5 Steps to Ensure Successful Azure Migration
With a 21% market share, Microsoft Azure is an important player in the global cloud infrastructure industry. With many business leaders eager to learn more about the benefits of cloud adoption, it is first important to understand how to migrate in the most efficient way possible.
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The advantages of Microsoft Azure adoption have been well documented in recent times with instant benefits including reduced costs, higher levels of security, improved scalability, and integration possibilities. Although there is a huge upside to cloud adoption, some businesses still view it as risky. The key factor in reducing risk is to follow the proper procedure for cloud migration. It is also helpful to be guided by an expert technology partner along the way. As the planning and procedure used is a key factor in determining success, we have compiled the top steps to ensure a seamless cloud migration.
Analysis
Before a migration, it is important to carry out an analysis of existing applications to ensure they are compatible with Azure. Storm’s team of technology experts can help this process and devise the right strategy for your company in making the transition as smooth as possible. Usually, it is best practice to begin with less complex projects to become familiar with the dependability of Azure. Sometimes applications do not work as well as on the cloud as they do on-premises and this can lead to reverse migration.
App and Data Migration
In terms of application migration, it might be necessary for apps to be re-designed or re-built to ensure that they are optimised for the cloud. However, applications which are already running on a virtual machine may be compatible with Azure straight away. In order to take advantage of the benefits of Azure as listed above, a re-build of the data model might be necessary. This would involve re-building the database as a new Azure SQL database. There are also data sync options allowing the synchronization between on premise and cloud.
Avoiding Common Issues
A recent study by HIS Markit revealed a common issue shared by 74% of 350 global IT decision makers. This issue was that they had to move an application back to their own infrastructure, which can be costly and disruptive. This is a prime example of what lack of planning and guidance can lead to. Companies can avoid this by working with a trusted technology partner to help them thorough the process from start to finish. A tip for securing a good partner is to research them and look for previous reference cases. Other issues originate from a lack of compatibility between Azure storage and existing storage and so management infrastructure will help identify these areas where mistakes may be made. Again, your technology partner will ensure this is considered before migration is complete.
Testing
It is important to test applications once they have been moved to Azure. This is done through comparing performance between on-premises and Azure and identifying if there are any problems around functionality and performance that need resolving. Often times your IT partner will provide an Azure test plan. This is a service which provides a solution for exploratory, planned manual and user acceptance testing.
Monitoring and Managing
Once the migration is complete, managing and monitoring is still a vital aspect of overseeing an Azure migration. Azure Application Insights can help enable your company to collect and analyse telemetry from each application on the cloud. This data can then be used for debugging and troubleshooting, measuring performance, monitoring resource usage, traffic analysis and capacity planning, and auditing.
To find out how Azure migration can benefit your business, watch our recent on-demand webinar 'Help Your Team Achieve a Hypervelocity State' or even check out our case study with SteriPack.
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