Cloud migration

Cloud Migration Decisions

Use these pages when the bill makes migration tempting but the real question is whether the workload is portable enough, expensive enough, and operationally worth moving.

By Andrew Cooper, Founder of RunPlacement Updated May 2026 Provider-neutral, estimate-labeled guidance Verify current provider pricing

Direct answer

Cloud migration is a payback decision: recurring savings must repay migration work, data movement, service replacement, downtime risk, and new operations.

Start with the most specific page in this cluster, then move to the checklist or quiz once you have a bill line, quote, or workload constraint.

Best starting page: Cloud Exit Payback

Start here if

Route yourself to the right page

This hub is a cluster map, not just a list. Use the matching page first, then follow the internal links.

Use this cluster when

  • A lower hosting quote looks attractive but migration work is not priced.
  • The team wants to leave AWS, GCP, or Azure after a high bill.
  • Only one workload slice may need a different placement.

Common mistakes

  • Treating migration as free.
  • Ignoring managed-service replacements.
  • Using a one-time bill spike as a steady savings baseline.

Questions answered

Top questions in this cluster

These are the concrete questions the pages below are built to answer.

When is leaving AWS worth it?
What cloud exit costs are easy to miss?
How do I calculate migration payback?
When should I stay put and optimize instead?

Start here

Use the cluster in this order

  1. Open the cloud exit cost checklist.
  2. Estimate payback period and migration risk.
  3. Use the placement intake to separate full migration from partial re-placement.

Common confusion

A cheaper host is not cheaper if migration work and new ops burden eat the savings.
Sometimes only one workload slice should move.
Migration payback needs a steady baseline, not a one-off bill spike.

Decision pages

Start with the closest problem

These pages answer the specific questions inside this topic cluster.

Cloud migrationCloud Egress and Exit Cost: What to Price Before MovingMigration planning

Cloud egress is only one part of exit cost. A serious migration estimate also prices data export, recurring transfer, storage retrieval, rewrites, testing, downtime, rollback, and new operations.

 Cloud migrationBare Metal vs Cloud Break-Even: When Dedicated Servers WinCommercial comparison

Bare metal can win when a workload is steady, portable, highly utilized, and operationally owned. Cloud usually wins when flexibility, managed services, or variable demand matter more than unit cost.

 Workload placementManaged Platform vs Cloud: When Less Control Is the Better PlacementCommercial comparison

A managed platform can be the better placement when engineering focus and reliability matter more than infrastructure control. Direct cloud can be better when the team needs flexibility, deep customization, or lower unit cost at scale.

Frameworks

Define the concepts behind the answers

These pages give readers the definitions, formulas, and decision tables behind the cluster.

Workload placementWorkload Placement Frameworkworkload placement

Choose workload placement by matching the workload's cost driver, data movement, performance needs, operational tolerance, and commitment horizon to the right infrastructure category.

 Cloud migrationCloud Exit Payback Frameworkcloud exit payback

Cloud exit is financially serious only when steady savings repay migration work, data movement, service replacement, downtime risk, rollback planning, and new operations inside an acceptable window.

 Workload placementManaged Platform vs Infrastructure Control Frameworkinfrastructure control premium

A managed platform is better when it removes operational work the team should not own; direct infrastructure is better when control creates enough performance, cost, or compliance value to justify the burden.

Cloud migrationCloud Exit Cost Checklist: What To Price Before You Leave AWScost_breakdown

A practical checklist for cloud exit costs, including data transfer, rewrites, managed service replacement, downtime risk, and operations.

 Cloud migrationAWS vs Bare Metal: When Owning The Machine Makes Sensecomparison

A practical comparison of AWS and bare metal for steady workloads, predictable utilization, operations, and cost control.

 Cloud migrationWhen Not To Leave AWS Even If The Bill Looks Highdecision

A practical decision page for knowing when a high AWS bill should be optimized inside AWS instead of triggering a migration.

 Cloud migrationShould You Move From AWS To A Cheaper Cloud?decision

A practical decision page for deciding whether AWS savings justify migration work, data movement, and operational risk.

Resources

Useful checklists

Worksheets that make this topic easier to compare with real request volume, bill lines, quotes, or workload notes.

Cloud migrationCloud Exit Cost ChecklistChecklist / 7 sections / source-linked

A checklist and payback worksheet for pricing the real cost of leaving AWS, GCP, or Azure before migration starts.

RunPlacement quiz

Pressure-test this workload

Do not leave AWS just because the bill is high; leave when the workload is portable and the repeatable savings beat migration risk.

Uses workload type, budget, GPU need, data movement, priority, and ops tolerance.
Use the quiz