloud Leveraging proven, migration methodologies are essential to minimize risk. Migration methodologies for assessing workloads, defining workload interdependencies, and combining workloads to move as a group are imperative to smooth migrations. In addition, methodologies for maintaining SLAs and conducting testing with all respective users are also critical to success. There are many tools and migration mechanisms available,but finding the right ones to meet the organization’s specific needs can be difficult.Having a partner that understands use cases for tools can be a huge advantage. Pro tip: Successful migrations depend on proven methodologies, tools, and expertise. The value of a solid plan cannot be overstated.