The Top 10 Things to Consider Before Migrating Your Business to Azure

  1. Compatibility with existing infrastructure: Before migrating to Azure, it is important to ensure that your existing infrastructure and applications are compatible with the Azure platform. This includes checking the operating systems, databases, and other software that your applications rely on to ensure that they are supported by Azure.

  2. Cost: Migrating to Azure can help to reduce costs in some cases, but it is important to carefully consider the costs associated with using Azure, including the cost of storage, compute resources, and networking. It is also important to consider any costs associated with migrating your existing applications and data to Azure.

  3. Data migration: Migrating to Azure involves moving your data from your current infrastructure to Azure storage. It is important to carefully plan this migration to ensure that your data is moved efficiently and securely, and to minimize any downtime or disruption to your business.

  4. Network connectivity: Azure requires a reliable and high-speed network connection to function effectively. It is important to ensure that your current network infrastructure is capable of supporting Azure, and to consider the costs and potential challenges of upgrading your network if necessary.

  5. Security: Azure includes a range of security features and services, but it is important to carefully consider the security implications of migrating to the cloud. This includes ensuring that your data is secure both in transit and at rest, and that you have the necessary controls in place to prevent unauthorized access to your data. A not so fun fact, lack of governance planning is the #1 reason cloud project fail.

  6. Compliance: If your organization is subject to industry regulations or other compliance requirements, it is important to ensure that Azure meets these requirements and that you have the necessary controls in place to maintain compliance.

  7. Integration with existing systems: Azure can be integrated with a wide range of existing systems and applications, but it is important to carefully consider how your current systems will integrate with Azure, and to plan for any necessary changes or upgrades.

  8. Scalability: Azure is designed to be highly scalable, but it is important to carefully consider your current and future scalability needs to ensure that you are using the appropriate resources and configurations.

  9. Support: Azure includes a range of support options, including online documentation, community forums, and paid support plans. It is important to consider what level of support you will need, and to choose the appropriate plan to meet your needs.

  10. Training and resources: Migrating to Azure may require training for your team, as well as the development of new processes and procedures. It is important to consider the resources that will be required to support this transition, and to plan for any necessary training or other support.

Number 10 should not be overlooked and I cannot stress it enough. Cloud is a paradigm shift in thinking; it is not just virtual infrastructure hosted by Microsoft. The way IT thinks must change when it comes to cloud if you are to be successful in the cloud. 

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Cloud Adoption Framework – Planning

The third phase in the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) is Planning. During this phase the topics covered are:

  • Digital Estate
  • Initial Organization Alignment
  • Skills Readiness Plan
  • Cloud Adoption Plan

There are three assets used to track the output of this phase that are critical to use.

Resource Description
Cloud journey tracker Identify your cloud adoption path based on the needs of your business.
Strategy and plan template Document decisions, as you execute your cloud adoption strategy and plan.
Cloud adoption plan generator Standardize processes by deploying a backlog to Azure Boards using a template.

The first two of these were introduced in the previous phases but the cloud adoption plan generator is new to the planning phase. This uses Azure DevOps to build a backlog of items that will align your cloud adoption efforts to a standardized process. The use of this asset is covered in more detail in the slide deck and the notes section of the slides.  

Extra Content and verbose slides

As always there is a ton of additional content in the notes sections of most slides to help prep you in using the deck. The content of the slides is quite verbose, far more verbose than what I would typically build. I prefer to use slides as guide for a conversation to keep myself on course as well as the audience. I tend to go deep when answering questions and usually encourage questions live during a presentation so I can end up down a rabbit hole and the slides are a great tool to get the presentation back on topic and to ensure I cover all the material. So, feel free to reduce the content of the slides if it works better for you. Typically, I would have someone attend a couple of presentations along with me when presenting this content, so they got a feel for the content and the flow of the presentations as well as get more knowledge of the subject before doing it themselves since we don’t have that opportunity I have included more content so that anyone can feel comfortable presenting this content after reviewing the slides a few times.