What migration type is needed to move virtual machines from on-premises to cloud environments?

The migration type needed to move virtual machines from on-premises to cloud environments is known as virtual-to-virtual (V2V) migration. This process specifically involves transferring virtual machines (VMs) that are already in a virtualized format to another virtualized environment, such as a cloud infrastructure.

In V2V migration, the existing VMs can maintain their configurations, settings, and applications while being moved to the new cloud environment. This is essential for organizations looking to leverage cloud services without having to rebuild their virtual machines from scratch. Generally, this method allows for easier migration when moving between different cloud providers or even different virtualization technologies.

This type of migration is particularly relevant because most on-premises environments are already virtualized, allowing organizations to seamlessly transition to cloud solutions with minimal disruption. The tools and features available in cloud service providers often support V2V migrations specifically, facilitating the retention of VM characteristics during the transition to the cloud.

Meanwhile, other migration types mentioned, such as physical-to-virtual migration or cloud-to-cloud migration, do not apply in this context of moving VMs from an on-premises setup to a cloud environment, highlighting the necessity of V2V migration for such scenarios.