On-premise to Azure cloud:

Cloud migration has become more and more popular due to rapid digital transformation. Microsoft Azure cloud migration is one of the leading cloud platforms because of the services it offers as Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), Platform as a service (PaaS), and Software as a service (SaaS). Azure is an extensive collection of cloud services, which helps in everyday business challenges.  

Following an integrated approach will make your cloud migration journey successful. Let us have a look at the step-by-step procedure of the on-premises infrastructure to the Azure cloud migration.  

Steps for Azure Migration strategy: 

How to assess and design your cloud migration plan: 

• With the cloud assessment tools, compile your existing and virtual servers’ inventory in the existing environment, which should also involve the information and performance of the applications.  
• By completing this, you will be ready with the information of the servers and metadata and can quickly assess your migration plan.  
• Take the detailed outline of the servers based on their suitability. Know their dependencies between the servers. This will help you to include the application components in your migration plan.  
• Group your servers based on their objectives to represent their relevant applications. Mapping the servers will reduce risk and ensure a smooth migration.  
• Once the grouping is completed, choose the best migration plan with the cloud migration assessment tools, considering the Azure recommendations and strategies. Choose the best option depending on the suitability and budget. 

How to migrate the applications: 

• First, migrate your applications to Azure as they do not need code changes, and it is called ‘lift-to-shift migration’.  
• In the next step, you make minor changes to the application design but not to the code, and the applications will later use IaaS and Paas software offered by Azure.  
• Next, make changes to the application codebase to fit in the cloud, which can be deployable, scalable, modifying and modernizing by itself.  
• Then, rebuild the applications using the cloud-native features offered by Azure Platform as a service (PaaS). 

How to analyze and make an efficient migration plan: 

• Analyze your cloud spend more efficiently with accuracy and transparency using Azure cost management. 
• In this optimizing process, deal with your cloud environment effectively to fit in the workloads with the help of Azure hybrid benefits and Azure reserved virtual machine instances. 
• Enjoy the flexibility that Azure offers, where you can modify, secure, or make enhancements to your existing and migrated workloads. 

How to protect and manage your data: 

• Azure security center provides effective cloud security management and advanced threat protection for your cloud workloads.  
• Azure security offers you additional protection, complete visibility and control over cloud applications’ security, threat protection and recovery rates.  
• Backing up your applications in the cloud will protect you from potential security threats and avoid business disruptions while ensuring compliance.  
• Azure data monitoring options help you track the health of your applications, data, and other infrastructure by providing you with the right insights.
   

While migrating your data and applications to the cloud platform, facing some challenges is inevitable. Let us look at the challenges you could face while transferring your infrastructure to the Azure cloud.

How to overcome the Azure migration challenges: 

• Security is the primary concern for data migration. An organization should first deploy the security protocols and implement a virtual private network with end-to-end encryption.  
• The concept of Azure cloud migration is easily understandable. Before starting the migration process, train your team with Azure’s unique features and prepare them for a standard shift in the cloud.  
• It is essential to plan the time for each step involved in the cloud migration process to minimize migration downtime.  
• Check the application compatibility apart from databases with the cloud environment. The Azure test environment helps you in testing compatibility by deploying applications in it.  
• A heavy data loss or application errors relating to the Azure cloud are unlikely to happen. It is always safe to have a full-figured recovery plan in hand for a backup.  
• The application dependencies should be taken care of while migrating applications to the cloud. As most of the applications are interdependent, it is better to determine these configuration connections in advance to avoid service interruptions.  
• When migrating to the Azure cloud, you should calculate the required local bandwidth capacity in advance. In the case of a hybrid cloud platform, you should acknowledge that the traffic that ran over high-speed, low latency LAN (Local area network) previously – will run over the WAN (wide-area network). So, you should create enough local bandwidth.
   

To summarize: 

While migrating to the Azure cloud platform, never underestimate the planning scope and requirements. Lack of proper planning could result in some severe issues and disrupt the business process. It is important to plan exactly what you need for the migration plan before going ahead in order to successfully complete the Azure cloud migration. The critical step is choosing a plan and implementing it. Know more about Microsoft Azure virtual desktop updates and benefits