Migrate

Migrations involve planning, executing, and optimizing workload migrations from on-premises data centers and other cloud platforms to Azure. The recommendations help organizations minimize migration risks, reduce costs, and achieve successful cloud adoption outcomes.

Plan migration

1. Assess migration readiness and skills. Evaluate your team's Azure capabilities across infrastructure, security, and application domains, then engage Microsoft partners or Azure solution architects to fill expertise gaps.

2. Choose your data migration path. Select ExpressRoute for high-bandwidth transfers, VPN gateways for encrypted connections, Azure Data Box for offline migrations, or public internet for non-sensitive data.

3. Determine the migration sequence. Map application dependencies using Azure Migrate, prioritize workloads by business criticality, and create migration schedules that avoid peak business periods.

4. Choose the migration method for each workload. Select near-zero downtime migration for mission-critical workloads or planned downtime migration for applications that accommodate maintenance windows.

5. Define rollback plan. Develop backup strategies with automated recovery scripts, establish rollback timeframes, and test recovery procedures in non-production environments.

6. Engage stakeholders on migration plan. Document migration approaches with business justification, present tested rollback procedures, validate schedules against business constraints, and establish clear success criteria.

Prepare workloads for the cloud

1. Fix compatibility issues in Azure. Deploy workload resources in test subscriptions, identify compatibility problems, replace hardcoded configurations with Azure Key Vault, and eliminate local dependencies through Azure-native services.

2. Validate workload functionality. Test network connectivity, verify authentication flows, conduct functional testing, measure performance with Azure Load Testing, and validate results against source environment baselines.

3. Create reusable infrastructure. Develop ARM templates or Bicep files for infrastructure components, create automation scripts for configuration management, and establish version control workflows.

4. Create deployment documentation. Document deployment procedures, record configuration requirements, create operational runbooks, and establish troubleshooting guides.

Execute migrations

1. Prepare stakeholders for migration. Distribute migration schedules with responsibilities, confirm technical support availability, and conduct pre-migration readiness reviews.

2. Implement a change freeze. Communicate freeze periods, implement change control procedures, and monitor source systems for unauthorized changes.

3. Finalize the production environment. Deploy infrastructure using tested templates, apply security policies, verify Azure services are operational, and confirm network connectivity.

4. Execute cutover. For near-zero downtime: configure database replication, migrate static files, pause writes for synchronization, and redirect traffic. For planned downtime: stop operations, migrate data with validation, test functionality, and redirect traffic.

5. Maintain fallback option. Retain source infrastructure, maintain network connectivity, document fallback procedures, and establish monitoring for issues.

6. Validate migration success. Test performance against success criteria, conduct functional validation, verify data integrity, and obtain formal stakeholder acceptance.

7. Support workload during stabilization. Establish dedicated support teams, update configuration databases, maintain enhanced monitoring, and document lessons learned.

Optimize workloads after migration

1. Fine-tune workload configurations. Apply Azure Advisor recommendations, implement service-specific guidance, address security recommendations, and configure monitoring.

2. Validate critical configurations. Verify monitoring captures telemetry, confirm cost tracking aligns with baselines, test backup procedures, and validate security configurations.

3. Collect and act on user feedback. Gather feedback through surveys and interviews, document issues in tracking systems, assign ownership for resolution, and communicate improvements.

4. Schedule regular workload reviews. Conduct quarterly reviews using Well-Architected Framework tools, evaluate cost optimization opportunities, assess performance metrics, and document optimization actions.

5. Optimize hybrid and multicloud dependencies. Monitor hybrid connections with Azure Arc, secure cross-environment communications, identify Azure Platform as a Service replacement opportunities, and plan systematic migration.

6. Share migration outcomes. Track cost savings with Azure Cost Management, measure performance improvements, document operational benefits, and present outcomes to stakeholders.

Decommission source workloads

1. Obtain stakeholder approval before decommissioning. Request written approval from business owners, document approval with timelines, record decisions in centralized systems, and establish audit trails.

2. Reclaim and optimize software licenses. Identify licenses eligible for Azure Hybrid Benefit, update inventory systems, reallocate unused licenses, and document changes for compliance.

3. Preserve data for compliance and recovery needs. Identify data subject to retention requirements, implement compliant storage using Azure Blob Storage, create retrieval procedures, and establish lifecycle management policies.

4. Update documentation and procedures. Update architecture diagrams, revise operational procedures, modify monitoring configurations, and archive legacy documentation with deprecation notices.

For the detailed Cloud Adoption Framework guidance, see Migrate workloads to Azure.