Migration of Servers and Database to Azure

Challenge

While Microsoft’s Windows Server and SQL Server have been the operating system and platform of choice for many enterprises for on-premise data centers, the cloud is increasingly becoming a target landscape. With support for Windows Server and SQL Server 2008 / 2008 R2 coming to an end, enterprises may face security risks and continuity challenges, and therefore need to modernize their operations with cloud technologies. However, they have to choose from a plethora of options.

Some of the key challenges faced by enterprises today are: analyzing existing landscape (Windows Server, Linux Server, SQL Server and Open-Source database environment), moving workloads and applications to Azure, and maintaining applications that are not ready to move to Azure on-premise by upgrading them to the latest version of Windows Server and SQL Server.

Solution

TCS helps build cloud-native Window Server and SQL server 2008/R2, Linux Server and open-source database in Azure by migrating enterprise servers and databases. TCS enables smooth adoption of cloud-native services in Azure by migrating enterprises on-premise servers using cloud migration factory model approach with the following solutions:

• Windows Servers: Assess and migrate on-premise Windows 2008 and 2008 R2 servers to Azure using Azure Migrate via rehost factory model; upgrade to a newer version of Windows Server VM in Azure cloud.

• Linux Servers: Assess and migrate on-premise Linux servers to Azure using Azure Migrate via rehost factory model.

• SQL Servers: Assess and migrate on-premise SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 to Azure using Azure Migrate, DMA or DMS via rehost factory model. Few SQL databases require conversion or modernization and Azure SQL Database is a recommended solution for SQL Server workloads in Azure via re-factor model.

• Open-source database: Assess and migrate existing commercially licensed software workloads to open-source license software on Azure via re-platform model. The open-source databases are MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB and MySQL.

Benefits

With TCS’ in-house tools, skills and offerings, enterprises can:

• Use extended security updates for Windows and SQL Server 2008 /2008 R2 at no additional cost by moving the on-premise Windows Server to Azure Cloud. Enterprises can save on on-premise infrastructure investments, development or modernization of application and re-platform effort. Set up fully managed and scalable open-source database integrated with Azure services for a streamlined experience.

• Improve operational efficiency with standardized provisioning of cloud services and application of consistent cloud governing policies.

• Save costs by leveraging existing resources, skills and tools to support the migration with minimal cloud-based training and transition. 

TCS Advantage

TCS brings several advantages to the table, such as:

• Strategic partnership with Microsoft: TCS has certified Azure experts with extensive domain knowledge to support the migration of servers with well-defined cloud migration factory strategies to prepare enterprises’ infrastructure for cloud adoption. TCS is an Azure Expert Managed Services Provider and Gold Partner of Microsoft. TCS collaborates closely with Microsoft’s engineering teams to design, customize, and validate solutions.

• Tools and accelerators: TCS has developed a range of accelerators, such as Cloud Counsel, Cloud Mason and Migration Factory framework, to help formulate cloud adoption strategy by providing quicker analysis or assessment reports, recommendations for cloud foundation and so on. They also increase the speed of workload migration to cloud.

• Factory-based approach: TCS has identified key business KPIs for cloud migration factory model and tracks investments and strategies against these benchmarks.

• Consumption-based pricing: An attractive catalog-based pricing model, ­with a pay-as-you-go option, helps enterprises pay only for services realized on the cloud, and de-risk themselves from making huge investments.