Cloud Migration Playbook

For Financial Services Institutions

A comprehensive strategic framework for accelerating cloud transformation in financial services

75%
Cost Reduction Potential
3x
Faster Time to Market
60%
Infrastructure Efficiency
99.99%
Uptime Guarantee

Executive Overview

The Cloud Opportunity

Financial institutions that embrace cloud transformation achieve 30-40% cost reduction, 3x faster innovation cycles, and enhanced customer experiences. The cloud enables:

  • Scalable infrastructure on demand
  • Advanced analytics and AI capabilities
  • Global reach with local compliance
  • Enhanced security and resilience
  • Rapid innovation and experimentation

Market Landscape

The financial services cloud migration market is experiencing exponential growth:

  • 17% of FS firms are "all-in" on cloud
  • 61% of banks have widespread cloud adoption
  • $50B+ annual cloud investment by 2025
  • Cloud-native fintechs disrupting traditional models
  • Regulatory clarity enabling accelerated migration

Why Now?

Multiple forces are converging to make cloud migration imperative:

  • Legacy system end-of-life approaching
  • Data center contracts expiring
  • Regulatory pressures for resilience
  • Competitive threat from digital natives
  • Customer demand for digital experiences
  • Cost pressures and efficiency mandates

Challenge Landscape

Understanding the unique challenges facing financial services institutions in cloud migration

Regulatory Compliance

Key Issues:

  • GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 compliance
  • Data residency requirements
  • Audit trail maintenance
  • Right-to-audit clauses
  • Regional regulatory variations

Impact: Delays migration, increases complexity, requires specialized expertise

Legacy System Complexity

Key Issues:

  • Mainframe and midrange systems
  • Undocumented dependencies
  • Custom COBOL/Assembler code
  • Tightly coupled architectures
  • Technical debt accumulation

Impact: High migration risk, potential business disruption, extended timelines

Data Sensitivity & Security

Key Issues:

  • Customer financial data protection
  • Multi-layered security requirements
  • Identity and access management
  • Encryption at rest and in transit
  • Vulnerability management

Impact: Requires enhanced security architecture, ongoing monitoring

Operational Resilience

Key Issues:

  • 99.99%+ uptime requirements
  • Disaster recovery and business continuity
  • Zero-downtime migration needs
  • Real-time transaction processing
  • Third-party dependencies

Impact: Complex cutover planning, rigorous testing protocols

Resource Constraints

Key Issues:

  • Limited cloud expertise
  • Budget constraints
  • Change management resistance
  • Skills gap in cloud technologies
  • Competing IT priorities

Impact: Slower adoption, dependency on external partners

Data Migration Complexity

Key Issues:

  • Petabytes of historical data
  • Data quality and cleansing
  • Real-time synchronization needs
  • Database modernization opportunities
  • Data governance frameworks

Impact: Extended timelines, data integrity risks

Challenge Interconnections

These challenges don't exist in isolation - they're deeply interconnected

Different Starting States

State 1

Cloud-Naive Organizations

Characteristics:

  • 100% on-premises infrastructure
  • Limited cloud knowledge
  • Heavy legacy system presence
  • Traditional waterfall processes

Recommended Approach: Phased migration starting with non-critical workloads, heavy investment in training and change management

State 2

Partial Cloud Adoption

Characteristics:

  • IaaS-based lift-and-shift migrations
  • Limited PaaS/SaaS adoption
  • Hybrid cloud environment
  • Basic cloud governance

Recommended Approach: Optimize existing cloud workloads, expand to PaaS/SaaS, establish cloud center of excellence

State 3

Multi-Cloud Environments

Characteristics:

  • Multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Cloud-native applications emerging
  • Fragmented governance
  • Cost optimization challenges

Recommended Approach: Consolidate and standardize, implement FinOps, modernize remaining legacy

State 4

Legacy-Heavy Institutions

Characteristics:

  • Mainframe-centric operations
  • 20-30+ year old systems
  • Mission-critical core banking
  • High technical debt

Recommended Approach: Strangler pattern, API-first modernization, gradual decomposition

Cloud Migration Playbook

A comprehensive 5-phase framework for successful cloud transformation

graph LR A[Phase 1:
Assessment & Strategy] --> B[Phase 2:
Planning & Design] B --> C[Phase 3:
Migration Preparation] C --> D[Phase 4:
Migration Execution] D --> E[Phase 5:
Optimization & Innovation] E -.-> F[Continuous Improvement Loop] F -.-> D style A fill:#6366f1,stroke:#4f46e5,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style B fill:#8b5cf6,stroke:#7c3aed,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style C fill:#a855f7,stroke:#9333ea,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style D fill:#c084fc,stroke:#a855f7,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style E fill:#d8b4fe,stroke:#c084fc,stroke-width:2px,color:#000 style F fill:#e9d5ff,stroke:#d8b4fe,stroke-width:2px,color:#000
Phase 1

Assessment & Strategy

Discovery

  • Complete application inventory
  • Infrastructure mapping and dependencies
  • Data flow analysis
  • Technical debt assessment
  • Licensing and vendor review

Duration: 4-8 weeks

Key Tools: AWS Migration Evaluator, Azure Migrate, Discovery tools

Readiness Assessment

  • Cloud maturity evaluation
  • Skills gap analysis
  • Security and compliance review
  • Organizational readiness
  • Risk assessment

Duration: 2-4 weeks

Deliverable: Readiness scorecard

Business Case Development

  • TCO analysis (5-year)
  • ROI modeling
  • Risk-benefit analysis
  • Phasing and investment plan
  • Success metrics definition

Duration: 3-4 weeks

Deliverable: Executive business case

Phase 2

Planning & Design

Application Portfolio Analysis

  • Application prioritization (Complexity, Business Value)
  • Dependency mapping
  • Migration wave planning
  • Quick wins identification
  • Retire/Retain decisions

Duration: 6-10 weeks

Key Deliverable: Migration roadmap

Migration Pattern Selection

  • 7 R's strategy per application
  • Rehost vs. Replatform decisions
  • Modernization opportunities
  • Database migration strategies
  • Integration patterns

Duration: 4-6 weeks

Typical Distribution: 60% Rehost, 20% Replatform, 10% Refactor, 10% Other

Target Architecture Design

  • Cloud architecture blueprints
  • Network topology design
  • Security architecture
  • Data architecture
  • Integration architecture

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Deliverable: Target state architecture

Phase 3

Migration Preparation

Landing Zone Setup

  • Multi-account/subscription strategy
  • Network connectivity (VPN, Direct Connect)
  • Identity federation (SSO)
  • Resource tagging standards
  • Automation frameworks (Terraform, CloudFormation)

Duration: 8-12 weeks

Key Focus: Scalable foundation

Security & Compliance Framework

  • Security controls implementation
  • Compliance mapping (PCI-DSS, SOC 2, GDPR)
  • Encryption strategy
  • Monitoring and logging setup
  • Incident response procedures

Duration: 6-8 weeks

Deliverable: Security baseline

Team Readiness

  • Cloud skills training programs
  • Migration factory setup
  • Runbook development
  • Tool provisioning
  • Communication plans

Duration: 4-6 weeks

Key Success Factor: Change management

Phase 4

Migration Execution

Wave Planning & Execution

  • Wave 0: Pilot (2-5 applications)
  • Wave 1-N: Progressive migration
  • 2-4 week wave cycles
  • Parallel wave execution
  • Continuous feedback loops

Duration: 6-24 months (varies by scale)

Factory Model: 20-50 servers per wave

Migration Patterns Execution

  • Rehost using AWS MGN/Azure Migrate
  • Database migration (AWS DMS, Azure DMS)
  • Application modernization
  • Data synchronization
  • Cutover coordination

Typical Timeline: 2-4 weeks per wave

Key Tools: CloudEndure, Migration Factory

Testing & Validation

  • Functional testing
  • Performance testing
  • Security validation
  • User acceptance testing (UAT)
  • Rollback procedures

Duration: 1-2 weeks per wave

Success Criteria: 99%+ test pass rate

Phase 5

Optimization & Innovation

Cost Optimization

  • FinOps implementation
  • Right-sizing recommendations
  • Reserved instance/savings plans
  • Spot instance utilization
  • Cost allocation and chargeback

Ongoing Activity

Target: 20-30% cost reduction post-migration

Performance Tuning

  • Application performance monitoring
  • Database optimization
  • Auto-scaling configuration
  • CDN and caching strategies
  • Network optimization

Ongoing Activity

Target: 50%+ performance improvement

Continuous Improvement

  • Cloud-native refactoring
  • Containerization (Kubernetes)
  • Serverless adoption
  • AI/ML integration
  • Innovation experimentation

Ongoing Activity

Focus: Business value realization

Migration Strategies & Patterns

The 7 R's framework for cloud migration decision-making

Rehost

Lift & Shift

Move applications to cloud without modifications

When to Use:

  • Time-sensitive migrations
  • Limited cloud expertise
  • Applications work well as-is
  • Data center exit deadline

Typical Distribution: 50-70% of portfolio

Tools: AWS Application Migration Service, Azure Migrate, CloudEndure

Timeline: 2-4 weeks per wave

Risk: Low to Medium

Replatform

Lift, Tinker & Shift

Make targeted optimizations during migration

When to Use:

  • Database modernization opportunities
  • Cloud-native services available
  • Performance improvements needed
  • Cost optimization goals

Typical Distribution: 15-25% of portfolio

Examples: RDS, Azure SQL Database, managed services

Timeline: 4-8 weeks per application

Risk: Medium

Refactor

Re-architect

Reimagine application architecture for cloud

When to Use:

  • Cloud-native benefits required
  • Significant technical debt
  • Scalability/performance critical
  • Innovation opportunity

Typical Distribution: 5-10% of portfolio

Approaches: Microservices, serverless, containers

Timeline: 3-12 months per application

Risk: High

Repurchase

Drop & Shop

Move to SaaS or cloud-native replacement

When to Use:

  • Commercial SaaS alternative exists
  • Custom app maintenance burden
  • Standardization opportunities
  • Better TCO with SaaS

Typical Distribution: 5-10% of portfolio

Examples: Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow

Timeline: 3-9 months

Risk: Medium to High

Relocate

Hypervisor-level Lift & Shift

Move infrastructure without app changes

When to Use:

  • VMware infrastructure migration
  • Minimal disruption required
  • Infrastructure modernization
  • Hybrid cloud strategy

Typical Distribution: 10-20% of portfolio

Solutions: VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution

Timeline: 1-3 weeks per wave

Risk: Low

Retire

Decommission

Shut down applications no longer needed

When to Use:

  • Redundant functionality
  • No active users
  • Compliance retention met
  • Cost reduction priority

Typical Distribution: 10-20% of portfolio

Benefit: Immediate cost savings

Timeline: 1-4 weeks

Risk: Low (with proper validation)

Retain

Revisit Later

Keep on-premises for now

When to Use:

  • Not cloud-ready yet
  • Regulatory restrictions
  • Recently refreshed hardware
  • End-of-life approaching

Typical Distribution: 5-15% of portfolio

Strategy: Hybrid cloud connectivity

Timeline: Revisit in 12-24 months

Risk: Technical debt accumulation

Strategy Selection Decision Tree

graph TD A[Start: Evaluate Application] --> B{Business Critical?} B -->|Yes| C{Modern Architecture?} B -->|No| D{Active Users?} C -->|Yes| E{Performance Issues?} C -->|No| F{Technical Debt High?} E -->|Yes| G[Consider REFACTOR] E -->|No| H[REHOST or REPLATFORM] F -->|Yes| I{Budget Available?} F -->|No| J[REHOST] I -->|Yes| G I -->|No| J D -->|Yes| K{SaaS Alternative?} D -->|No| L[RETIRE] K -->|Yes| M[REPURCHASE] K -->|No| N[RETAIN or REHOST] style A fill:#6366f1,stroke:#4f46e5,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style G fill:#10b981,stroke:#059669,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style J fill:#3b82f6,stroke:#2563eb,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style H fill:#3b82f6,stroke:#2563eb,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style L fill:#ef4444,stroke:#dc2626,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style M fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#d97706,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff style N fill:#6b7280,stroke:#4b5563,stroke-width:2px,color:#fff

Starting State Scenarios

Tailored approaches for different organizational maturity levels

Scenario A: Cloud-Naive Legacy Institution

Maturity Level: 1

Characteristics

  • Infrastructure: 100% on-premises, mainframe-heavy
  • Applications: 30+ year old core banking systems
  • Expertise: Limited cloud knowledge, traditional IT ops
  • Processes: Waterfall, change-averse culture
  • Technology: COBOL, mainframes, monolithic architecture
  • Data Centers: Multiple legacy data centers

Key Challenges

  • Massive technical debt and undocumented systems
  • Resistance to change from long-tenured staff
  • Limited cloud skills and DevOps maturity
  • Complex mainframe dependencies
  • Risk-averse culture and slow decision-making
  • Regulatory concerns about cloud security

Recommended Approach

1
Months 1-3: Foundation
  • Executive alignment and cloud vision
  • Comprehensive discovery and assessment
  • Quick win identification
  • Cloud training program launch
  • Establish cloud center of excellence
2
Months 4-9: Pilot Wave
  • Migrate 3-5 non-critical applications
  • Build landing zone and governance
  • Establish migration factory
  • Proof of concept for mainframe modernization
  • Intensive change management
3
Months 10-24: Scaled Migration
  • Wave-based migration (70% rehost)
  • Mainframe strangler pattern
  • API layer for legacy integration
  • Gradual modernization
4
Months 25+: Transformation
  • Core banking modernization
  • Cloud-native development
  • Innovation acceleration

Success Factors

  • Executive Sponsorship: C-level commitment essential
  • Change Management: 30%+ of budget on organizational change
  • Training: Comprehensive cloud skills development
  • Quick Wins: Early successes to build momentum
  • Partner Support: Heavy reliance on experienced partners
  • Patience: 3-5 year journey to cloud maturity

Scenario B: Early Cloud Adopter

Maturity Level: 2

Characteristics

  • Infrastructure: 30-40% in cloud (IaaS-heavy)
  • Cloud Strategy: Lift-and-shift focused
  • Expertise: Basic cloud operations, limited optimization
  • Governance: Initial policies, not fully mature
  • Modernization: Minimal PaaS/SaaS adoption
  • Cost Management: Limited FinOps practices

Key Challenges

  • Cloud spend growing faster than expected
  • Limited value realization from cloud
  • Hybrid complexity without full benefits
  • Skills gap in cloud-native technologies
  • Fragmented cloud governance
  • Underutilized cloud capabilities

Recommended Approach

Phase 1
Optimize & Govern (3-6 months)
  • Cloud cost optimization initiative (FinOps)
  • Right-sizing and reserved instance strategy
  • Strengthen cloud governance and security
  • Establish cloud center of excellence
  • Implement tagging and cost allocation
Phase 2
Expand & Modernize (6-12 months)
  • Continue migration of remaining workloads
  • Shift from IaaS to PaaS (RDS, managed services)
  • Containerization pilot projects
  • SaaS adoption for non-core functions
  • Advanced cloud training programs
Phase 3
Transform (12+ months)
  • Refactor key applications to cloud-native
  • Microservices and serverless adoption
  • AI/ML and advanced analytics
  • DevOps and CI/CD maturity

Success Factors

  • Value Focus: Shift from migration to value realization
  • FinOps: Implement robust cost management practices
  • Upskilling: Advanced cloud and DevOps training
  • Architecture: Move beyond lift-and-shift thinking
  • Governance: Mature cloud operating model

Scenario C: Cloud-Experienced with Modernization Needs

Maturity Level: 3

Characteristics

  • Infrastructure: 60-80% cloud-based
  • Multi-Cloud: AWS, Azure, and/or GCP presence
  • Expertise: Strong cloud operations team
  • Modernization: Mix of IaaS, PaaS, containers
  • DevOps: CI/CD pipelines established
  • Challenge: Cloud sprawl and optimization needs

Key Challenges

  • Multi-cloud complexity and inconsistency
  • Rising cloud costs without proportional value
  • Technical debt in cloud environment
  • Fragmented tooling and processes
  • Legacy workloads still on-premises
  • Need for cloud-native transformation

Recommended Approach

Focus 1
Consolidate & Standardize
  • Multi-cloud governance framework
  • Standardize on core cloud services
  • Unified monitoring and observability
  • Centralized identity and access management
  • Cloud provider rationalization
Focus 2
Optimize & Modernize
  • Aggressive FinOps and cost optimization
  • Refactor monoliths to microservices
  • Kubernetes and container adoption
  • Serverless for appropriate workloads
  • Database modernization (NoSQL, managed)
Focus 3
Innovate & Differentiate
  • AI/ML platform development
  • Real-time data analytics
  • API economy and ecosystem
  • Edge computing for low latency
  • Innovation labs and experimentation

Success Factors

  • Strategic Focus: Move from migration to innovation
  • Architecture: Cloud-native first mindset
  • FinOps: Advanced cost optimization and chargeback
  • Platform Engineering: Internal developer platforms
  • Innovation: Leverage cloud for competitive advantage

Scenario D: Digital Native with Legacy Acquisitions

Maturity Level: 4

Characteristics

  • Core Platform: Cloud-native from inception
  • Technology: Microservices, containers, serverless
  • DevOps: Mature CI/CD, infrastructure as code
  • Challenge: Legacy systems from M&A
  • Culture: Agile, innovation-focused
  • Scale: Rapid growth and expansion

Key Challenges

  • Integrating acquired legacy systems
  • Cultural clash between teams
  • Data integration and consistency
  • Regulatory compliance for legacy apps
  • Maintaining innovation velocity
  • Dual-speed IT challenges

Recommended Approach

Strategy 1
API-First Integration
  • Expose legacy systems via APIs
  • API gateway for unified access
  • Event-driven integration patterns
  • Gradual decoupling strategy
  • Maintain agility while integrating
Strategy 2
Strangler Pattern Modernization
  • Identify legacy functionality for replacement
  • Build new services in parallel
  • Gradual traffic migration
  • Eventual legacy decommissioning
  • Minimize disruption to business
Strategy 3
Selective Acceleration
  • Quick migration of compatible workloads
  • Containerization of acquired apps
  • Leverage existing cloud platform
  • Focus on data integration
  • Unified observability and monitoring

Success Factors

  • Speed: Accelerate legacy integration to maintain agility
  • Architecture: API-first, event-driven design
  • Culture: Bring acquired teams into cloud-native culture
  • Data: Unified data platform and analytics
  • Innovation: Don't let legacy slow down innovation

Competitive Landscape

Understanding the market and positioning Publicis Sapient

Accenture

Tier 1

Strengths:

  • Global scale and delivery capacity
  • Strong AWS, Azure, GCP partnerships
  • Industry-specific accelerators
  • End-to-end transformation capabilities

Approach: Comprehensive, large-scale transformations

Typical Engagement: $50M+ programs

Deloitte

Tier 1

Strengths:

  • Deep financial services expertise
  • Strong regulatory and compliance practice
  • Cloud advisory and strategy
  • Managed services offerings

Approach: Advisory-led, risk-aware transformations

Typical Engagement: $30M+ programs

IBM Services

Tier 1

Strengths:

  • Mainframe migration expertise
  • Hybrid cloud solutions (RedHat)
  • AI-powered migration tools
  • Long-term managed services

Approach: Hybrid cloud, mainframe modernization

Typical Engagement: $40M+ programs

PwC

Tier 1

Strengths:

  • Strategic advisory and business case development
  • Financial services industry depth
  • Risk and compliance integration
  • Cloud economics and FinOps

Approach: Business value-driven transformations

Typical Engagement: $25M+ programs

Cognizant

Tier 2

Strengths:

  • Banking and insurance expertise
  • Cost-competitive delivery
  • Application modernization
  • Offshore delivery model

Approach: Application-centric migrations

Typical Engagement: $15M+ programs

Publicis Sapient

Our Position

Unique Strengths:

  • Digital business transformation DNA
  • Cloud Acceleration Program (CAP) with Google
  • AWS Premier Partner with proven accelerators
  • Customer experience and innovation focus
  • Agile delivery methodology
  • Industry-specific platforms (WMX for wealth)

Sweet Spot: $10M-50M transformations with innovation focus

Competitive Comparison Matrix

Capability Accenture Deloitte IBM PwC Publicis Sapient
Financial Services Depth ●●●●● ●●●●● ●●●●○ ●●●●● ●●●●○
Cloud Migration Scale ●●●●● ●●●●○ ●●●●● ●●●○○ ●●●●○
Innovation & Agility ●●●○○ ●●●○○ ●●○○○ ●●●○○ ●●●●●
Accelerators & Tools ●●●●○ ●●●○○ ●●●●○ ●●●○○ ●●●●●
Customer Experience Focus ●●●○○ ●●○○○ ●●○○○ ●●●○○ ●●●●●
Speed to Value ●●●○○ ●●●○○ ●●○○○ ●●●○○ ●●●●●
Cost Competitiveness ●●○○○ ●●○○○ ●●○○○ ●●○○○ ●●●○○

Publicis Sapient Cloud Migration Proposition

Our differentiated approach to cloud transformation for financial services

Speed to Value

Accelerate migration timelines by 40-60% using our proven accelerators and migration factory approach. From months to weeks for standard workloads.

  • Pre-built landing zones and templates
  • Automated migration tooling
  • Parallel wave execution
  • Continuous deployment pipelines

Customer-Centric Innovation

Not just infrastructure migration - we transform customer experiences and enable new digital business models powered by cloud.

  • Customer journey mapping integrated
  • Innovation workshops and ideation
  • Rapid prototyping and MVPs
  • Experience-driven architecture

Financial Services Expertise

Deep understanding of regulatory requirements, operational resilience, and the unique challenges of financial institutions.

  • Regulatory compliance by design
  • Risk management frameworks
  • Data residency and sovereignty
  • Audit-ready documentation

Industry Accelerators

Pre-built, battle-tested platforms and accelerators that compress timelines and reduce risk for financial services migrations.

  • Cloud Acceleration Program (CAP)
  • Wealth Management Accelerator (WMX)
  • Banking modernization templates
  • Insurance platform components

Publicis Sapient Accelerators & Tools

Cloud Acceleration Program (CAP)

Google Cloud Partnership

Joint offering with Google Cloud that accelerates cloud adoption from months to weeks.

Key Features:
  • Pre-built Infrastructure: Landing zones and security baselines
  • Automated Migration: Assessment and migration tooling
  • Cost Optimization: Built-in FinOps from day one
  • Compliance: Financial services regulatory frameworks
  • Speed: 60% faster time to production
60%
Faster Migration
30%
Cost Reduction
2 weeks
To Production

Wealth Management Accelerator (WMX)

AWS Partner

Enterprise-ready accelerator for building or augmenting wealth management solutions on AWS.

Capabilities:
  • GenAI-first architecture
  • Client onboarding and KYC automation
  • Portfolio management and rebalancing
  • Compliance and reporting
  • Integration with custodians and market data

Migration Factory Framework

Industrial-scale migration approach for moving hundreds of workloads efficiently.

Components:
  • Wave planning and orchestration tools
  • Automated testing frameworks
  • Runbook templates and playbooks
  • Migration dashboards and tracking
  • Skills transfer and training

AI-Powered Migration Tools

Leverage AI/ML for intelligent migration planning and execution.

Capabilities:
  • Automated dependency discovery
  • Cost modeling and optimization
  • Pattern recognition for migration strategy
  • Anomaly detection during migration
  • Predictive analytics for wave planning

Our Delivery Methodology

1

Agile at Scale

SAFe-based delivery framework adapted for cloud migrations with 2-week sprints and continuous delivery.

2

DevSecOps Integration

Security and compliance integrated from the start with automated testing and controls.

3

Product Mindset

Treat infrastructure and platforms as products with defined owners, roadmaps, and customer feedback.

4

Skills Transfer

Embedded training and knowledge transfer ensuring your team can operate and optimize independently.

Success Metrics & KPIs

Migration Velocity

Servers migrated per week, wave cycle time, time to production

Financial Impact

TCO reduction, cost per migrated server, FinOps savings realized

Quality & Risk

Test pass rate, rollback incidents, security vulnerabilities

Adoption & Skills

Team cloud certifications, operational readiness, satisfaction scores

Scope Definition Framework

Interactive tool to define and refine your cloud migration scope

Key Scope Dimensions

Migration Scale

150
500
100 TB
75

Risk Appetite

Modernization Objectives

Starting State Maturity

Recommended Scope & Approach

Brainstorming Canvas

Use this interactive canvas to capture ideas and refine your thinking

Key Questions to Answer

Opportunities

Risks & Concerns

Stakeholders

Immediate Next Steps

Assumptions & Dependencies

Key Considerations for Financial Services

Critical factors that must be addressed throughout the migration journey

Regulatory Requirements

Must Address:

  • GDPR: Data protection, privacy by design, right to erasure
  • PCI-DSS: Payment card data security controls
  • SOC 2: Security, availability, confidentiality controls
  • GLBA: Financial privacy and safeguards (US)
  • MAS: Technology Risk Management (Singapore)
  • FCA: Operational resilience requirements (UK)

Implementation Approach:

  • Regulatory mapping workshops
  • Compliance by design architecture
  • Continuous compliance monitoring
  • Audit trail and logging frameworks

Data Residency & Sovereignty

Requirements:

  • Data must remain within specific geographic boundaries
  • Cross-border data transfer restrictions
  • Local data storage mandates
  • Regulatory reporting from in-country systems

Solution Approaches:

  • Multi-region architecture design
  • Data classification and routing
  • Regional cloud provider selection
  • Hybrid cloud for sensitive data

Operational Resilience

Requirements:

  • 99.99%+ availability SLAs
  • RTO < 4 hours, RPO < 15 minutes
  • Multi-region disaster recovery
  • Automated failover capabilities
  • Regular DR testing and validation

Implementation:

  • Active-active multi-region deployment
  • Automated backup and replication
  • Chaos engineering and resiliency testing
  • Incident response runbooks

Third-Party Risk Management

Cloud Provider Assessment:

  • Vendor due diligence and risk assessment
  • Right-to-audit clauses in contracts
  • Subprocessor management
  • Exit strategy and data portability
  • Continuous monitoring of provider security

Best Practices:

  • Shared responsibility model definition
  • Regular security assessments
  • Incident notification requirements
  • Data encryption and key management

Business Continuity Planning

Critical Elements:

  • Zero-downtime migration strategies
  • Rollback procedures for every wave
  • Business impact analysis
  • Communication plans and escalation
  • User training and readiness

Migration Approach:

  • Pilot migrations during low-volume periods
  • Phased cutover with validation gates
  • Parallel run periods for critical systems
  • 24/7 war room during cutover

Identity & Access Management

Requirements:

  • Single sign-on (SSO) and federation
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Privileged access management
  • Just-in-time access provisioning

Implementation:

  • Cloud-native IAM services
  • Integration with corporate directory
  • Automated access reviews
  • Audit logging and monitoring

Next Steps & Engagement Model

How to get started with your cloud migration journey

Ready to Get Started?

Let's discuss how Publicis Sapient can accelerate your cloud journey

Client Success Stories

Global Investment Bank

Challenge: Migrate 500+ applications from on-premises to AWS within 24 months while maintaining regulatory compliance.

Solution: Migration factory approach with Publicis Sapient accelerators, achieving 40% cost reduction.

500+
Apps Migrated
40%
Cost Reduction
22 months
Timeline

Wealth Management Firm

Challenge: Modernize legacy wealth management platform to support AI-driven advisory services.

Solution: WMX accelerator on AWS with GenAI integration, enabling new digital advisory capabilities.

3x
Lead Conversion
60%
Faster Launch
$50M+
New Revenue

Insurance Provider

Challenge: Exit legacy data centers while maintaining strict compliance and zero downtime.

Solution: Phased migration using CAP on Google Cloud with comprehensive regulatory framework.

0
Downtime Hours
35%
OpEx Reduction
100%
Compliance