Managed hosting migration and cost checklist

Line up downtime risk, the stack you already run, backups, and the real monthly cost before you move hosts.

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1. Write down the current stack before you shop: CMS, PHP version, MySQL or MariaDB version, object cache, CDN, SSL, and cron jobs.
2. Traffic: what were peak concurrent users, and the heaviest page or asset, in the last 30 days? Use your host's stats or your own measurements.
3. What outage length is acceptable during cutover?
4. When was the last successful restore test? Ask the new host how restores work and how long they take.
5. Does email run on the same server? If it does, plan DNS and MX records separately from the site move.
6. Does the plan include an isolated staging copy?
7. Cost worksheet for 12 months: list price, backups, CDN, seats, overage, and any migration fee. Leave a cell blank if the vendor has not put it in writing.
8. Support: what are the chat or ticket hours, and will they touch application-level issues? Ask. Do not assume an SLA.
9. Security: WAF, malware scanning, and the SSH or SFTP access model. Confirm each in writing.
10. Rollback: can you keep the old host paid through one full billing cycle after cutover?

Ask the provider for any uptime or support promise. This checklist does not state an SLA, a price, or a result from a migration we performed.

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