Your Guide to Azure Cloud Migration with Use Cases and Best Practices

Microsoft Azure is a robust cloud computing platform that consists of over 200 products and services. As a powerful competitor of AWS, the popularity of Azure has steadily increased over the period. Based on three pillars- SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), Azure is compatible with all Microsoft products. Azure cloud migration services can help companies leverage various business benefits of Azure like high agility and speed.

These days, companies focus on automation and digital transformation to stay ahead of the competition. In such a scenario, Azure cloud migration services can lend a helping hand. Globally, businesses can gain remote working capabilities, more scalability, and higher productivity through an effective Azure cloud migration strategy. It also makes it possible to reduce the workload of IT staff and operational costs over the period. Companies can leverage the data advantage by storing their valuable data in the cloud.

In this post, we will go through the top features and benefits of Microsoft Azure with some exciting use cases. Let’s start with the basics of Microsoft Azure.

Section 1: Understanding Azure Fundamentals

Core Concepts of Cloud Computing and Azure’s Role

Cloud computing has proven its importance in the corporate world by handling complex processes and managing data-related operations. Its four basic components are IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, and BaaS (Business as a Service). Data migration to Azure Cloud can address three components of cloud computing effectively. Azure Storage is one of the core service areas where users can get customized cloud storage solutions. This reliable and leading cloud platform can assist entrepreneurs in getting the benefit of data technology.

Microsoft Azure- Global Presence

Officially launched as Windows Azure back in February 2010, Microsoft’s cloud platform was renamed Microsoft Azure in March 2014. Today, this platform has a strong global presence with availability in 60+ regions. The availability of Microsoft Azure is higher than any other cloud provider. As a result, you can get Azure Cloud migration services in almost any country. Worldwide presence enables the Azure platform to give the necessary flexibility to users for deploying applications.

Three Azure Service Models You Need to Know

Azure offers three different service models to meet the diverse business needs of modern enterprises. These three service models are-

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

It provides the fundamental building blocks for cloud computing, such as computing, storage, and networking resources. Virtual machines (VMs) and networking resources fall under this model. 

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

It offers the complete hosting and management of applications by Microsoft. It includes some of the Microsoft applications like Microsoft Office 365, Azure Active Directory, etc.

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

It gives a powerful platform for developing, deploying, and managing applications. The PaaS model involves various Azure Functions and Azure Logic Apps with various services.

Importance of ARM (Azure Resource Manager) in App Resource Management

As the name suggests, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is a dedicated Azure service for creating, updating, and deleting resources in an individual Azure account. It enables users to use management features including access control, tags, and locks to keep their resources secure and organized after their deployment. ARM offers many benefits to businesses including better control over application resources and clarifying the organization’s billing. It enables users to view various costs for different groups of resources that have the same tag. Also, it facilitates users to define the dependencies between various resources.

Section 2: Key Azure Services and Solutions

Here is the list of core services and solutions of Azure. This list will help you make a successful cloud migration strategy for the Azure platform.

Computing Services

• Virtual Machines (VMs)– Create and run custom virtual machines with the latest Windows and Linux OS.
• App Service– Build, deploy, and scale web, mobile, and API apps on a fully managed platform.
• Azure Functions– Run code on demand without having to manage servers or infrastructure.
• Azure Container Service– Deploy and manage containerized apps thereby facilitating the DevOps approach.

Storage and Databases

• Blob Storage– Store large amounts of unstructured data such as images, text, and videos.
• Data Lake Storage– Store massive amounts of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.
• Azure SQL Database– A fully managed relational database service for storing complex data.
• Azure Cosmos DB– A globally distributed, multi-model database service for managing the data.

Networking

• Virtual Networks– Create and manage virtual networks to connect different Azure resources.
• Load Balancing– Balance traffic across multiple servers to ensure a seamless performance.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN)– Deliver high-performance content to users worldwide.
• Network Security Groups– Control network traffic to and from Azure resources.

Identity and Security

• Azure Active Directory– A cloud-based identity and access management service.
• Azure Key Vault– Store and manage secrets such as passwords and certificates.
• Azure Security Center– It monitors Azure resources for security threats.
• Azure Defender for Cloud– It protects various Azure resources from threats.

Analytics and AI

• Azure Data Factory: Build, schedule, and orchestrate data pipelines.
• Azure Data Lake Analytics: Process large amounts of data in a distributed environment.
• Azure Machine Learning: Build, train, and deploy machine learning models.
• Azure Cognitive Services: Use pre-trained AI models to build intelligent applications.
• Data migration to Azure Cloud can offer users all these and other services.

Section 3: Introduction to Microsoft Azure Cloud Migration

95 percent of the Fortune 500 companies count on Azure for getting the advantage of cloud technology. Azure cloud migration is the right way to gain the benefits. It is about migrating applications and corporate data to the cloud through the Azure platform. After having the information on the main services and solutions, let’s discuss the cloud migration strategy in Azure.

Proven Strategies for Azure Cloud Migration

Cloud migration is the process of moving IT workloads and other data from on-premise to cloud-powered data centers. It can reduce operational costs, increase scalability, and enhance agility in processes. These days, many businesses move their data to the cloud to save money and effort. Let’s understand the key cloud migration strategies for Azure.

• Lift and shift migration

It is the simplest type of cloud migration, where you simply move your workloads and data to the cloud without making any changes.

• Replatforming

It involves making some changes to the workload and data to make them more compatible with the cloud. It is also known as Lift, Tinker, and Shift.

• Refactoring

This type of migration involves redesigning the workload and data from the ground up to take advantage of the cloud's capabilities.

It is better to consult a cloud migration expert to know and implement the right Azure cloud migration strategy.

Section 4: Real-World Azure Use Cases

Microsoft Azure has the largest portfolio in the industry with over 90 compliance offerings. All the core industry sectors including healthcare, BFSI, retail, government, etc. use Azure globally and get profitable outcomes. Here are some popular use cases of Azure-

Enterprise Applications Migration

Bank of America, United Airlines, and Siemens have migrated their systems or operations to Azure to improve efficiency and reduce overheads.

DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

Microsoft, Spotify, and Netflix are three real-world examples of using Azure DevOps for their software development and deployment. 

Scalable Web Hosting

Shopify, LinkedIn, and Twitter are three big examples that have used the Azure platform for hosting their respective platforms.

Cloud Migration

Coca-Cola, GE Healthcare, and Walmart have migrated their data to Azure to enhance performance and increase scalability.

However, it is fair to mention that Azure Cloud service providers should follow the best practices for effective management and cost optimization.

Section 5: Best Practices for Azure Management and Cost Optimization

Here are some best practices for Azure management and cost optimization-

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates:

ARM templates are a way to deploy and manage Azure resources programmatically. This can help users ensure that their resources are deployed correctly and are managed in a consistent manner.

Azure Policy:

Azure Policy is a service that allows companies to enforce governance and compliance rules on their Azure resources. As a result, companies can reduce costs and improve security.

Azure Advisor

It provides recommendations for optimizing your Azure resources. This can help users identify areas where they can save money or improve performance over the period.

Azure Cost Management

Azure Cost Management service is designed to track and manage your Azure spending. This can show the areas where companies can reduce their operational costs.

Right-size your resources: Right-sizing your resources means using the right amount of resources for your needs. This can help you to reduce your costs without sacrificing performance.

Azure Hybrid Benefit

This program allows companies to get a discount on Azure compute resources if they have on-premises Windows Server or SQL Server licenses. This can save money when migrating the data.

Use Azure Cost Alerts

This feature enables corporate users to get notifications when the Azure spending exceeds a certain threshold. This can help them take measures to reduce your costs.

These practices will help you manage Azure and optimize costs while ensuring to get the most out of Azure.

Concluding Remarks

Azure cloud migration is a complex yet rewarding process. Businesses can increase agility, and improve scalability and productivity with the Azure Cloud platform. Hope that this guide will help you make strategies for the successful migration of existing business systems to Azure. You can get a competitive edge by executing the cloud migration carefully by following the best practices.

Silver Touch Technologies Canada has gained fame for offering advanced IT solutions in niche technology domains including cloud services, RPA,  Odoo ERP, and SAP Business One. We assist you in driving the growth of your enterprise through modern app development and cloud migration services. Drop us a line at info@silvertouch.ca if you want to need more about our services and Azure cloud migration strategy.

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