Migration and Optimisation services

We start any migration activities with conversations with business users to understand their needs and expectations.

Then we create an asset list including relevant interfaces and review/update architectural blueprints for systems in scope. The step after is to prioritise systems in scope and divide them into 7 "R" groups:

• Re-host (Referred to as a "lift and shift")

Move applications without changes. In large-scale, legacy migrations, organisations are looking to move quickly to meet business objectives. The majority of these applications are re-hosted. Even without implementing any cloud optimisations, it could save roughly 30% of its costs by re-hosting. Most re-hosting can be semi-automated with tools. Some customers prefer to do this manually to learn how to apply their legacy systems to the new cloud platform. Applications are easier to optimise/re-architect once they're already running in the cloud. Partly because your company will have developed the skills to do so, and partially because the hard part—migrating the application, data, and traffic—has already been done.

• Re-platform (Referred to as "lift, tinker, and shift")

Make a few cloud optimisations to achieve a tangible benefit and adopt platform services or other technologies generally seen in cloud-native applications. We will not change the core architecture of the application. The application can retain its front-end interfaces for end-users but leverage "as a service" cloud technologies. This is often the best option for enabling migration and running of legacy IT systems with newer cloud technologies.

• Re-factor / Re-architect

Re-imagine how the application is architected and developed using cloud-native features. This is driven by a strong business need to add features, scale, or performance that would otherwise be difficult to achieve in the application's existing environment.

• Re-purchase

Move from perpetual licenses to a software-as-a-service model. This will often save on staffing and application maintenance, and storage costs.

• Relocate

Move containers into ECS/EKS or VM's to VMware Cloud on AWS.

• Retire

Remove applications that are no longer needed. Once we have completed discovery for your environment, ask who owns each application. As much as 10%-20% of an enterprise IT portfolio is no longer helpful and can be turned off.

• Retain (Referred to as revisit.)

Keep critical applications for the business, but that requires significant refactoring before those can be migrated. Another reason (including recent investments, a scheduled decommission within the ROI period, or performance concerns) may outweigh the benefits of the cloud. We can revisit all applications that fall in this category at a later point in time.

Our migration services covers:

• Review, update and test backup and recovery procedures for each system in the scope.
• Draft the initial migration plan and discuss with relevant business owners to agree on the acceptance criteria.
• Agree on the migration and downtime schedule.
• Define an appropriate communication plan.
• Depends on the priorities above, start the migration of underlying dependencies (networks, data, users etc.), monitor performance, address any incidents.
• When the process is complete and users are successfully migrated, decommission the existing environment.
• Create relevant documentation and hand over management to the support team.

Our cloud cost and performance optimisation services covers:

• Review an organisation cloud footprint in scope.
• Analyse if services in scope are suitable for the organisation and its objectives.
• Review resources utilisation vs allocated sizing.
• Review if an environment configuration is in line with vendor best practices.
• Provide an actionable plan with recommendations and priorities.
• Configure auto-scaling for the production environment and auto-shutdown for any other environments.