The AWS MAP programme, explained simply
MAP stands for Migration Acceleration Program. It is how AWS covers part of the cost of migrating from a datacentre. It is real, it is used, and it is poorly understood.
The principle is simple: AWS has an interest in workloads leaving a datacentre and landing on its platform, and agrees to contribute to the cost of that move. The contribution takes the form of service credits and partial coverage of migration work delivered by a partner.
It is calculated on the cloud consumption expected once the migration is done. That is why a case always starts with an assessment phase: without a credible estimate of the target, there is no basis for calculation.
Assess. Inventory of the existing estate, identification of migratable workloads, estimate of the target cost on AWS and of the expected gain. This phase can itself be partly funded.
Mobilise. Preparing the ground: account, network, security, governance, and migrating a first representative batch to validate assumptions.
Migrate. Moving the rest of the scope in waves, starting with the least coupled workloads.
Each phase has its own conditions. A case started without a formalised assess phase is a case that negotiates badly.
The programme targets migrations from an existing infrastructure, usually an owned datacentre or a traditional hosting provider. It does not apply to building a new platform on AWS, nor to optimising an estate already on AWS.
Going through an AWS partner is required. The partner builds the case, submits it and delivers the work. We run this path with Premaccess, an AWS Select partner.
An over-optimistic target consumption estimate. It inflates the funding requested and weakens the case at review.
A vague scope. A case that does not say precisely which workloads move, and in what order, cannot be costed.
An unrealistic schedule. Commitments made in the case become binding. A schedule you can hold beats a flattering one.
A request filed too late. Work started before approval cannot be recovered. Sequence matters as much as content.
Does MAP cover 100% of the migration cost?
No. It covers part of the cost, calculated on expected post-migration cloud consumption. What remains depends on the scope and scale of the move. Costing is done case by case, during the assess phase.
Can we file a case ourselves, without a partner?
No, going through an AWS partner is required. The partner builds the case and delivers the work. We run this path with Premaccess, an AWS Select partner.
How long does a case take to be reviewed?
Expect several weeks between the assess phase and approval, depending on the size of the scope and the quality of the inventory provided. An incomplete inventory is the leading cause of delay.
Does it apply if we are already on AWS?
Not for what is already migrated. It can however apply to a perimeter still on site or at another host that you plan to move.
This maps to our AWS Migration, MAP-funded offer, or talk it through with the founder.
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