Implementation Playbooks
Phased execution roadmaps from preparation through pilot, migration waves, optimisation, and complete US cloud exit.
Start Here: Quick Start Guide
Don't wait for the full programme. Concrete actions you can take this week, this month, and this quarter to begin reducing US cloud dependency.
- Immediate risk mitigation (data backups, key duplication)
- Low-hanging fruit workloads to migrate first
- European providers available on existing frameworks
- Week 1 action checklist
Application Modernisation Strategy
COTS replacement, application rewrites, and shared development. Guidance for managing in-flight migrations, upgrade risks, and coalition development opportunities.
- Current migration treatment plans (database upgrades, version management)
- COTS sovereignty assessment and replacement roadmap
- Upgrade suspension risk analysis and compensating controls
- Shared development opportunities (Autosys, ServiceNow, CRM replacements)
- Sovereign CI/CD pipeline and GitHub alternatives
Programme Overview
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Sovereign Cloud Migration Programme Phases
Phase 0 ──► Phase 1 ──► Phase 2 ──► Phase 3 ──► Phase 4 ──► Phase 5 ──► Phase 6
Prepare Pilot Foundation Wave 1 Wave 2 Optimise Exit
Wk 0-2 Wk 2-8 Wk 8-14 Wk 14-20 Wk 20-24 Ongoing Wk 24+
(Mo 0-6) (Mo 6-18) (Mo 18-30) (Mo 30-48) (Mo 48-66) (Mo 66-78) (Mo 78-84)
WARTIME: 24 WEEKS TO CORE CAPABILITY
(Peacetime: 5-7 Years / 60-84 Months)
Phase Playbooks
Phase 0: Preparation & Assessment
Timeline: Week 0-2 (Peacetime: Month 0-6) | Focus: Planning and readiness
Key Activities
- Establish cross-government programme governance
- Conduct comprehensive cloud dependency audit
- Assess sovereign supplier market and capabilities
- Develop detailed business case for investment approval
- Identify pilot migration candidates
- Engage partner jurisdictions on cooperative framework
Deliverables
- Programme charter and governance structure
- Cloud dependency inventory and risk assessment
- Sovereign supplier evaluation report
- Full business case for Treasury/Cabinet approval
- Pilot selection and plan
Success Criteria
- Investment approval secured
- Programme team established
- Pilot candidates identified and agreed
- At least one sovereign supplier engaged
Phase 1: Pilot Migration
Timeline: Week 2-8 (Peacetime: Month 6-18) | Focus: Proof of concept
Key Activities
- Deploy initial sovereign cloud platform environment
- Migrate 2-3 low-risk, non-citizen-facing workloads
- Validate architecture, security controls, operations
- Test monitoring, logging, incident response
- Document lessons learned and refine approach
- Begin workforce training programme
Pilot Workload Selection Criteria
- Non-critical (failure does not affect citizens)
- Modern architecture (cloud-native or easily containerised)
- Well-documented and understood
- Supportive department/team
- Representative of broader portfolio
Success Criteria
- Pilot workloads running successfully on sovereign platform
- Security certification achieved for pilot environment
- Operational procedures validated
- No major architectural changes required to approach
Phase 2: Platform Foundation
Timeline: Week 8-14 (Peacetime: Month 18-30) | Focus: Production platform build-out
Key Activities
- Scale sovereign cloud platform to production capacity
- Complete security certification for classified workloads
- Establish 24/7 operational capability
- Implement disaster recovery and business continuity
- Deploy shared services (identity, monitoring, networking)
- Finalise procurement frameworks for broader adoption
Platform Capabilities Required
- Kubernetes/container orchestration (production-grade)
- Object and block storage (S3-compatible)
- Managed database services (PostgreSQL, MySQL)
- Identity and access management (sovereign)
- Secrets management and encryption (sovereign key custody)
- Full observability stack (logging, metrics, tracing)
Success Criteria
- Production platform operational at scale
- Security certification for target classification levels
- SLAs meeting government requirements
- Procurement framework available for departments
Phase 3: Migration Wave 1 (High Priority)
Timeline: Week 14-20 (Peacetime: Month 30-48) | Focus: Critical and sensitive workloads
Key Activities
- Migrate high-sovereignty-risk workloads first
- Move sensitive citizen data (health, benefits, tax)
- Migrate cross-government shared services
- Parallel running with rollback capability
- Incremental cutover with validation gates
Wave 1 Workload Categories
- Critical citizen services: Benefits, healthcare records, tax
- Sensitive government data: Policy development, ministerial comms
- Shared infrastructure: Identity, notification, payment services
- High-value targets: Systems most attractive for US coercion
Success Criteria
- All high-priority workloads migrated
- No citizen service disruption
- Performance meets or exceeds previous platform
- US cloud spend reduced by 40-50%
Phase 4: Migration Wave 2 (Broad Portfolio)
Timeline: Week 20-24 (Peacetime: Month 48-66) | Focus: Remaining workloads
Key Activities
- Migrate remaining government workloads
- Address legacy system modernisation
- Complete department-by-department transitions
- Establish SECRET/TS capability where needed
- Coordinate with sub-national governments (opt-in)
Wave 2 Workload Categories
- Internal administrative systems: HR, finance, procurement
- Public websites: Information sites, open data
- Legacy systems: Mainframe integration, older applications
- Development/test environments: Non-production workloads
Success Criteria
- 95%+ of government workloads on sovereign platform
- Legacy system migration plans for remainder
- US cloud spend reduced by 80-90%
Phase 5: Optimisation
Timeline: Week 24+ (Ongoing) (Peacetime: Month 66-78) | Focus: Performance and cost tuning
Key Activities
- Performance optimisation across migrated workloads
- Cost optimisation and right-sizing
- Operational maturity improvements
- Automation and self-service enhancements
- Continuous improvement programme establishment
Optimisation Areas
- Performance: Latency, throughput, availability improvements
- Cost: Resource right-sizing, reserved capacity, spot instances
- Operations: Automation, self-healing, reduced toil
- Security: Continuous improvement, red team findings
Success Criteria
- TCO within 10% of targets
- Performance SLAs consistently met
- Operational efficiency metrics improving
- Team satisfaction and retention good
Phase 6: US Cloud Exit
Timeline: Week 24 (Core systems) (Peacetime: Month 78-84) | Focus: Complete decommissioning
Key Activities
- Final workload migration (stragglers)
- US cloud account termination
- Data deletion verification
- Contract termination
- Post-implementation review
Exit Checklist
- All data migrated and verified
- All services cutover and stable
- Backup archives created (if retention required)
- US cloud data deletion requested and confirmed
- Accounts terminated
- Contracts formally closed
Success Criteria
- Zero US cloud dependency
- All data verified deleted from US infrastructure
- No ongoing US cloud contracts
- Sovereignty achieved
Key Success Factors
Programme Governance
- Senior sponsorship (ministerial level)
- Clear accountabilities
- Regular steering oversight
- Cross-department coordination
- Risk escalation paths
Technical Excellence
- Skilled programme team
- Vendor partnership (not just procurement)
- Rigorous testing and validation
- Automation-first approach
- Continuous improvement culture
Evidence Base: What Makes Migrations Succeed
Analysis of 10 European government migration programmes identifies five critical success factors that determine programme outcomes. From the French Gendarmerie's 17-year success to Munich's political reversal, real-world evidence shows that executive commitment, training investment, and change management matter more than technology choices.
Ready to Begin
The only remaining step is the decision to act.