Cloud-native software is not simply an existing application hosted elsewhere. It is designed around automated deployment, observable services, recoverable infrastructure and the ability to scale individual parts when demand changes.
That architecture can improve release speed and resilience, but it also adds operational complexity. A small, stable application rarely needs dozens of services. The design should follow real availability, security and growth requirements rather than a fashionable diagram.
A safe transition starts by mapping dependencies, data flows and recovery objectives. Modernise the highest-value bottleneck first, automate testing and deployment, and verify backups and rollback before moving the next workload.