Migrating to the Cloud: Success Factors When Moving from Legacy Systems to AWS

Cloud migration of legacy IT systems has become a central part of many organizations' digital transformation strategies. Although the cloud offers scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency, the migration process involves both technical and organizational challenges. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to a successful migration of legacy systems to the AWS cloud platform, with a particular focus on the interplay between technology, organization, and leadership. The study was based on a qualitative case study of the company Playground Tech and their cloud migration efforts following the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP). Through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, key success factors were identified, such as a thoroughly executed discovery phase, strategic use of Rehost as the initial migration approach, and clear role allocation combined with focused leadership (single-threaded leadership). The results showed that a successful migration is not an isolated technical task, but rather a complex change process that requires organizational maturity, effective communication, and continuous skill development. The study confirmed previous theoretical frameworks within the field but also contributes practical insights into how established models are applied in real-world scenarios. Finally, the study discussed its limitations and potential directions for future research, such as the need for long-term follow-up and comparisons between different cloud platforms.