Azure Migration & Modernization

Azure migration is the process of transferring assets (such as applications, data, and workloads) from on-premise servers to Microsoft Azure. While the move can be challenging, it’s well worth the effort for several reasons. One is that switching to a cloud environment like Microsoft Azure helps lower overhead. There’s no need to spend money maintaining physical servers and equipment, plus applications can be optimized to run more efficiently. Migration to Azure also helps an organization become more flexible and scalable. By using only the resources that are needed, management can rapidly increase or decrease their workload as the need arises without much investment. This is great for catering to seasonal traffic spikes. Security is also enhanced after migration. Microsoft Azure always has up-to-date cybersecurity features and tools, so your data is always protected from the latest threats. IT teams can also look forward to better compliance and disaster recovery.

Because the migration process can be complex, ample preparation is key. This ensures a smooth transfer with minimal downtime and expense. The important part is to check applications and workloads for dependencies with on-premise resources. This tells whether the migration is possible using a “Lift and Shift” approach (moving the entire setup as-is) or if rebuilding or refactoring the code is required. You’ll also need to determine your storage requirements and pick the right Azure storage type. You could also choose from other solutions on the Azure marketplace. 

Agile IT is one of the few firms with a high level of expertise and experience in Azure migrations. We’ll guide you through the entire workflow, from the planning stage through deployment and licensing. We possess extensive expertise in managing migrations across a spectrum of intricate scenarios. This encompasses navigating challenging environments such as Microsoft GCC High, which necessitates strict adherence to government regulations, as well as seamlessly executing migrations from diverse source platforms. Overall, the breadth of services Agile IT offers is unmatched by few in the industry.

What Azure database migration service does Agile IT offer? Ready to migrate data to Azure? Agile IT offers AgileAscend. This is a collection of methodologies and best practices that help streamline the process while lowering costs. It covers everything from onboarding, change management, deployments and configuration, and modernization. Agile IT also has specialized services for specific situations. For example, government agencies moving to Microsoft 365 GCC High require extra steps for compliance purposes. For example, when it comes to Azure DevOps and FedRAMP, an authorization framework used for government agencies, Azure DevOps isn’t FedRAMP compliant. Agile IT is one of the few licensed firms with the expertise to handle these kinds of transitions. Mergers and acquisitions also involve an extra layer of challenges, such as consolidating user identities and application access. Agile IT provides support for M&A migrations through solutions like Security Alignment, Server Migrations, and Unified Global Address Lists.

We start with the Azure Migration Assessment Tool, which measures how ready an on-premise setup is for migration to Azure. It also estimates what will happen after the migration (including any side effects) so they’re fully ready for the shift. Next is the Azure Database Migration Service, which helps with the complex task of moving a database to the cloud. It’s especially useful for handling tricky aspects like data, schema, and object migration. Finally, Agile IT uses deployment automation tools to help speed up the process while minimizing mistakes and costs.

An assessment gauges your system's readiness for migration to Azure. It involves scanning your existing infrastructure, applications, data, and workloads. The goal is to find potential challenges and opportunities during migration – or if it’s feasible at all. No two migrations are alike, which is why assessments are crucial for dictating the strategy that will work best. For instance, it will tell IT teams whether to adopt lift-and-shift or re-platforming based on how dependent the system is to on-premise resources.