AWS Migration Hub: AI-Optimized Technical Reference

Core Function

AWS Migration Hub is a centralized dashboard for tracking cloud migration progress across multiple AWS migration tools and services.

Critical Context Requirements

Failure Scenarios and Consequences

• Discovery Agent Overload: Installing discovery agents on old servers maxes out CPU - never deploy during business hours
• Missing Dependencies: Automated discovery finds 90% of dependencies; the missing 10% causes weekend outages
• Silent Failures: Migration status updates appear accurate but tools fail silently without notification
• Production Cutover Failures: Teams lose track of dependencies, bringing down production during migration
• API Rate Limits: Large migrations hit undocumented rate limits without warning

Real-World Impact Thresholds

• Budget Overruns: Failed migrations cost 3-5x original budget in cleanup (Gartner research)
• Timeline Reality: "2-week" migrations actually take 6 months minimum
• Cost Inflation: AWS costs 30% higher than estimated in first year during optimization
• Setup Time: AWS claims 2-4 weeks, reality is 2-3 months
• Discovery Period: 7-14 day data collection reveals undocumented dependencies

Technical Specifications with Context

Architecture Components

• AWS Application Discovery Service: Automatic server and dependency mapping
• Migration Hub Dashboard: Centralized progress tracking across all migration tools
• Journey Templates: Pre-built checklists (work for simple migrations only)
• Network Visualization: Requires agents on all servers (rarely achieved)

Integration Ecosystem

Tool	Real Capability	Cost Reality	When It Breaks
AWS Migration Hub	Free tracking dashboard	Actually free	During complex migrations
AWS Application Migration Service	Replaces CloudEndure, zero-downtime	Included with AWS	Random timeouts
CloudEndure Professional	Enterprise-grade replication	$$$$, more than car payment	Rarely
Azure Migrate	Microsoft tracking	Free with Stockholm syndrome	During AWS service updates
Carbonite Move	Basic lift-and-shift	$$ reasonable	Complex architectures

Discovery Tool Limitations

• Agent Requirements: Must install on every server for complete visibility
• Performance Impact: Overwhelms legacy systems with insufficient resources
• Agentless Options: VMware Discovery Collectors available but less comprehensive
• System Requirements: Check before installation to prevent server crashes

Migration Strategies (6 Rs) - Implementation Reality

Rehost (Lift-and-Shift)

• What It Is: Copy servers to AWS with minimal changes
• Hidden Costs: Months of troubleshooting performance issues post-migration
• Failure Mode: Apps crash every Tuesday at 3 PM for unexplained reasons
• Success Criteria: 90% functional with acceptable performance degradation

Replatform

• What It Is: Move database to RDS, minimal application changes
• Trade-off: Save database admin overhead, learn AWS backup peculiarities
• Complexity: Moderate, database migration patterns well-established
• Time Investment: 2-4 months for standard databases

Refactor

• What It Is: Rebuild monolith as microservices
• Reality Check: Turn one complex system into 47 simple systems that hate each other
• Expertise Required: Senior architects with microservices experience
• Timeline: 12-24 months minimum for significant applications

Resource Requirements

Team Structure That Works

• Migration Office: 2-3 people understanding both legacy and AWS (spend time in meetings explaining 6-month reality)
• Application Teams: Know how applications actually work, discover undocumented dependencies
• Platform Team: AWS experts building secure environments legacy apps can't run in
• The Oracle: 15-year veteran knowing all undocumented integrations (buy them coffee)

Expertise Costs

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect: $150-250/hour for external consultants
• Migration Specialists: $200-300/hour for complex legacy systems
• 24/7 Support Window: Essential during cutover periods
• Training Investment: 3-6 months team upskilling on AWS services

Time Investments

• Discovery Phase: 2-3 months minimum for comprehensive mapping
• Pilot Migration: 1-2 applications, 3-6 months each
• Production Cutover: 48-72 hour windows with rollback plans
• Optimization Phase: 6-12 months post-migration tuning

Critical Warnings - What Documentation Doesn't Tell You

Configuration That Actually Works

• Home Region Selection: Cannot change without losing all data - choose carefully
• IAM Permissions: Role-based access prevents junior devs triggering production migrations
• API Integration: Rate limits kick in during large migrations without warning
• Network Setup: Hybrid configurations create networking nightmares

Breaking Points and Failure Modes

• Discovery Agent CPU Usage: Kills performance on servers with <4GB RAM
• Migration Tool Timeouts: AWS tools randomly timeout requiring manual intervention
• Dependency Mapping Gaps: Payment systems talking to accounting servers never documented
• Custom Authentication: Legacy systems with custom auth require manual migration
• Oracle Licensing: Specific patch levels with custom kernel modules

Production Readiness Gaps

• Default Settings: Will fail in production environments
• Performance Baselines: 30% degradation expected during optimization period
• Backup Strategies: AWS won't save you - maintain independent backups
• Rollback Procedures: Point-in-time recovery limited to specific migration tools

Partner Tool Ecosystem - When AWS Built-ins Fail

Professional-Grade Solutions

• CloudEndure: Zero-downtime replication for mission-critical systems
• Turbonomic: Right-sizing recommendations (AWS estimates always wrong)
• Zerto: Enterprise disaster recovery that functions reliably
• Device42: CMDB integration finding what AWS agents miss

Multi-Cloud Strategies

• Azure Resource Mover: Discovery beyond AWS capabilities
• VMware Cloud on AWS: AWS with VMware complexity layer
• RiverMeadow: Automated migration for heterogeneous environments

Decision Support Information

Worth It Despite Costs When

• Regulatory Compliance: Cloud-native compliance easier than on-premises
• Scalability Requirements: Elastic demand patterns benefit from cloud scaling
• Technical Debt: Legacy infrastructure maintenance exceeding cloud costs
• Disaster Recovery: AWS geographic redundancy better than single data center

Not Worth It When

• Stable Legacy Systems: Working systems with low maintenance overhead
• Compliance Restrictions: Data sovereignty preventing cloud adoption
• Cost-Sensitive Workloads: Predictable workloads cheaper on-premises
• Limited Technical Resources: Insufficient expertise for cloud management

Prerequisites Not in Documentation

• Network Architecture Review: 6-month lead time for complex networking changes
• Security Framework Alignment: Cloud security models differ from on-premises
• Application Dependency Mapping: Manual process for undocumented integrations
• Change Management Process: Organizational readiness for cloud operations

Migration Cost Reality

Budget Components

• Discovery and Assessment: $50k-200k for enterprise environments
• Migration Execution: 2-4x application development costs
• AWS Infrastructure: 30% above estimates in year one
• Consulting and Training: $500k-2M for complex migrations
• Opportunity Cost: 6-18 months reduced feature development

Hidden Expenses

• Data Transfer Charges: Massive one-time costs during initial sync
• Troubleshooting Time: 40-60% additional effort for issue resolution
• Performance Optimization: 6-12 months tuning cloud-native configurations
• Security Compliance: Additional tooling for cloud security requirements

Operational Intelligence

Community Wisdom

• AWS Forums: Migration Hub timeouts common during large transfers
• Partner Reliability: CloudEndure acquired by AWS, quality maintained
• Training Quality: AWS Skill Builder assumes existing AWS knowledge
• Support Responsiveness: Enterprise Support essential for production issues

Migration Success Patterns

• Capital One Example: 8 years, unlimited budget, 11,000 engineers
• Pilot Approach: Start with non-critical applications
• Incremental Strategy: Migrate related systems in groups
• Rollback Planning: Test rollback procedures before production cutover

Quality Indicators

• Tool Maturity: AWS Application Migration Service stable replacement for CloudEndure
• Documentation Quality: Migration Hub docs better than typical AWS documentation
• Community Support: Active re:Post forums with practical solutions
• Partner Ecosystem: 40+ certified tools addressing AWS limitations

Implementation Checklist

Pre-Migration Requirements

• Business case approved with realistic timeline (multiply estimates by 3)
• Team trained on AWS fundamentals (3-6 months training investment)
• Discovery agents tested on representative legacy systems
• Network architecture reviewed for cloud compatibility
• Rollback procedures documented and tested

Migration Execution

• Discovery phase completed with dependency validation
• Pilot migration successful with performance baselines
• Production cutover scheduled with 72-hour rollback window
• Monitoring and alerting configured for new environment
• Post-migration optimization plan with 6-month timeline

Success Criteria

• Applications functional with acceptable performance degradation
• Security compliance maintained through migration
• Team comfortable operating cloud-native environment
• Cost optimization achieving projected savings within 12 months
• Rollback capability maintained for critical systems