Migrate to Microsoft Azure Cloud

using Azure Migrate.

7 min readFeb 26, 2024

Microsoft Azure is a popular choice for businesses looking to implement a hybrid cloud solution. Once you have the Azure Foundation Setup and Landing Zone Design ready, the next step is to bring your infrastructure to Azure.

Migrating to Microsoft Azure can help businesses take advantage of the cloud’s scalability, performance, and cost-saving benefits. By assessing your on-premises infrastructure, choosing the right migration strategy, planning your migration, preparing your applications and data, migrating your applications and data, optimizing your applications and data, and ensuring security and compliance, we ensure a successful migration to Microsoft Azure.

Choosing the right Migration Strategy

As you plan to migrate to Microsoft Azure, i.e., the transition from on-premises infrastructure or other cloud environments to Microsoft Azure, it must be taken into account that Azure migration is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it takes meticulous preparation and implementation. The first step in migrating to Microsoft Azure is to choose the right migration strategy.

The Mighty Rs of Migration

Businesses should follow the 7 Rs of migration: Rehost, Refactor, Revise, Rebuild, Replace, Retire, and Retain. We will look at each of these Rs in depth and provide advice on how we select the best migration approach for your company.

1. Rehost

Rehosting, also known as lift-and-shift migration, is the process of migrating applications and data from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud while leaving the application architecture intact. This is the simplest and quickest migration technique, as it involves only minor changes to the application and infrastructure. However, rehosting does not take advantage of the cloud’s scalability and cost-effectiveness. Rehosting is most appropriate for applications that are not mission-critical and do not require considerable changes.

2. Refactor

Refactoring, also known as re-architecting, is modifying the application design to take use of cloud-native capabilities and services. This method entails rewriting the application code to incorporate cloud services like serverless computing, containers, and microservices. Refactoring can boost application performance, increase scalability, and lower expenses. However, it necessitates considerable modifications to the application code and infrastructure. Refactoring works best for mission-critical systems that require considerable changes.

3. Revise

Revising is making modest modifications to the application code to take advantage of cloud features like load balancing, auto-scaling, and storage. This method requires no significant modifications to the application’s design and takes less time than reworking. Revising is best suited for apps that only need small modifications and can benefit from cloud services.

4. Rebuild

Rebuilding entails completely redesigning an application utilizing cloud-native services and architectures. This technique is time-consuming and necessitates considerable modifications to the application code and infrastructure. However, it offers the greatest advantages in terms of scalability, performance, and cost reductions. Rebuilding is most appropriate for mission-critical applications that require considerable changes.

5. Replace

Replacing means replacing an existing application with a new cloud-native application. This method is appropriate for programs that are old or no longer meet corporate needs. Replacing is a time-consuming technique, but it offers the greatest advantages in terms of scalability, performance, and cost savings.

6. Retire

Retirement entails dismantling applications and infrastructure that are no longer required. This method is appropriate for applications that are no longer in use or have been superseded by more recent applications. Retiring can assist to cut costs and streamline the relocation process.

7. Retain

Retaining means retaining apps and infrastructure on-premises. This method is appropriate for applications that can’t be transferred to the cloud owing to regulatory or compliance constraints. Retaining can help with compliance and data security.

By choosing the right migration strategy, businesses can take advantage of the Azure’s scalability, performance, and cost-saving benefits. However, it is important to carefully evaluate each application and choose the migration strategy that best meets the business requirements during the Azure Foundation Setup and Landing Zone Design phase.

Azure Cloud Migration Assessment Checklist

Migration Workload

The second stage in moving to Microsoft Azure is to determine which workloads need to be migrated. This includes determining which applications, data, and infrastructure need to be moved.

Applications are an important part of the workload that needs to be moved.

Data is another essential component of the workload that must be moved.

Infrastructure refers to the hardware, software, and network components that support applications and data.

We determine any dependencies or integration points with other applications.

Evaluating Readiness

Once we’ve determined the workload that needs to be transferred, we assess your apps’ readiness for migration. This includes evaluating your applications’ interoperability with Azure services, identifying any dependencies or integration points with other applications, and determining the potential impact on end users.

Compatibility: We test your applications’ compatibility with Azure services to guarantee that they can be transferred without trouble. This entails identifying any dependencies on certain operating systems, middleware, or other components that may be incompatible with Azure services.

Dependencies: We identify any dependencies or integration points with other apps to ensure that they may be moved successfully. This includes examining the migration’s impact on other apps and identifying any potential concerns.

Impact on End Users: We assess the potential impact of the migration on end users to ensure that they can continue to use the applications without interruption. This includes evaluating the cloud-based apps’ performance, availability, and dependability.

Migration Steps and Estimated Time

Once you’ve decided on a migration approach and identified the workload, we can begin the process. The following are the main steps involved in moving to Microsoft Azure, along with the projected time:

Planning and assessment (2–4 weeks): This includes determining the migration timetable, resource requirements, and migration strategy. We assess any potential risks and devise a backup plan. During this step, you should evaluate your on-premises infrastructure to establish its suitability for migration.

Preparing Applications and Data (2–4 Weeks): Before moving to Microsoft Azure, we prepare your applications and data for the cloud environment. This includes updating the application code to make use of cloud services and preparing the data for migration. You should also test the applications and data on the cloud to ensure they are compatible and functional.

Migration (2–4 weeks): After preparing your applications and data, we begin the migration process. Microsoft Azure offers a variety of tools and services to assist you with application and data migration, including Azure Site Recovery, Azure Database Migration Service, and Azure Data Box and Azure Migrate.

Optimization (2–4 weeks): After migrating to Microsoft Azure, we optimize your apps and data to benefit from the cloud’s scalability, performance, and cost-saving features. This includes monitoring applications and data, finding performance concerns, and optimizing them for the cloud environment.

Security and compliance (ongoing): Security and compliance are essential issues when transitioning to Microsoft Azure. You must ensure that your applications and data are secure and comply with industry and regulatory requirements. Microsoft Azure supplies the environment.

Azure Migrate

Azure Migrate is a complete suite of cloud migration tools that enables enterprises to examine and transfer their on-premises infrastructure to Azure. It is a free service offered by Microsoft that assists organizations in assessing and migrating their on-premises infrastructure to Azure. Azure Migrate offers a unified platform for assessing, migrating, and optimizing on-premises workloads. It can handle a variety of migration scenarios, including but not limited to virtual machines, databases, web applications, and virtual desktops.

Azure Migrate works in three phases: Assessment, Migration, and Optimization.

Assessment

In this phase, Azure Migrate evaluates the on-premise infrastructure to determine its preparedness for migration. Azure Migrate generates a thorough assessment report that includes migration recommendations, projected costs, and timescales. Azure Migrate offers several assessment tools, including Azure Migrate Server Assessment, Azure Migrate Database Assessment, and Azure Migrate Web App Assessment.

Migration

During this phase, Azure Migrate moves the on-premises infrastructure to Azure. Azure Migrate provides a wide range of migration scenarios, including rehosting, restructuring, and rebuilding. Azure Migrate generates a full migration report with migration status, issues, and recommendations.

Pro Tip!
Start with smaller migrations rather than bigger mission-critical workloads. By starting small, you can decrease the dangers of subsequently moving greater workloads.

Optimization

During this phase, Azure Migrate optimizes the migrated workloads to take use of Azure’s scalability, performance, and cost-saving features. Azure Migrate offers several optimization tools, including Azure Migrate Server Migration, Azure Migrate Database Migration, and Azure Migrate Web App Migration.

Benefits of Azure Migrate:

Azure Migrate offers various benefits to enterprises, including:

1. Simplified migration: Azure Migrate is a unified platform for assessing, migrating, and optimizing on-premises applications. This streamlines the migration procedure and lowers the likelihood of errors.

2. Comprehensive assessment: Azure Migrate generates a thorough assessment report that includes migration recommendations, cost estimates, and dates. This enables organizations to make informed decisions regarding their migration plan.

3. Wide range of migration scenarios: Azure Migrate can handle a wide range of migration situations, including virtual machines, databases, web apps, and virtual desktops. This enables organizations to move their complete infrastructure to Azure.

4. Cost-effective: Microsoft’s Azure Migrate service is free. This makes it a cost-effective option for enterprises wishing to switch to Azure.

Congratulations on the successful migration to Microsoft Azure Cloud!

References:

In case of any questions or concerns, find me at abhibothera.github.io.

Also read Azure Foundation Setup and Landing Zone Design.

We can help you migrate to Microsoft Azure!

About me:

Azure Wizard | 7x Microsoft Azure Certified | Solutions Architect | Azure DevOps | AVD | Security | Former Research Scholar at Georgia Tech.