The 6 Rs In Azure Application Modernization

Nisarg Rami
3 min readNov 7, 2024

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Planning to move your on-premise applications to the Cloud through Azure application modernization? If so, you must remember the 6 Rs of the modernization process. Not only applications but also you can migrate data and other digital assets seamlessly utilizing one of these 6 Rs.

What are the 6 Rs of Azure app modernization?

Moving on-premise apps to the Cloud needs a clear and concise strategy. Besides the 6 Rs are kinds of strategies that make the process much easier and hassle-free. Application modernization with Azure will become efficient and effortless when you use it.

Re-host:

Also known as ‘lift and shift’, this basic approach is simple. You have to lift the applications that are currently on-premise and shift them to the Cloud. That’s all! The environment remains the same as before but works in a much more innovative way. Azure cloud modernization makes the process effective by integrating it easily with the system.

Re-platform:

This approach is quite the same as the first one. The only difference is that the apps will adjust and optimize themselves according to the Cloud environment. However, unlike “Re-hosting”, you need skilled programming knowledge to complete the integration process. If you are testing if your business system can adapt to the Cloud environment, this approach is undoubtedly for you.

Re-purchase:

This approach needs you to abandon your present applications, and replace the apps with SaaS options. No matter how convenient Azure application modernization is, this process can cause inconvenience for your team because of unfamiliarity with the new environment. Also, you can adapt to the approach by moving your license to a cloud-based server from your current local server.

Retain:

This approach is to be followed when you need to keep some of the applications as it is. It lets you retain the current environment and revisit a migration later. You can adopt this approach when you feel that changing the current environment will cause difficulties for your business. Moreover, with Azure modernization, you can decide which apps to retain and which ones to move to the Cloud.

Retire:

Several applications in the on-premise environment can lose their effectiveness with time. This is where application modernization with Microsoft Azure becomes a necessity. While moving the useful apps to the cloud, you can retire those ineffective apps. You do not have to move all the applications altogether if they have no value!

Re-factor:

This approach needs much more work than the other ones because you need an expert team to redesign and re-craft the existing apps to integrate them in the new environment. Though it can cost you more time and money, this approach makes the apps compatible with future business needs. If you have the needed resources, you can easily utilize it.

All-in-all, all 6 Rs of Azure application modernization are very effective and adaptable. All you need is the required budget and expertise. Of course, you do not need all of them, but you can choose whichever satisfies your business requirements.

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Nisarg Rami
Nisarg Rami

Written by Nisarg Rami

Nisarg Rami is a Principal Tech Lead and cloud evangelist. Majorly working in enterprise and mobile solutions for the clients from the US, Europe.

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