From Lift-And-Shift To Strategic Value: Rethinking The Role Of Data Migration
In a recent Forbes article by Carl D’Halluin, CTO at Datadobi, urges organizations to stop viewing data migration as a routine IT task and start seeing it as a strategic business opportunity. Traditionally, migration was treated as a simple “lift-and-shift”—moving data from one system to another without much thought. But with 80% of enterprise data now unstructured and scattered across on-prem, cloud, and remote environments, that approach no longer works. Fragmented infrastructure, tighter budgets, and growing compliance needs make visibility, governance, and intentionality essential. D’Halluin argues that migration should be a moment of clarity, allowing organizations to assess what data exists, who owns it, and what truly matters. By analyzing data before moving it—based on age, usage, and business relevance—organizations can reduce clutter, improve performance, and align storage with strategic goals. To succeed, migration must be business-led, not just IT-driven. This includes establishing a migration governance council, ensuring cross-departmental alignment, and planning migrations in waves based on business function or data sensitivity. It’s also crucial to define and agree on what qualifies as outdated or orphaned data—early and clearly. Ultimately, D’Halluim believes that a well-executed migration improves more than storage—it enhances compliance, strengthens AI readiness, and increases operational agility. For organizations aiming to be truly data-centric, migration is no longer just a technical step—it’s a strategic milestone.
