Context
Industry: Enterprise IT / Outsourcing
Organization: One of the World’s Largest Digital Real Estate Tech Companies
Environment: On-prem (3 European data centers) Cloud Migration to AWS
Focus: Enterprise Cloud Migration
Scope: Assessment, architecture, migration execution
My involvement: Lead Infrastructure Architect, Architecture Team Member
Duration: 1.5 years
Year: 2023-2024
Introduction
This project was one of the largest and most complex Cloud migration initiatives delivered within Endava. The goal was to migrate an entire enterprise infrastructure from 3 physical data centers in Europe to AWS under significant time and operational pressure.
I was involved both as a Lead Infrastructure Architect for one of the migration teams and as part of the central Architecture team, working directly with senior client leadership.
The Situation
The client operated a large and tightly coupled infrastructure spread across 3 physical data centers. Over time, a significant part of the internal knowledge about the environment had been lost due to staff turnover. Documentation was incomplete, ownership was unclear, and many dependencies existed only in people’s heads.
At the same time, the data centers were facing serious operational risks. There was a real possibility of partial or full infrastructure failure if migration was delayed. These constraints left little room for experimentation or long analysis cycles.
Before any migration could begin, the organization needed a clear understanding of what actually existed and how it all worked together.
What Was Done
The project started with a comprehensive cloud migration assessment. During this phase, the full infrastructure and application landscape was analyzed. Logical applications were identified, dependencies were mapped, and application ownership was clarified both before and after migration.
Based on this assessment, multiple teams were formed to migrate logical application groups independently. I led one of these teams, responsible for planning and executing migrations within the defined architecture and timeline.
In parallel, I remained part of the central Architecture team. In this role, I worked on migration patterns and target architecture decisions, and aligned technical choices with business priorities and delivery constraints. This included regular reporting and direct communication with the client’s C-level management.
My Role
I acted as Lead Infrastructure Architect for one of the migration teams, with responsibility for technical planning, execution, and knowledge sharing.
At the same time, as a member of the Architecture team, I contributed to enterprise-level architecture decisions and helped ensure that migration activities remained aligned with business risk, timelines, and operational stability.
My team became the most effective teams in the program, both in delivery speed and in depth of understanding of the environment.
Outcomes
The full enterprise infrastructure was successfully migrated from three European data centers to AWS within approximately one and a half years.
The project reduced operational risk, removed dependency on aging physical infrastructure, and established a cloud foundation that could be evolved further. Legacy servers were archived and decommissioned in a controlled manner, completing the transition.
Key Takeaways
This project showed how critical early assessment is when knowledge about an environment is fragmented or partially lost. Without a clear view of dependencies and ownership, large-scale migration is not manageable.
It also demonstrated the importance of strong architecture leadership when multiple teams migrate in parallel under time pressure.
How This Experience Helps in Similar Situations
Large organizations often face cloud migration under imperfect conditions: missing knowledge, operational risk, and fixed deadlines. I help teams structure such migrations by starting with clarity, defining realistic migration units, and aligning technical decisions with business risk and timelines.
This reduces uncertainty and helps avoid costly rework during execution.
Related Products & Materials
Several challenges from this project are addressed in my document packs related to cloud migration assessment, dependency mapping, migration planning, and architecture governance.
Closing
If you are planning a large-scale migration from physical data centers to cloud platforms under time or risk pressure, this project reflects the type of work and responsibility I bring to such initiatives.