How do lift & shift options work?

Organizations increasingly move applications and infrastructure to the cloud to improve scalability, resilience, and cost efficiency. One of the most common migration approaches is lift and shift, often called rehosting. This method allows businesses to migrate applications from on-premise environments to the cloud without redesigning the application architecture.

This guide explains how lift & shift options work, when to use them, the migration process, benefits and limitations, and best practices for a successful transition.

What Is Lift & Shift (Rehosting)?

Lift and shift is a cloud migration strategy where an existing application or workload is moved from its current environment to cloud infrastructure with minimal or no modification.

Instead of redesigning the application, organizations replicate the same configuration in a cloud environment such as:

• Virtual machines

• Operating systems

• Databases

• Networking configurations

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cloud computing guidelines, cloud migration strategies like rehosting enable organizations to adopt cloud services while maintaining existing application architecture. These strategies help reduce migration complexity during early cloud adoption phases.

Simple Analogy

Imagine moving offices:

• Lift & shift = packing everything exactly as it is and placing it in the new office.

• Refactoring = redesigning the entire office layout during the move.

Lift & shift prioritizes speed and simplicity rather than optimization.

Why Organizations Use Lift & Shift

Companies often choose lift & shift when they need a fast migration path to the cloud.

Common Drivers

• Data center closure or hardware refresh

• Disaster recovery improvements

• Reduced infrastructure maintenance

• Faster cloud adoption

• Temporary step before modernization

According to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cloud adoption frameworks, organizations often begin with rehosting workloads to quickly realize infrastructure scalability benefits before pursuing deeper application modernization.

How Lift & Shift Options Work

Lift & shift migration typically follows a structured workflow. While tools and providers differ, the general process remains similar.

Step-by-Step Lift & Shift Migration Process

1. Assess Existing Infrastructure

The first step involves identifying workloads that can be moved without major changes.

Key evaluation factors include:

• Application dependencies

• Operating systems

• Databases

• Network requirements

• Storage needs

Migration teams often use automated discovery tools to map dependencies.

2. Choose a Cloud Environment

Organizations then select a suitable cloud platform such as:

• Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

• Hybrid cloud environments

• Private cloud deployments

The goal is to replicate the existing infrastructure architecture.

3. Replicate Infrastructure in the Cloud

Next, engineers recreate the environment using cloud services:

• Virtual machines replace physical servers

• Cloud storage replaces on-premise storage arrays

• Virtual networks mimic internal networks

4. Migrate Data and Applications

Data and applications are transferred using migration tools or replication services.

Methods include:

• Bulk transfer

• Continuous replication

• Snapshot migration

Large enterprises often perform incremental migration to minimize downtime.

5. Testing and Validation

Before production launch, teams verify:

• Application functionality

• Security configurations

• Performance benchmarks

Testing ensures workloads behave the same as they did in the original environment.

6. Cutover and Go-Live

Once validated, the system is switched from the old infrastructure to the cloud environment.

Monitoring tools track performance and stability after launch.

Lift & Shift vs Other Cloud Migration Strategies

Lift & shift is only one of several migration methods. Understanding alternatives helps organizations choose the right strategy.

Migration StrategyDescriptionBest ForComplexity

Lift & Shift (Rehosting)Move applications without redesignQuick migration to cloudLow

ReplatformingMinor optimization during migrationImproving efficiencyMedium

RefactoringRedesign application architectureCloud-native appsHigh

RepurchasingReplace app with SaaS alternativeLegacy software replacementMedium

RetiringRemove unused applicationsCost optimizationLow

Cloud providers often refer to these options collectively as the “6R migration strategies.”

Benefits of Lift & Shift Migration

1. Faster Cloud Adoption

Lift & shift is typically the fastest migration approach, allowing organizations to move workloads quickly without extensive development work.

2. Lower Initial Migration Costs

Since applications remain largely unchanged:

• No major redevelopment

• Minimal code modifications

• Shorter migration timelines

3. Reduced Operational Burden

Moving to cloud infrastructure removes the need to manage:

• Physical servers

• Cooling systems

• Hardware upgrades

According to Harvard Business Review, organizations that adopt cloud infrastructure can improve operational agility and scalability while reducing hardware maintenance costs.

4. Business Continuity

Migration can improve:

• Backup strategies

• Disaster recovery

• Geographic redundancy

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlights that cloud infrastructure can strengthen resilience through distributed architecture.

Limitations of Lift & Shift

Despite its advantages, lift & shift is not always the optimal long-term strategy.

1. Limited Cost Optimization

Applications designed for on-premise systems may not fully benefit from cloud cost models.

Example: running large virtual machines continuously instead of using autoscaling.

2. Performance Constraints

Legacy architecture may not leverage:

• Cloud-native storage

• Serverless computing

• Microservices architecture

3. Technical Debt

Migrating legacy systems without improvement can carry existing inefficiencies into the cloud.

Experts often recommend lift & shift as a temporary step toward modernization.

Real-World Example of Lift & Shift Migration

A global retail company running its inventory management system on physical servers needed to close an aging data center.

Instead of rebuilding the application, the company:

1. Replicated the infrastructure using cloud virtual machines.

2. Migrated databases using replication tools.

3. Shifted workloads to the cloud environment.

This approach allowed the organization to:

• Complete migration within months

• Avoid downtime during peak sales periods

• Plan future modernization gradually

Many enterprises follow this “migrate first, optimize later” strategy.

Tools Commonly Used for Lift & Shift Migration

Migration platforms automate much of the process.

Popular Categories of Tools

Discovery and assessment

• Infrastructure analysis

• Dependency mapping

• Migration readiness scoring

Migration tools

• Server replication

• Database migration

• Storage transfer

Monitoring and optimization

• Performance tracking

• Cost monitoring

• Security compliance

Large cloud providers offer integrated migration suites to simplify this process.

Best Practices for Successful Lift & Shift Migration

Organizations can improve success rates by following proven practices.

1. Conduct a Detailed Workload Assessment

Not every application is suitable for lift & shift.

Evaluate:

• Compatibility

• Resource requirements

• Security needs

2. Map Application Dependencies

Hidden dependencies between systems often cause migration failures.

Tools that map application architecture reduce risk.

3. Plan Security Early

Security controls must match the original environment.

Key considerations include:

• Identity access management

• Data encryption

• Compliance standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) emphasizes implementing security controls before deploying workloads in cloud environments.

4. Monitor Costs After Migration

Cloud resources operate on usage-based pricing.

Cost optimization strategies include:

• Reserved instances

• Auto-scaling

• Storage tiering

5. Create a Post-Migration Optimization Plan

Lift & shift should often be Phase 1 of a broader cloud transformation.

Future steps may include:

• Containerization

• Microservices adoption

• Serverless architectures

When Lift & Shift Is the Right Strategy

Lift & shift works best under specific circumstances.

Ideal Scenarios

• Data center exit deadlines

• Legacy application preservation

• Rapid cloud adoption initiatives

• Disaster recovery modernization

Situations Where It May Not Work Well

• Applications requiring major modernization

• Systems with heavy latency sensitivity

• Highly optimized cloud-native workloads

A hybrid approach often works best, where some systems are rehosted while others are redesigned.

Frequently Asked Questions?

1. What does lift and shift mean in cloud computing?

Lift and shift refers to moving applications from on-premise infrastructure to cloud platforms without modifying their core architecture.

2. Is lift and shift the same as rehosting?

Yes. In cloud migration terminology, rehosting is another name for lift and shift.

3. What are the main advantages of lift & shift?

Key advantages include:

• Faster migration

• Lower upfront development cost

• Minimal application disruption

4. Does lift & shift reduce cloud costs?

Not always. While infrastructure maintenance costs decrease, applications that are not optimized for cloud architecture may still run inefficiently.

5. How long does lift & shift migration take?

The timeline varies depending on workload size and complexity. Small workloads may migrate in weeks, while enterprise environments can take months.

6. What tools help with lift & shift migration?

Organizations typically use migration platforms for:

• Server replication

• Data transfer

• Application dependency mapping

7. Is lift & shift safe for critical applications?

Yes, if proper testing, security configuration, and backup procedures are implemented before cutover.

8. What is the difference between lift & shift and refactoring?

• Lift & shift: move the application without changes

• Refactoring: redesign the application to use cloud-native features

9. Can lift & shift be reversed?

In some cases, workloads can be migrated back to on-premise infrastructure, but doing so may require reconfiguration.

10. Should lift & shift be a long-term strategy?

Experts generally recommend using lift & shift as a short-term migration strategy followed by optimization or modernization.