Cloud Migration Services UK: Costs, Providers & Planning
Quick answer
Cloud migration services help businesses move servers, applications, databases, files and other IT systems from existing infrastructure into a cloud environment, and a company that specialises in this can typically manage:
discovery and assessment
cloud architecture
migration planning
Azure, AWS or private-cloud selection
server migration
application migration
database migration
security
networking
testing
cutover
backup
disaster recovery
post-migration support
UK cloud migration costs vary considerably. Current public-sector supplier rate cards show cloud migration specialists charging roughly £225 to £1,500+ per consultant per day , with highly specialised services sometimes costing more.
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Authored by: Ally Cox (Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist 10+ Years’ Experience)
Reviewed by: James Ward (Telecoms Specialist, 12+ Years Experience)
Last Updated: August 2026
Key takeaways
Cloud migration can involve servers, applications, databases, files and entire infrastructure environments .
Azure, AWS and private cloud are different destinations; the right one depends on your workloads.
UK cloud migration specialists currently advertise rates from around £225 to £1,500+ per day .
Small straightforward projects may cost a few thousand pounds; complex migrations can cost tens of thousands or more.
Discovery and planning should happen before providers promise a migration price.
Moving everything unchanged is not always the best approach — some systems should be retired, replaced or modernised.
Downtime, security, data volume and application dependencies can significantly affect cost.
Ask whether the quote includes testing, rollback, backup, cutover and post-migration support .
Compare the projected ongoing cloud bill as well as the one-off migration cost.
If you already know you are moving specifically to Azure or Microsoft 365, use a specialist migration comparison instead.
Contents
What can be migrated to the cloud?
What affects cloud migration cost?
Which cloud should your business migrate to?
What are cloud migration services? Cloud migration services help you to move IT systems from one environment to another.
Common projects include:
On-premises servers → cloud
Data centre → Azure or AWS
Existing hosting → managed private cloud
Legacy application → modern cloud environment
One cloud provider → another
A cloud migration provider may handle the entire project or work alongside an internal IT team.
Services can include:
auditing existing infrastructure
identifying application dependencies
selecting a cloud platform
designing the target environment
calculating expected cloud costs
preparing networks and security
moving servers and data
testing applications
managing cutover
decommissioning old systems
The goal should not simply be to “put everything in the cloud”.
It should be to move each workload into an environment that improves cost, performance, resilience or manageability .
What can be migrated to the cloud? Businesses commonly migrate:
Workload Typical destination
Windows/Linux servers
Azure, AWS or private cloud
Business applications
Public/private cloud
SQL databases
Azure/AWS/private cloud
File servers
Cloud storage, SharePoint or private cloud
Websites
Public cloud/managed cloud hosting
Virtual machines
Azure, AWS or private cloud
Backups
Cloud backup platform
Development environments
Azure/AWS
Legacy applications
Private cloud or cloud VM
How much do cloud migration services cost? There is no single cloud migration price because the work can range from moving one simple server to relocating an entire data centre.
UK G-Cloud listings show examples such as:
£225–£1,500/day for cloud engineering and migrationaround £350/day for some cloud migration services
£400–£1,425/day for cloud migration projects£850–£1,500/day for some Azure migration specialists£500–£2,500/day for specialist cloud migration and security work
These are current supplier examples rather than a universal market average.
For early budgeting:
Migration Broad planning budget
Simple small-business migration
£1,500–£5,000+
Several servers/workloads
£5,000–£15,000+
Application + database migration
£8,000–£25,000+
Multi-server business migration
£15,000–£50,000+
Complex/hybrid migration
£25,000–£100,000+
Enterprise/data-centre migration
Bespoke
What affects cloud migration cost?
Number of servers and applications
Data volume
Application complexity
Downtime
Security
Migration approach
Want an accurate cloud migration cost?
Give providers details of your servers, applications, users and target timescale and compare tailored quotes.
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Which cloud should your business migrate to? This is often the first major decision.
Requirement Option worth comparing
Microsoft-heavy business
Azure
Cloud-native applications
AWS or Azure
Dedicated infrastructure
Private cloud
Legacy VMs
Azure/private cloud
Highly scalable applications
AWS/Azure
Combination of environments
Hybrid cloud
Unsure which is best
Independent cloud migration consultant
Azure migration Microsoft Azure is particularly worth considering where the business already uses:
Windows Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Active Directory
Microsoft 365
Microsoft security tools
Azure migrations can involve:
servers
virtual machines
databases
applications
storage
Can cloud migration happen without downtime? Sometimes.
Providers can sometimes reduce downtime using:
replication
staged migration
migration waves
database synchronisation
out-of-hours cutover
But “zero downtime” should not be accepted without understanding how it will actually be achieved.
Ask: How long will each system be unavailable during final cutover?
What should you ask a cloud migration company? Ask:
Which cloud platforms do you specialise in?
Are you independent or tied to one cloud provider?
What discovery work is included?
Which workloads should we not migrate?
What will the project cost?
What could increase the price?
How much downtime should we expect?
How will you protect our data?
Is backup included before cutover?
What happens if the migration fails?
Is rollback included?
Who performs application testing?
What will our monthly cloud bill be afterwards?
Is post-migration support included?
Who will manage the environment once the project ends?
Final verdict
Cloud migration can reduce reliance on ageing infrastructure and give businesses more flexible, resilient and scalable IT.
But migration itself is not the goal.
The goal is to put each workload in the right environment without unnecessary:
downtime
risk
cost
complexity
Current UK cloud migration specialists charge anything from a few hundred pounds to well over £1,000 per consultant day, meaning project costs can range from a few thousand pounds for simple migrations to tens of thousands for more complex environments.
Before choosing a provider, compare:
discovery
proposed cloud platform
migration method
downtime
security
testing
rollback
projected cloud costs
post-migration support
And do not assume every system needs moving.
A good cloud migration company should be willing to tell you when the best decision is to retain, replace or retire a workload rather than migrate it.
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Cloud migration FAQs What is cloud migration?
Cloud migration is the process of moving applications, servers, databases, files or other IT workloads from existing infrastructure into a cloud environment.
How much does cloud migration cost?
Simple projects may cost a few thousand pounds. Larger multi-server or application migrations can cost £10,000–£50,000+ and enterprise migrations can cost considerably more. Current UK cloud-migration consultancy rates commonly range from several hundred to over £1,000 per day.
What is a cloud migration company?
A cloud migration company assesses your existing infrastructure, designs the target cloud environment and manages the technical migration, testing and cutover.
What does a cloud migration consultant do?
A consultant can help determine which workloads should move, choose Azure, AWS, private or hybrid cloud, plan costs and risks and design the migration.
Which cloud is best for migration?
There is no universal best platform. Azure often suits Microsoft-heavy organisations, AWS is strong for many cloud-native applications, while private cloud can suit dedicated and legacy workloads.
What are the main types of cloud migration?
Common approaches include rehosting, replatforming, refactoring, repurchasing, retaining and retiring workloads.
Can cloud migration reduce IT costs?
Potentially, but not automatically. Cloud can reduce hardware and data-centre costs, while poorly sized or unmanaged cloud resources can increase monthly spending.
How long does cloud migration take?
A small migration may take a few weeks. More complex business migrations commonly take one to three months or longer.
Will cloud migration cause downtime?
Some downtime may be required during final cutover, although replication and staged migration can reduce disruption.
What is lift and shift?
Lift and shift, or rehosting, means moving a workload into cloud infrastructure with relatively little redesign.
Should we migrate every server?
No. Some systems may be better retired, replaced with SaaS or left where they are.
Is cloud migration secure?
It can be, but security needs to be built into identity, networking, encryption, backups and the target architecture.
What is hybrid cloud migration?
Hybrid cloud migration places workloads across more than one environment, such as private cloud plus Azure or AWS.
What is the difference between cloud migration and Microsoft 365 migration?
Cloud migration generally concerns infrastructure, applications and databases. Microsoft 365 migration focuses on services such as Exchange, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive.
Do cloud migration companies provide ongoing support?
Many do, but it may be a separate managed-service contract. Check what happens after migration before signing.
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Compare Cloud Migration Services Tell us:
what servers and applications you currently run
whether systems are on-premises or already hosted
approximate data volume
preferred Azure, AWS or private-cloud destination if known
downtime requirements
migration timescale
whether ongoing cloud management is required
and compare suitable UK cloud migration companies.
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Hi, I’m Ally Cox , a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.over a decade of experience in the B2B sector, I specialise in simplifying complex topics like leased lines, VoIP, business energy, HR and payroll solutions, accounting software, and EPOS systems .HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology .informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
