What is replatforming and how does it work?
Replatforming is the process of migrating an application or system from one platform to another. This can include migrating an application or system to the cloud, a new physical data center or an upgraded version of a platform. Replatforming is characterized by migrating applications or systems with minimal changes to their underlying architecture.
The goal of this process is typically to modernize infrastructure and improve application or system performance, scalability, security and efficiency. Replatforming an application or system can also add functionalities that take advantage of the new platform without changing core functionalities. For example, an application that's replatformed to the cloud from an on-premises infrastructure might now include cloud-native features.
Replatforming is commonly used and associated with when an organization wants to move from on-premises systems to cloud-based platforms. Replatforming, in this case, enables an organization to keep familiar workflows. It's also a popular option for organizations that want to modernize legacy systems or adopt newer technologies. It's commonly used across industries, including e-commerce, financial services and healthcare.
Replatforming typically involves upgrading digital infrastructure, such as servers, databases, middleware and websites, from their existing infrastructure to a new infrastructure. Existing code is moved to a new platform and reshaped to fit, while making as few changes as possible to essential functions.
Why is replatforming important?
Replatforming plays an important role in keeping an organization's IT infrastructure modernized. When a legacy system becomes outdated, it typically begins to lack efficiency, scalability, integration capabilities and security.
By replatforming applications or systems, an organization can reap the benefits of the technologies in newer platforms. In a newer environment and on more recent technology, an application or system can see a boost in performance, security and increased flexibility for integrations. This streamlines processes, optimizes workflows and can improve the end-user experience.
How does replatforming work?
The exact methods used to replatform an application or system vary, depending on the implementation, for example:
- Lift-and-shift replatforming -- also called lift, tinker and shift -- is a basic form of replatforming that focuses on moving applications or systems from one environment to another with few changes.
- Containerization is commonly used for migrations to the cloud or microservices architectures. In this method, applications and their dependencies are encapsulated into containers that are consistent and can be deployed in different environments.
The exact implementation of replatforming is dependent on each organization and its needs, but it typically works by following these steps:
- Assess business needs. This stage includes an initial assessment of factors based on business goals and an evaluation of the current system. The organization should identify why it needs to replatform a specific application or system and then choose the best platform and migration tools based on those needs.
- Select architecture design. Any new architecture that needs to be implemented is designed, including new features that the chosen platform might enable.
- Modify code. The code behind an app or system is modified to ensure compatibility with the new platform.
- Migrate. The data is transferred to the new platform.
- Test. The application or system is tested to ensure everything functions as expected.
- Deploy. The application or system is fully deployed into the new environment. It can later be monitored and tested over time.
Replatforming vs. rehosting vs. refactoring
Replatforming is closely related to, and can be confused with, the concepts of rehosting and refactoring.
Replatforming and rehosting are the two closer concepts, as both focus on moving an application and its data from one environment to another, while making little to no changes. The defining factor between the two, however, is that, while replatforming makes small changes to optimize the application for its new environment, rehosting does not; instead, it focuses on making no changes to the application.
While replatforming and rehosting focus on making little to no changes when migrating environments, the refactoring process is associated with making more changes for better optimization. In refactoring, an application's codebase is rewritten to be optimized for design, scalability and maintainability in the new environment. Refactoring also typically requires more time and resources to complete.
Rehosting is the fastest migration effort, while replatforming is the most balanced and refactoring takes the longest.
Benefits of replatforming
Replatforming offers organizations the following benefits:
- Improved cost and return on investment (ROI). By transitioning to more efficient systems and optimizing resource utilization, organizations can reduce long-term operating costs and improve their ROI.
- Better performance. Migrating platforms can provide better processing power and responsiveness to organizations upgrading from legacy systems.
- Enhanced security. Modern platforms typically have more advanced security measures.
- Faster migration. Replatforming is a balance between rehosting and refactoring, where some changes are made for optimization, while still being relatively quick to deploy.
- High availability. Cloud-based replatforming enables high availability systems and can minimize downtime, depending on the service-level agreement.
- Enhanced user experience. Newer platforms can have better usability, as they have more modern interfaces and designs.
- Better integration. Replatforming helps an application or system better integrate with other modern technologies, services and environments.
Challenges of replatforming
However, replatforming does come with the following challenges:
- Initial cost. While optimizing systems, resource utilization and maintenance might decrease long-term costs, substantial upfront costs can include investments in new platforms, training and migration.
- Complexity. Transitioning a legacy system to a new platform can be complex, depending on the implementation, and requires careful planning and execution.
- Compatibility. It can be challenging to ensure that legacy applications and systems are compatible with new platforms.
- Partial benefits. Retaining the core application or system architecture means an organization might not be able to take advantage of the full benefits that replatforming can offer.
- Vendor lock-in. Migrating to proprietary platforms can result in less flexibility.
Examples of replatforming
The following are notable examples of organizations that used a replatforming strategy to improve their business:
- Airbnb. To improve application performance and scalability, Airbnb replatformed its main application in 2024 to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
- Nike. Nike's legacy system couldn't properly handle increased traffic loads during peak seasons, so in 2017, the company transitioned its e-commerce to Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
- Capital One. Capital One replatformed its core systems to AWS in 2015 to modernize its infrastructure and improve efficiencies.
- Adobe. In 2013, Adobe replatformed its Creative Suite from an application to its own subscription-based cloud platform -- Adobe Creative Cloud.
- FedEx. FedEx replatformed its legacy logistics management systems to a cloud platform in the late 2010s to improve operational efficiencies and increase customer satisfaction.
A legacy system can be modernized using several different methods. Learn more about some of the best approaches to legacy system modernization.
