AWS introduces new Application Migration Service

By Jonathan Greig 

The company launched the effort as a way to facilitate migration services for lift-and-shift migrations to AWS.

Amazon unveiled a new service designed to help customers manage “lift-and-shift” migrations of applications to AWS, according to a blog post from the company.

Channy Yun, a Principal Developer Advocate for AWS, wrote on Monday that the AWS Application Migration Service will assist in minimizing “time-intensive, error-prone manual processes by automatically replicating entire servers and converting customers’ source servers from physical, virtual, or cloud infrastructure to run natively on AWS.”

Yun added that the service makes things easier by automating the migration process for a variety of AWS applications.

Until now, customers have used CloudEndure Migration or AWS SMS for the process and AWS has urged customers to switch over to the Application Migration Service because it allows users to move applications to AWS without having to make any changes to the applications, their architecture, or the migrated servers, according to Yun.

Application Migration Service reportedly cuts the headache and costs involved in migration because users will not have to pay for “multiple migration solutions, specialized cloud development, or application-specific skills.”

Yun included a detailed explanation of the process and suggested launching non-disruptive tests before migrating because it would provide assurance that critical applications such as SAP, Oracle, and SQL Server will also work on AWS.

The service is now available to customers in parts of the US, the Asia Pacific region, and Europe. Those outside of those regions will still have to use CloudEndure Migration.

Amazon noted that the service is free for only 90 days, after which customers will be charged for any AWS infrastructure that is provisioned during migration and after cutover.