Migrating to the cloud can be a complex and challenging process for businesses. With the growing popularity of Amazon Web Services (AWS), many organizations are considering or actively planning to move their applications and data to the AWS cloud. To facilitate this migration journey, AWS offers a powerful tool called AWS Migration Evaluator.

NOTE: DIY AWS Cloud Migration can be daunting, additionally AWS offers funding to offset professional AWS Cloud Migration Services. If you need help or have questions, just ask!

AWS Migration Evaluator is a cloud-based service that provides organizations with a comprehensive assessment of their current IT environment and estimates the cost savings and performance improvements that can be achieved by migrating to AWS. It leverages advanced analytics and automation to analyze an organization's on-premises environment and generates detailed reports that can help businesses make informed decisions about their migration strategy.

How does AWS Migration Evaluator work?

The AWS Migration Evaluator operates in three main stages: Discover, Assess, and Report. Let's take a closer look at each of these stages:

1. Discover: In this stage, AWS Migration Evaluator scans an organization's on-premises environment to gather information about its IT assets, including servers, storage, databases, and applications. It automatically discovers and collects metadata from these assets, such as configuration details, utilization metrics, and performance data. This process helps organizations gain a holistic view of their existing environment and understand the complexity and scale of their IT infrastructure.

2. Assess: Once the discovery process is complete, AWS Migration Evaluator analyzes the collected data using a variety of built-in rules, best practices, and machine learning algorithms. It assesses the compatibility of each IT asset with AWS services and identifies potential issues that may arise during migration, such as performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, or licensing concerns. It also calculates the estimated costs of running the same workload on AWS, taking into account factors like instance types, storage options, and data transfer charges. This analysis provides organizations with insights into the feasibility and viability of migrating their workloads to AWS.

3. Report: After the assessment is complete, AWS Migration Evaluator generates detailed reports that summarize the findings and recommendations. These reports include visualizations, cost projections, and actionable insights that can help organizations make informed decisions about their migration strategy. For example, organizations can use the reports to identify the most suitable AWS services for their workloads, estimate the total cost of ownership (TCO) savings they can achieve by migrating to AWS, and prioritize their migration efforts based on the level of complexity and risk associated with each workload.

Quick Insights vs. Full Business Case: What’s the Difference?

Quick Insights

Timeline and Format

• You will obtain your assessment data within 48 hours via Quick Insights report after installing Migration Evaluator Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• Migration Evaluator Quick Insights is a one-page report to rapidly understand the projected cost of running your on-premises workloads in the AWS Cloud Cloud Business Case & Migration Plan - Amazon Migration Evaluator - AWS
• Quick, automated analysis with minimal AWS involvement

What's Included

• Business stakeholders can download a one-page summary highlighting the estimated savings to re-host at AWS based on usage patterns with costs broken down by infrastructure and software licenses Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• This deliverable provides a summary of the number of servers included in the analysis, the projected costs to re-host at AWS based on your usage patterns, and the breakdown of costs by infrastructure and software licenses Cloud Business Case & Migration Plan - Amazon Migration Evaluator - AWS
• For more a technical audience, detailed per-server and per-SQL-server data is also available Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• Basic cost projections for re-hosting (lift-and-shift) to EC2 and EBS
• Simple infrastructure and licensing cost breakdown

Best For

• Initial cost estimates
• Quick decision-making for leadership
• Basic understanding of migration economics
• Organizations needing rapid directional guidance

Full Business Case

Timeline and Format

• obtain a business case within few business days upon completion of data collection Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• Comprehensive PowerPoint presentation with supporting Excel spreadsheets
• Involves dedicated AWS Solution Architects

What's Included

• Migration Evaluator includes a team of solution architects to understand your migration objective (e.g. exiting a data centre, shifting from cap-ex to op-ex, or changing software licensing strategies) and use that data to narrow down a subset of best suited migration patterns Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• All 6 sections: Analysis & Insights, Financial Summary, Business Value, Deployment Summary, Migration Patterns, and Technical Details
• Multiple "what-if" scenarios for different purchasing options
• AWS Cloud Value Framework analysis (beyond just cost savings)
• Sustainability assessment and carbon emission reduction estimates
• BYOL (Bring Your Own License) optimization strategies
• Application groupings and dependency mapping integration
• Storage optimization recommendations

Best For

• Organizations needing comprehensive analysis
• Stakeholder alignment across business and technical teams
• Strategic migration planning with multiple scenarios
• Complex environments with specific migration objectives

Key Decision Factors

Choose Quick Insights when:

• You need rapid cost estimates (within 48 hours)
• Decision timeline is urgent
• You want basic directional guidance
• Initial feasibility assessment is the primary goal

Choose Full Business Case when:

• After receiving your Migration Evaluator Quick Insights assessment, if your organization decides there is a need for additional insights you can request a Migration Evaluator Business Case Migration Evaluator Features - Build A Business Case For AWS - Amazon Web Services
• You need to align multiple stakeholders
• Strategic planning requires detailed analysis
• You want to optimize licensing and purchasing strategies
• Comprehensive ROI justification is needed

The Quick Insights serves as a stepping stone - you can always upgrade to the Full Business Case if you need more detailed analysis after reviewing the initial assessment.

What’s in the Business Case Report You’ll Receive 

The 6 Main Sections of the Business Case Report

1. Analysis and Insights Overview of collection strategy and timeline (existing data or agentless collector), assumptions, scope, server counts, and more. This section covers the methodology used for data collection, the timeframe of the assessment, and the scope of servers analyzed.

2. Financial Summary Multiple workload specific 'what-if' purchasing scenarios. This includes detailed cost comparisons between on-premises and AWS, covering different purchasing options like Reserved Instances, On-Demand, and Savings Plans.

3. Business Value AWS Cloud Value Framework (inclusive of Staff Productivity, Operational Resilience and Business Agility), Sustainability Assessment (estimated carbon emission reduction versus on-premises workloads). This quantifies benefits beyond just cost savings.

4. Deployment Summary Detailed overview of Windows and Microsoft SQL Licensing options and optimization. This section focuses on licensing strategies and recommendations.

5. Migration Patterns and Recommendations The report includes prescriptive next steps and migration strategies tailored to your specific objectives (such as data center exit, shifting from CapEx to OpEx, or changing licensing strategies).

6. Technical Details and Exports The report includes additional cost models, Microsoft SQL license analysis, or exports of the match results. This provides detailed server-by-server recommendations and technical specifications.

Additional Features

Application Groupings: The Migration Evaluator Business Case deliverable can display application groupings so long as this information is provided by tagging, naming convention or an export from an inventory management tool.

Storage Insights: For organizations with significant storage requirements, Storage Insights in the Migration Evaluator business case will identify these servers and provide optimization opportunities.

BYOL Analysis: If the customer has existing Microsoft SQL Server or Window Server licenses, Migration Evaluator can model "bring your own license" in the business case to ensure that these savings are captured.

The report is delivered as a PowerPoint presentation with supporting Excel spreadsheets containing detailed data exports, typically within a few business days after data collection is complete.

Why use Migration Evaluator?

AWS Migration Evaluator offers several benefits to organizations planning to migrate to AWS:

1. Accurate Assessment: AWS Migration Evaluator uses advanced analytics and automation to accurately assess an organization's IT environment and provide comprehensive insights into the feasibility and costs of migrating to AWS. This helps organizations make informed decisions about their migration strategy, mitigating risks and reducing costs.

2. Cost Optimization: AWS Migration Evaluator calculates the estimated costs of running workloads on AWS, allowing organizations to understand the cost implications of migration and optimize their cloud spending. It helps organizations identify potential cost savings, such as rightsizing instances, optimizing storage options, and leveraging AWS pricing models, to ensure that they make cost-effective decisions during migration.

3. Performance Improvement: AWS Migration Evaluator analyzes the performance data of IT assets and provides recommendations on how to optimize performance in the cloud. This helps organizations improve the performance of their workloads on AWS, ensuring that their applications and data perform optimally in the cloud environment.

4. Enhanced Visibility: AWS Migration Evaluator provides detailed reports and visualizations that offer organizations a comprehensive view of their IT environment and migration readiness. This helps organizations gain enhanced visibility into their existing environment and plan their migration strategy effectively.

AWS Migration Evaluator is a powerful tool that can help organizations assess the feasibility and costs of migrating to AWS. With its advanced analytics, automation, and comprehensive reports, it provides organizations with the insights they need to make informed decisions about their migration strategy, optimize costs, and improve performance. By leveraging AWS Migration Evaluator, organizations can mitigate risks and ensure a successful migration to the AWS cloud.

Getting Started with Migration Evaluator

If you are familiar with the AWS Console AWS Migration Evaluator is a straightforward process. Organizations can start by accessing the service through the AWS Management Console or through the AWS CLI (Command Line Interface). Once accessed, they can initiate a migration assessment by configuring the discovery settings, such as the scope of assets to scan and the level of detail to collect. The discovery process can take a few hours to several days, depending on the size and complexity of the IT environment.

Leveraging reports

Once the discovery process is complete, organizations can access the assessment reports generated by AWS Migration Evaluator. These reports provide a detailed analysis of the discovered assets, their compatibility with AWS services, potential issues, and estimated costs. Organizations can leverage these reports to gain insights into their current environment and make informed decisions about their migration strategy.

The assessment reports generated by AWS Migration Evaluator include various visualizations and metrics that provide a clear overview of the assessment results. For example, organizations can view charts that display the distribution of assets by operating system, application type, or storage type. They can also access detailed recommendations on how to optimize costs, improve performance, and enhance security during the migration process.

Costs Estimates

One of the key features of AWS Migration Evaluator is the ability to estimate the costs of running workloads on AWS. The service provides detailed cost projections based on factors such as instance types, storage options, and data transfer charges. Organizations can use these projections to compare the costs of running workloads on AWS with their current on-premises environment, and identify potential cost savings and optimization opportunities.

Another important aspect of AWS Migration Evaluator is the assessment of the compatibility of IT assets with AWS services. The service analyzes the discovered assets and provides recommendations on which AWS services are suitable for running the workloads. It also identifies potential issues that may arise during migration, such as dependencies on unsupported features or licensing concerns. This helps organizations plan their migration strategy effectively and ensure a smooth transition to the AWS cloud.

Opportunities for optimization

Furthermore, AWS Migration Evaluator provides recommendations on how to optimize performance in the cloud. It analyzes the performance data of IT assets, such as CPU utilization, memory usage, and network throughput, and provides insights on how to optimize performance in the AWS environment. Organizations can leverage these recommendations to ensure that their applications and data perform optimally in the cloud, delivering a seamless experience to end users.

In addition to cost optimization and performance improvement, AWS Migration Evaluator also helps organizations enhance their overall visibility into their IT environment. The service provides detailed reports and visualizations that offer a comprehensive view of the discovered assets, their characteristics, and their migration readiness. Organizations can use these reports to gain insights into their current environment, identify areas that require attention, and plan their migration strategy effectively.

Who Should Use Migration Evaluator (and who shouldn’t)

AWS Migration Evaluator (formerly TSO Logic) is a tool that helps organizations assess their on-premises infrastructure and plan cloud migrations. Here's who should and shouldn't use it:

Who Should Use AWS Migration Evaluator

Large enterprises with complex infrastructure - Organizations with extensive on-premises data centers, multiple applications, and complex dependencies benefit most from the detailed analysis and inventory capabilities.

Organizations planning major cloud migrations - Companies looking to migrate significant portions of their infrastructure to AWS can use it to understand costs, dependencies, and migration complexity.

Businesses needing detailed cost analysis - Organizations that require comprehensive TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) comparisons between on-premises and cloud infrastructure.

Companies with compliance or audit requirements - Those needing detailed documentation and analysis for governance, risk management, or regulatory compliance purposes.

Organizations with limited cloud expertise - Teams that need guidance on right-sizing instances and understanding AWS service recommendations.

Who Shouldn't Use AWS Migration Evaluator

Small businesses with simple infrastructure - Organizations with just a few servers or simple applications may find the tool overly complex and the AWS Simple Monthly Calculator more appropriate.

Companies already heavily cloud-native - Organizations that are already mostly in the cloud or built cloud-first don't need migration assessment tools.

Startups or greenfield projects - New companies building fresh infrastructure can design directly for cloud without needing migration analysis.

Organizations with very limited budgets - While the tool itself is free, implementing its recommendations requires significant investment that may not be feasible for budget-constrained organizations.

Companies not considering AWS - If you're committed to other cloud providers or hybrid approaches not involving AWS, this AWS-specific tool won't be relevant.

The tool works best when you have substantial existing infrastructure to analyze and a genuine need to understand migration complexity and costs.

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• AWS Migration