Cloud Migration QA Checklist

Use this concise checklist to keep migrations predictable across Azure, AWS, or hybrid setups.

Security & Identity

• MFA on all privileged accounts; break-glass account stored securely.
• Baseline policies: disable legacy auth, enforce conditional access, and restrict SSH/RDP via bastion.
• Scan images for CVEs; block unsigned or unscanned images in registries.

Networking

• Plan CIDR blocks to avoid overlaps with on-prem; document peering rules.
• Lock down security groups/NSGs to required ports; deny * by default.
• Test latency and throughput for critical apps; size VPN/ExpressRoute accordingly.

Data & Backup

• Decide replication (LRS/ZRS/GEO) per workload; encrypt at rest and in transit.
• Test restore drills for databases and file stores; document RPO/RTO per app.
• Clean up legacy backups once cutover is verified.

Performance & Observability

• Right-size instances with CPU/RAM targets; enable auto-scaling with sane limits.
• Ship logs/metrics to a central workspace; set alerts for errors, latency, and cost anomalies.
• Run load tests on staging before production cutover.

Cutover Playbook

1. Freeze changes; back up source; validate rollback path.
2. Run smoke tests post-cutover (auth, CRUD, email, payments).
3. Monitor error rates and roll back if KPIs degrade beyond thresholds.