Azure Migration Patterns

Technical Overview

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.

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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
• Cloud Adoption Framework: Migrate Overview
• Azure Migrate Documentation