Insight
7/4/25
Why Most Cloud Migrations Fail — and How to Cut Costs in Half
Most cloud migrations fail because companies move useless data. Learn why 80% of your data is junk and how a 30-day playbook can cut migration costs in half.
The Harsh Reality: 80% of Your Data Is Useless
Executives are told cloud migration is the future. Vendors pitch “lift and shift” strategies: move everything, modernize later.
On paper, it looks flawless:
A top-tier cloud platform.
A detailed migration schedule.
A full-time project team.
But here’s the truth: up to 80% of the data in legacy systems is worthless.
After years of operation, your systems are a garage full of digital junk:
Reports no one has opened in 5 years.
Tables from old products and initiatives.
Scripts written by employees who left years ago.
Paying millions to migrate this clutter is the fastest way to burn money.
Why Most Cloud Migrations Fail
Cloud migrations don’t fail because of technology. They fail because of scope.
The “Lift and Shift” Trap
“Lift and shift” means moving all your existing infrastructure to the cloud without changing it.
It sounds efficient, but in practice:
You migrate junk along with value.
Your cloud bill skyrockets.
Your modernization timeline stretches from months into years.
Instead of transformation, you’ve simply made the same mess more expensive.
The Real Cost of Migrating Junk
Every unused report, unused table, or undocumented script you migrate:
Increases warehouse costs.
Slows down your new system.
Creates confusion and distrust.
It’s not a tech problem. It’s a scope and governance problem.
The 30-Day Playbook to Cut Cloud Migration Costs in Half
Before you migrate a single table, run this process:
1. Map Actual Usage
Turn on logging for every report, query, and dashboard. Don’t rely on what teams say they use — collect hard evidence. You’ll be shocked at how much is never touched.
2. Triage by Business Impact
Categorize every data asset into three buckets:
Mission-Critical: Used daily or weekly, essential for running the business.
Low-Value: Used quarterly or less, low impact.
Zero-Value: No verified usage in the last 6–12 months.
This gives you a factual map of what matters.
3. Archive and Justify
Ruthlessly archive all “Zero-Value” assets to the cheapest cold storage available.
For “Low-Value” assets, require owners to justify why they should be migrated. If there’s no business case, they’re archived too.
4. Migrate Only What Matters
Only mission-critical data and processes move into the new stack. Everything else is either archived or cut. This keeps the new environment lean, trusted, and cost-effective.
The Bottom Line
Cloud migration projects don’t fail because of bad platforms. They fail because companies try to move everything — including useless data.
The fix is simple:
Audit what’s really used.
Cut what isn’t.
Archive instead of migrating junk.
Migrate only what drives the business.
Do this, and you cut migration costs in half, shorten timelines, and set up a foundation you can actually trust.
