Illustrative cloud environment
Understand the platform
Azure brings infrastructure, application hosting and data services into one platform. Begin with an inventory of your existing environment, then assess compatibility, dependencies and the responsibilities needed to run it.
What the main services mean
Virtual machines
A cloud server for an operating system and application that still needs server-level administration.
Application hosting
Managed hosting can reduce the server administration required for a supported web application.
Databases and storage
Choose a supported database or storage service according to compatibility, recovery and access needs.
Identity and access
Decide who can administer resources and how business users authenticate.
Monitoring and recovery
Define what is monitored, who responds and how backups are tested.
Migration approach
Discover and assess
Azure Migrate supports inventory, readiness assessment and migration planning. Assess dependencies before choosing a target.
Prepare the environment
Agree subscriptions, access, networking, naming, cost visibility and the proposed region.
Pilot a workload
Use a representative test to check application behaviour, data and connectivity.
Migrate and validate
Agree the transition window, validation checklist and rollback conditions.
Operate and review
Document access, updates, backup, monitoring and cost review responsibilities.
When to assess this platform
A useful platform to assess when your environment includes Microsoft applications, Windows workloads or existing Microsoft identity services. Compatibility and commercial fit still require review.
Before we propose a migration
We need workload owners, an inventory, resource usage, dependencies, data volumes, licence requirements and acceptable downtime. The region, security responsibilities and recurring budget are agreed before implementation.
What the assessment should produce
- Workload inventory and fit assessment
- Target environment and responsibility map
- Migration waves, validation and rollback criteria
- Provider cost assumptions and implementation scope
- Handover, monitoring and recovery ownership
Official platform resources
Read the official migration guidance and use the provider pricing calculator for current configuration-specific estimates.
Platform names identify environments for assessment. Partnership, certification and project delivery scope are not implied.