In the fast-paced world of technology legacy systems can often stand as barriers for organisations seeking growth. Legacy systems are defined as outdated systems which are costly to maintain are not adaptable inefficient and not very secure. Modernization of legacy systems is a time-consuming process in which data and applications are transferred from the old system to the new one. This change not only takes time but it also involves some level of risk of losing or corrupting data in the process. To avoid these problems and have a successful migration of data organisations are increasingly opting for automated data migration techniques. In this article Harika a professional DevOps Engineer describes her experience regarding the approaches of automated data migration that are changing the process of transformation from legacy systems to cloud environments for seamless functioning. Harika as DevOps Engineer was involved in automating the data migration for the modernization process of the legacy systems. One advantage of automating the migrationis less manual error which can help during the transition to cloud environments. She also contributed to enhancing the stability of the structures. These changes proved beneficial when they managed to shorten project durations and improve their functional efficiency. She was able to make migration an easier process and also increase the system’s reliability through her work with tools such as Ansible and AWS. This helped the team to modernize faster and more efficiently enabling the team to make smoother transitions hence improving the performance of the organization. Automated data migration isnt just about moving data from one system to another Harika explains. Its about ensuring the optimization of the systems for future scalability and reliability. While working within the Data Migration Service (DMS) team Harika faced the challenges which are associated with the migration of large-scale data while at the same maintaining data reliability and security. During several sprints in which she worked together with the Azure team she also proved her flexibility in terms of the platform and the requirements necessary for a modern DevOps specialist. Reflecting on her journey Harika looks back at the lessons learned during the process of modernizing legacy systems. “One of the most challenging tasks is to integrate the differences between the old and new architectures” she adds. ‘Automation is very vital in helping to close this gap because it not only moves the data but also prepares it for the new environment.’ However Harika has been able to implement measures that improve the overall efficiency of the whole system. She has been successful in reducing configurations using automation tools such as Ansible and Kubernetes therefore reducing the possibility of creating errors. The work that she has done has assisted organizations in redefining their physical environments with minimal disruption – something that is paramount in today’s world where disruption is the last thing that any organisation would desire particularly during change. Looking at the current trends Harika envisions a future where automation and cloud optimization continue to dominate the landscape of system modernization. Tools like Ansible and AWS are becoming more powerful enabling faster more efficient deployments and reducing manual work. She believes that advancements in AI and machine learning will further change the field allowing for proactive system management and predictive problem-solving. In the future we can expect AI and machine learning to play a key role in proactive system management and help us in finding & fixing problems before they affect users she predicts. Her advice is to learn how to use automation tools well and keep up with new cloud technologies. Continuous learning is essential for professionals in this field being well-versed in cloud technologies and automation can help professionals to scale and make the operations more efficient. Her experiences can stand as a testament to the power of automation in the realm of legacy system modernization. With a focus on innovation and adaptability Harika continues to pave the way for an innovative scalable and secure solution to meet the dynamic business challenges of modernizing a system. Further her work can serve as a guide to meet the needs of enterprises who are seeking to modernize their systems.