HP 3000s are being displaced because the servers are aging, at least in some managers' views. But moving IT operations of an organization to cloud-based providers also looks attractive to a company that wants to give up on the local datacenter concept. Why make the ongoing investment in staff and new hardware and maintenance, they figure, when a supplier like Amazon Web Services or even HP's Cloud can handle that systems service?

You just need to remember there's two migrations in a cloud transition. There's a new aspect emerging in cloud migration. It's being called Data as a Service. You must separate your application from its data during the migration phase, according to Michael Daconta, VP of advanced technology at InCadence Strategic Solutions. He's the former metadata program manager for the Department of Homeland Security. Metadata tagging is a part of DaaS, he explained in an InformationWeek article.

A 3000 site that's migrating will be counting on replacing its application in order to shut off the local datacenter. That's the ultimate separation of app and data. App replacement is today's popular choice to transition off the 3000. But there's still a migration to made, even if a replacement app can be used instead of doing a lift and shift of code. Companies have to migrate their data to the cloud, too.

Data migration is just as crucial as replicating the business rules and functions of the 3000's app. This migration also introduces the opportunity to employ the powers of Master Data Management. MDM gives the company the path to a One True Source of data. A half-dozen codes for the color black, for example, all ascribed to the same product, can be organized into a consistent view.

You could assume your data is in great shape and migrate it as is -- but you miss this MDM chance to centralize data. MDM lets you create what's called an enterprise data layer. Data in the cloud is a post-MPE strategy. You won't employ the cloud unless you're leaving 3000 apps behind.