Core AWS Migration Skills
• AWS Migration Framework —Deep understanding of the Assess →Mobilize →Migrate & Modernize phases and the 7 R's migration strategies (Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, Retire, Retain, Relocate)
• AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) —Primary tool for lift-and-shift rehosting of VMware VMs and physical servers to EC2;experience with replication agents, launch templates, and cutover workflows
• AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) —Hands-on experience with DMS for SQL Server migrations, including Schema Conversion Tool (SCT) for heterogeneous migrations
• AWS Migration Hub —Familiarity with tracking migration progress across multiple tools and integrating partner tools
• VMware-to-AWS migration —Experience with AWS MGN, VM Import/Export, and optionally AWS Transform for VMware workloads
Infrastructure & IaC Skills
• Terraform —Strong proficiency for provisioning landing zones, VPCs, subnets, security groups, IAM roles, and target-state infrastructure on AWS
• AMI management —Creating, customizing, and managing Amazon Machine Images for standardized deployments (Optional)
• Networking —VPC design, Direct Connect/VPN setup, security groups, NACLs, Route 53 DNS cutover, and hybrid connectivity between on-prem/Azure and AWS (Optional)
Microsoft & Windows Workload Expertise
• .NET application migration —Experience migrating .NET Framework apps to AWS (EC2 rehost or refactoring to .NET Core/Linux)
• SQL Server on AWS —Knowledge of SQL Server on EC2, Amazon RDS for SQL Server, and Aurora PostgreSQL as refactoring targets
• Windows Server administration —Managing Windows workloads on EC2, licensing (BYOL vs. License Included), Active Directory integration
• Azure-to-AWS migration —Experience with VM Import/Export from Azure VHDs, understanding Azure resource mapping to AWS equivalents, and handling Azure-specific dependencies (optional)
Database Migration Skills
• DMS configuration —Setting up replication instances, source/target endpoints, and migration tasks for SQL Server
• Schema conversion —Using AWS SCT for schema analysis and conversion when refactoring databases
• Database performance tuning —Post-migration optimization and validation
• Data validation —Ensuring data integrity during and after migration
Project & Methodology Skills
• Large-scale migration experience —Proven track record with 100+ server migrations
• Wave planning —Ability to group and sequence 115 applications into migration waves based on dependencies, complexity, and business criticality
• Application discovery & dependency mapping —Using AWS Application Discovery Service or similar tools to map application interdependencies
• Cutover planning —Designing rollback plans, minimizing downtime, and coordinating maintenance windows
• RACI and stakeholder management —Defining roles across customer, partner, and AWS teams
Certifications (Recommended)
• AWS Solutions Architect –Associate (minimum) or Professional
• AWS Certified SysOps Administrator –Associate
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer –Professional (preferred for refactoring work)
• Additional: Microsoft certifications for .NET/SQL Server are a plus
Experience Requirements
Minimum 5 years infrastructure administration (Windows, networking, storage, virtualization)
Minimum 2–3 years hands-on AWS migration delivery experience
Experience with at least one datacenter exit or large-scale migration (100+ servers)
Familiarity with MAP (Migration Acceleration Program) milestones and deliverables