Azure Cloud Migration: Steps, Strategies, Benefits & Cost

• Azure Cloud Migration Steps
• Azure Cloud Migration Strategy
• Azure Migration Tools
• Azure Cloud Migration Benefits
• Azure Migration Cost Considerations
• Why Partner with Rishabh Software for Azure Migration Services?

Migrating your resources to Azure Cloud requires a 4-step approach that requires considerable experience and thorough planning.

Assess

Start the Azure Cloud migration process by conducting a feasibility study & evaluate the existing apps to see if they are suitable for the cloud environment.

The key factors to consider include:

• Compatibility: Determine which parts of your infrastructure will benefit from migration. Identify what changes will be needed (pre-migration modifications or modernizations) for them to perform efficiently on the cloud. Utilize Azure Migrate, Azure Backup & Site Recovery tools for the same.
• Scope: Document the scope of Azure migration, including project requirements, app & server dependencies, expected outcomes, risks, and cost.
• Storage: After analyzing the storage requirements, evaluate Azure storage services and choose the best-suited solution.
• Networking: Determine virtual network creation needs to ensure high stability & performance on Azure Cloud. Use Azure DNS service or Active Directory the finalize the required number of subnets and how to manage the DNS.
• Deployment Model: Finalize the deployment model for the project from the Azure public, private, or hybrid cloud options.

Migrate

At this stage, you must choose the best-suited Azure cloud migration strategy. We have discussed them in detail in the section below. It will help you define the right tech stack for the project.

The key factors to consider include:

• Determine if you want to run apps using serverless functions, containers, or traditional Virtual Machines.
• Identify the workloads to migrate to Azure Cloud and define their order.
• Create the app architecture design & recognize required rearchitecting & refactoring activities.
• We recommend starting with a smaller POC (Proof of Concept) of applications that provide high value to the business and are easier to migrate. And then continue migrating complex applications to Azure Cloud.
• Test & validate apps on the testing & staging environments before moving them into the production environment.

Optimize

After successful application migration to Azure, monitor their performance and look for ways to optimize them.

The key factors to consider include:

• Document all the updated configurations and app changes post-migration
• Track expenses and look for ways to optimize them using an intelligent mix of Azure services
• Monitor performance to ensure you meet the migration goals & even surpass them
• Identify automation & other opportunities like rightsizing Azure resources for enhancing capabilities

Secure & Manage

Robust security, maintenance, and compliance help you reap the right migration benefits.

The key factors to consider include:

• Security: Improve the Cloud apps’ security using Azure’s security tools. Check for the functioning of security measures and respond to incidents and anomalies promptly.
• Data Protection: Safeguard your data & avoid business risks by implementing Azure’s services concerning encryption, disaster recovery, and backup. Align them with your compliance requirements.
• Monitoring: Set up Azure’s monitoring & analytics tools like Azure Monitor, Azure Application Insights, and Azure Log Analytics to track the performance of data services and compute resources in real time. It helps take the right action to ensure performance.

For CTOs and CIOs, the choice of the right cloud migration strategy is the key to success. The migration strategy you adopt determines your choice of cloud services and the steps needed to deploy applications to them. Listed below are the four alternative strategies advised by Microsoft for migrating an application to the Azure cloud.

Rehost

Migrate applications with no modifications.

Ideal for: Legacy migrations, teams with limited cloud or Azure skills.

Benefits:

• Immediate cloud ROI
• Reduced app operational cost
• Free data center space

Repackage

Moving the application to Azure with minimal code changes but not a major overhaul.

Ideal for: Applications that require modernization because of their sensitive and business-critical nature where disruption of ongoing functionality is a concern.

Benefits:

• Enhanced cloud efficiency (cost, speed & resource use)
• Improved code portability

Rearchitect

Revamp the application codebase while moving it to a cloud-native architecture.

Ideal for: Applications that require maximum agility, scalability and flexibility.

Benefits:

• Reduces cost of Ownership
• Drive agility with the cloud
• Achieve application resilience
• Enable scalability

Rebuild

Creation of same functionality from scratch by discarding the older application using the Azure’s Platform as a Service (PaaS) capabilities.

Ideal for: Applications with relatively low complexity and limited dependencies on related business processes.

Benefits:

• Freedom to innovate with readily available cloud services such as AI, IoT, blockchain, etc.
• Reduced app operational cost
• Fast & frequent app updates & feature enhancements

Read this blog to learn more about the 6 R’s of Cloud Migration Strategy, and the listed strategies would essentially answer all your questions about moving your IT assets to the cloud.

The commonly used services from Microsoft Azure are listed below to ensure a seamless migration. At Rishabh, our team has the skills & experience to utilize them immediately.

• Azure Migrate: This fully-loaded tool helps monitor, manage, and execute all the front-end work.
• Azure Data Box: It assists in data migration while maintaining robust security even in scenarios with limited network availability or time constraints.
• Azure Database Migration Service: This self-guided tool with easy-to-follow steps aids a seamless migration.
• Data Migration Assistant (DMA): Analyzes on-premise SQL servers to identify incompatibilities and errors, enabling necessary adjustments for quick & efficient data migration.
• SQL Server Migration Assistant: It helps transfer data to SQL Server or Azure Synapse Analytics.
• Azure Synapse Pathway: It moves existing data warehouses to Azure Synapse Analytics through automatic code translation.
• Azure Backup: This scalable, secure & cost-effective backup solution protects a wide range of enterprise workloads.
• Azure Site Recovery: It helps deploy replication, failover & recovery processes to keep apps running during outages.

Microsoft assessment and planning (MAP) toolkit: It assesses environments & provides workload readiness input.

Whether you want to have a hybrid cloud infrastructure or migrate to the cloud entirely, Azure is the intelligent choice. And here are 10 more reasons why it’s one of the preferred cloud platforms.

• Streamlined Infrastructure Management with a flexible pay-as-you-go subscription model
• Speed & Agility to deploy, test & maintain software and apps faster.
• Fully Integrated Development ensures timely upgrades and uninterrupted business continuity, creating a compelling business case.
• Disaster Recovery with Azure Site Recovery tool’s robust & reliable service to ensure business continuity when hit by major faults
• Reduced Costsby eliminating installation, maintenance & upgrade of local servers, and optimizing Cloud workloads
• Enhanced Security with a secure foundation, built-in security features & tools, and intelligence reporting
• Compliance with built-in controls, configuration management tools, audit reports, and more
• Simplified Management & Monitoring of Cloud & on-premise resources with a central management tool
• Seamless Migration with in-build migration tools & services that simplify the process
• High Scalability with quick scale-up & scale-down facilities and autoscaling capabilities

Azure Cloud migration provides immense advantages to businesses. However, you could encounter specific challenges during the process. Please read this blog to understand the Cloud migration challenges and their solutions.

At Rishabh, we recognize the unique challenges of every vertical and know the great opportunities that lie untapped. We will work with you to determine the best path to cloud transformation with a proof of concept. Our cloud consulting services are inclusive of readiness assessment, support services, and azure cost optimization.

Listed below are the essential cost consideration factors for MS Azure migration:

• Scope of migration (cost of offshore resources) per server
• Target app deployment option & timelines (Azure public cloud, Amazon Stack, or hybrid).
• Testing effort estimate
• Average application life span and its migration readiness – it would also cover the scope of infrastructure, code and configuration changes.
• Complexity of applications with their dependencies.
• Volume of data to transfer.
• Extent of migration automation with software licensing cost.

Post-migration considerations;

• Hiring an IT support team with Azure proficiency
• Training of in-house IT teams
• Recurring Azure infrastructure charges based on storage and compute resources, network bandwidth usage, the physical location of data centers

Rishabh Software is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner offering end-to-end Azure Consulting Services. With our experience spanning over two decades, we have a successful track record of delivering successful global multi-level cloud migrations across industries.

Whether setting up a hybrid cloud model or migrating your apps & data from other cloud platforms to Azure, you can rely on us. Our team of specialist modernizes your legacy application to the cloud while building cloud-native apps to meet your business requirements.

Here are some case studies showing how our Azure Migration Services helped our clients’ businesses:

Case Study: E-Learning Platform Modernization with Azure Cloud Migration

An Australian EdTech company wanted to expand its presence & modernize its web-based eLearning platform. Identifying scalability as their priority, our consulting team recommended using MS Azure as the cloud computing platform. This modernization & migration helped them better leverage Microsoft’s ecosystem capabilities. For cloud scalability, we consulted them to migrate from on premise to azure cloud as the cloud computing platform for data management across the connected portals. It allowed them to leverage Microsoft’s ecosystem capabilities better.

Key takeaways;

• 50% cost reduction
• 2X increase in new student registrations
• 40% improvement in learning outcomes

Read more about this case to learn how this revamped and fully responsive cloud-based e-learning platform today supports schools to enable students with an engaging curriculum that is aligned and targeted to their individual needs.

Case Study: Mobile Money Transfer App Development Utilizing Azure Cloud

A European digital services company serving banking & financial services was pursuing a cloud services partner to develop an all-inclusive money transfer platform. Their end customer wanted to build a money transaction platform that simplifies currency distribution to its global users. And further, it should be scalable and meets the international compliance norms for fraud detection, tax evasion & anti-money laundering. Our team leveraged Microsoft Azure capabilities and SQL Server to manage mission-critical database workloads for this platform. The client received limitless scalability, performance, and security to handle fund transfer transactions.

Key takeaways;

• 100% transparency and traceability of transactions
• 5x increase in operational efficiency
• Highest customer satisfaction achieved to date

Take a glance at this case study to learn more about our development approach, the technology stack of using Azure and Xamarin, and the value delivered in fund transfers and payment processing.