How Much Does Cloud Migration Cost?
1. What drives the cost
- Number and complexity of workloads. Servers, databases, batch jobs and integrations each carry their own work.
- The approach per workload. Rehost is usually the fastest path. Replatform and refactor take more engineering time, and the mix decides the bill.
- Data volume and database moves. Volume lengthens transfer time and the cutover window.
- Downtime tolerance and parallel running. Every month you run two environments is a month you pay for both.
- Commercial licensing. Windows Server, SQL Server and other licensed software can change the cost more than the instance price. Confirm the licence terms before you move.
- Team coverage across time zones. Handoffs between desks save time when the work is written down, and cost time when it is not.
2. Timelines by size
| Size | Typical scope | Elapsed time, including discovery |
|---|---|---|
| Small | A handful of servers or one application, not regulated | About 4–8 weeks |
| Medium | Several applications, shared identity, one or two databases | About 8–16 weeks |
| Large | Multi-application estate, often regulated | About 4–6 months |
These are calendar weeks for a funded team, not person-days. Larger or regulated programmes can run longer, and discovery sets the plan. A programme that needs a full rewrite sits outside these ranges.
3. Funding programs: eligibility is AWS's decision
AWS funding programs may apply to qualifying migrations. Eligibility and amounts are decided by AWS, not by TiCON. TiCON's quotes do not count on any AWS funding, so a budget should not depend on one until the eligibility assessment is back. Ask for that assessment before you build a budget around a program.
4. Get a fixed quote after discovery
We start with a free one-week discovery: inventory, dependency mapping and a total-cost-of-ownership comparison. The quote that follows is in USD, fixed for the agreed waves. It should contain:
- Discovery output: an inventory, a dependency map, a total-cost-of-ownership comparison and a wave list.
- Scope per wave, with the approach for each workload.
- A rollback plan and validation checklist for each wave.
- Professional services in USD, fixed after discovery for the agreed waves.
- Run cost after cutover, which is cloud usage billed separately on the provider's terms. Show it as its own line.
- Taxes, which apply as applicable in your jurisdiction and the contract.
Settle these budget questions before you sign:
- How many months of parallel running does the cutover plan need?
- Which licences move with the workloads, and which need new terms?
- Which legal entity signs the migration contract, and which one pays the run cost?
- Is the quote shown with tax separate, and in which currency is each line invoiced?
5. Related reading
- The 6 Rs of Cloud Migration: How to Assign Each Workload, for the strategy that drives the cost of each workload.
- Cloud Migration Checklist: Ten Gates Before Cutover, for the gates that protect the budget.
- How to Reduce Your AWS Bill: 6 Tactics That Work, for what the run cost looks like after cutover.
This page is not legal advice. Confirm applicable requirements with your counsel and compliance team, including the tax treatment of any invoice.