For those using Pega, migrating from on-premises setups to Pega Cloud offers a unique opportunity not only to upgrade to the latest versions but also to address technical debt, setting a strong foundation for the future. This article outlines the Pega Cloud migration process, key roles involved, and how a systematic approach ensures a smooth transition.

Why Migrate to Pega Cloud?

It's a chance to modernize your Pega ecosystem while addressing any lingering technical debt, such as suboptimal configurations, outdated code, and poor guardrail scores. Modernization reduces future maintenance costs and enhances scalability and performance.

In Pega’s cloud migration services, the company offers an upgrade to the latest version of Pega without additional costs, ensuring that applications are future-proofed and take advantage of the latest features.

Key Team Members for Cloud Migration

A successful Pega Cloud migration requires the collaboration of a diverse team, each member bringing specific expertise:

• Lead Application Architect: This person must have deep knowledge of the applications being migrated. Their primary task is to run the Pega Cloud Readiness tool in non-production environments and provide the output to Pega. This step, crucial for migration assessment, takes about 30 to 60 minutes per application.
• Database Administrator (DBA): The DBA must understand custom database configurations and have the necessary permissions to run scripts to support tool installations and other migration tasks.
• Application Server Administrator: This role focuses on answering questions related to server configurations and specific infrastructure setups.
• Pega Solutions Consultant Architect: As a critical resource, this architect helps map out the migration strategy and supports technical troubleshooting.

The Pega Cloud Migration Journey

Pega has successfully migrated over 500 applications to its cloud service over the last five years. This journey follows a well-structured process, ensuring that no details are overlooked. The migration can take anywhere from 2-3 months for standard applications and up to 9-11 months for more complex systems. Below are the key phases of this process:

1. Assessment and Planning

This initial phase involves a cloud readiness assessment. The migration architecture is mapped out, along with connectivity and resource-to-lead (RTL) planning. During this stage, the following activities take place:

• Define the testing strategy
• Develop a migration project plan, outlining key timelines and milestones

2. Provisioning and Connectivity Setup

Once the plan is in place, the next step is to provision the environment on the latest Pega version and establish the required connectivity between on-premises systems and Pega Cloud.

3. Application Migration and Remediation

The core of the migration process, this phase includes:

• Migrating application rules and test data (if needed)
• Fixing application-specific issues and bugs
• Conducting unit and regression testing to ensure everything functions as expected

4. Application Validation

After migrating the application, thorough testing is performed, which includes:

• Integration testing
• End-to-end functional testing
• Security testing to ensure the system is compliant with organizational and regulatory standards

5. Data Migration Dry Run

Data migration requires careful planning and execution. This phase involves:

• Preparing for data migration
• Conducting a dry run of the data migration
• Performance testing to ensure the application can handle real-world loads
• Creating a cutover runbook to guide the final transition to production

6. Production Data Migration and Go-Live

The final phase includes:

• Reviewing the runbook and finalizing go-live plans
• Performing production data migration
• Providing post-go-live support to ensure a smooth transition

Technical Considerations

During the migration process, teams should perform a dry run in a production clone environment. This ensures that any potential issues are identified and addressed before the actual go-live, minimizing the risk of disruptions. Additionally, the migration process provides an opportunity to fix technical debt—cleaning up unused indexes, optimizing database queries, and ensuring guardrail compliance.

The Benefits of Modernizing During Migration

By addressing technical debt during the migration, organizations set a strong foundation for the future. Improved performance, scalability, and maintainability of applications in Pega Cloud are direct results of modernizing during the migration process.

Additionally, the cloud environment offers easier access to the latest Pega features and security updates, making it simpler for organizations to stay compliant and competitive in an ever-evolving market.

Conclusion

Migrating to Pega Cloud is not just a technical upgrade—it's an opportunity to modernize your systems while fixing legacy issues. By following a structured assessment, planning, and migration process, and involving the right team members, organizations can transition smoothly to the cloud and set themselves up for long-term success.

With no additional fees for the upgrade to Pega Cloud, the benefits of scalability, improved performance, and the ability to address technical debt make this migration a smart move for any organization.