Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Tackle complex migrations with VMware Cloud on AWS: Lessons from Aon (ENT224)

Summary

The session focused on the challenges, best practices, and customer experiences related to complex migrations to VMware Cloud on AWS.
The speaker emphasized the importance of understanding the scope, strategy, and timeline for migrations.
Key challenges in migrations were categorized into people, process, and technology.
The AWS structured approach to migration was highlighted, which includes the stages: Assess, Mobilize, Migrate, and Modernize.
Rajiv Khanna, CIO of Aon, shared Aon's journey and lessons learned from migrating to VMware Cloud on AWS.
Aon's migration was driven by contract expiration with a managed service provider, and the company had to decide between refreshing, migrating, or moving to the cloud.
Aon chose VMware Cloud on AWS for its migration, which involved 280 applications and 1,800 workloads within a tight timeline of 8-10 months.
The guiding principles for Aon's migration were to migrate first and modernize later, rationalize as much as possible, and use a combination of VMware Cloud on AWS and other solutions for legacy systems.
The session concluded with insights into post-migration considerations and new AWS features that support migrations, such as VMware CloudFlex Storage, Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, VMware Transit Connect, and AWS backup for VMware.

Large-scale migrations often face challenges related to aligning teams with different processes and opinions, which can be mitigated by strong leadership and clear communication.
Defining the scope and being flexible with it is crucial, as migrations can evolve with new projects or shrinking scopes.
The strategy should be communicated effectively to all teams to ensure alignment with the migration vision.
Timelines should be specific and phased, with clear goals for each phase to maintain momentum and avoid stalled migrations.
Automation is key in technology to ensure seamless migrations and reduce the risk of delays and errors.
Aon's experience underscores the importance of business alignment, thorough testing of core platform and technology, and a strong partner ecosystem for successful migrations.
Post-migration, it is essential to focus on security, optimize performance, and take advantage of cloud-native services.
AWS continues to innovate with new services and features to support migrations, emphasizing the need for customers to stay informed and utilize these resources.