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Azure Migration Patterns

Azure migration patterns provide structured approaches to move workloads from on-premises or other cloud environments to Azure. These patterns help organizations achieve scalability, cost optimization, and operational excellence while minimizing risks during migration.

Technical Overview

Key Migration Patterns: 1. Rehost (Lift and Shift): Move workloads to Azure with minimal changes. 2. Refactor (Repackage): Modify applications to leverage Azure services without altering core architecture. 3. Rearchitect: Redesign applications to take full advantage of Azure's cloud-native capabilities. 4. Rebuild: Recreate applications from scratch using Azure's platform services. 5. Replace: Transition to SaaS solutions instead of migrating existing applications.

Migration Patterns in Detail

Rehost (Lift and Shift)

  • Description: Migrate workloads as-is to Azure Virtual Machines or Azure VMware Solution.
  • Use Case: Legacy applications with minimal cloud-readiness.
  • Benefits: Quick migration with minimal changes.
  • Challenges: Limited scalability and optimization for cloud-native features.

Refactor (Repackage)

  • Description: Modify applications to use Azure services like Azure App Service or Azure SQL Database.
  • Use Case: Applications that can benefit from managed services without major architectural changes.
  • Benefits: Improved scalability and reduced management overhead.
  • Challenges: Requires some code changes and testing.

Rearchitect

  • Description: Redesign applications to leverage microservices, containers, or serverless architectures.
  • Use Case: Applications requiring scalability, agility, and modernization.
  • Benefits: Fully optimized for cloud-native capabilities.
  • Challenges: Significant time and effort required for redesign.

Rebuild

  • Description: Recreate applications using Azure PaaS services like Azure Functions or Azure Kubernetes Service.
  • Use Case: Applications that need to be modernized entirely.
  • Benefits: Maximum flexibility and cloud optimization.
  • Challenges: High development effort and cost.

Replace

  • Description: Replace existing applications with SaaS solutions like Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365.
  • Use Case: Non-differentiating workloads that can be replaced with SaaS.
  • Benefits: Reduced management and operational costs.
  • Challenges: Potential data migration and user adoption issues.

Resources

- Migration Architecture Design