Move to Azure without the disruption.
A good migration to Azure starts with an honest assessment and ends with a working, secured and supported environment. We plan the move, run it and look after it afterwards.
What Azure Migration covers
What is Azure Migration?
Azure migration is the process of moving servers, applications, databases and data from your office or another host into Microsoft Azure. It can be done quickly by copying machines as they are, or more thoughtfully by redesigning parts of the system to use cloud services.
The aim is not to move everything. Some systems belong in Azure, some should be replaced by software as a service, and some should be retired. A good assessment decides which is which before any move begins.
Migrations go wrong when they are rushed. Missing dependencies, unclear owners, no rollback plan and untested cutovers cause outages. The work is in the planning.
Microsoft describes several migration strategies. Rehost, sometimes called lift and shift, moves a machine as is. Replatform moves it with small changes, such as using a managed database. Refactor redesigns it for the cloud. Replace swaps it for a software as a service product. Retire switches it off.
Azure Migrate is Microsoft’s central hub for this work. It discovers servers, assesses readiness, estimates cost and performs replication and cutover, and integrates with tools for databases and web apps.
What Azure Migration can do.
Discovery
Inventory servers, applications and dependencies using an appliance in your network.
Readiness assessment
Check each workload for Azure compatibility and recommended size.
Cost estimates
Model monthly Azure cost based on actual performance, with and without discounts.
Dependency analysis
See which servers talk to each other so they move together.
Server migration
Replicate VMware, Hyper-V and physical servers to Azure with minimal downtime.
Database migration
Move SQL Server and other databases to Azure SQL or SQL on a VM.
Test migration
Spin up a copy in Azure and test it before the real cutover.
Landing zone design
Network, identity and security set up before workloads arrive.
How Azure Migration works.
Discover
Inventory servers, applications, dependencies and owners.
Assess and plan
Choose strategy, size, region and migration waves, with costs.
Migrate
Replicate, test, cut over and verify each wave with a rollback plan.
Optimize and support
Right size, secure, back up and review cost after the move.
What happens behind the scenes.
A lightweight appliance or agent runs in your environment and collects configuration and performance data. Azure Migrate uses it to recommend sizes and estimate cost. When you are ready, replication starts: changes to the source server are continuously copied to Azure disks.
On cutover day, the source server is stopped, a final synchronization is made, and the Azure copy is started and tested. If something is wrong, the source is still intact and can be restarted. The new VM is then connected to the network, backup and monitoring, and the old server is retired after a safe period.
How it benefits your business.
A well planned migration removes hardware risk and capital cost, and gives you a platform you can resize and secure. A poorly planned one creates an outage. The business impact of doing it carefully is continuity: staff keep working and customers notice nothing.
The assessment also reveals the truth about what you run. Many businesses discover unused servers, unsupported operating systems and applications with no owner. Retiring those reduces cost and risk even before any move.
After migration, you have a documented, secured environment with backup and monitoring, and a clear view of monthly cost.
The benefits at a glance.
A plan before any move
Dependencies, risks and owners understood first.
Minimal downtime
Continuous replication and rehearsed cutover.
Fewer surprises on cost
Estimates based on real usage.
Clean up as you go
Retire unused and unsupported systems.
Secure from day one
Landing zone, backup and monitoring in place.
Support afterwards
We manage the environment after the move.
Pricing: Azure Migrate is free to use for assessment and server migration. You pay for the Azure resources you create, and for our planning and migration work. Azure prices and features change, so we confirm current pricing and design to a budget before you commit.
What this looks like day to day.
A business has twelve servers in a cupboard, several nearing end of support. Infinity runs an Azure Migrate assessment, finds that three servers can be retired and two applications can move to Microsoft 365, and migrates the remaining seven in two waves over consecutive weekends. Staff return on Monday to a faster, backed up environment.
This is an illustrative example of how the service is used, not a description of a specific client.
Mistakes we see, and how we avoid them.
Skipping discovery
Unknown dependencies break applications after the move.
Lifting everything unchanged
Moving waste to the cloud keeps the waste. Retire or replace what you can.
No rollback plan
Every cutover needs a defined way back.
Forgetting the network and identity
Without a good landing zone, migrated servers are poorly connected and insecure.
Azure Migration with Infinity.
Cloud readiness assessment
Discovery, dependencies and cost modelling.
Learn moreMigration planning
Waves, timing, communication and rollback.
Learn moreServer and database migration
Azure Migrate and database tools, with testing.
Learn moreLanding zone and governance
Foundations, policies and security.
Learn moreBackup and recovery
Backup and disaster recovery for migrated systems.
Learn morePost migration optimization
Right size and reduce cost after the move.
Learn moreHow long does an Azure migration take?
Small environments can move in weeks. Larger ones are done in waves over months. The assessment gives a realistic schedule.
Will we have downtime?
Replication keeps downtime to a short cutover window, which we schedule outside business hours.
Do we have to migrate everything?
No. Some systems should stay on site, be replaced or be retired. Many businesses run hybrid.
What if the migration fails?
We test before cutover and keep the source servers intact until you are confident, so we can roll back.
Can you migrate from other clouds?
Yes. Azure Migrate and other tools can move workloads from other hosting providers and clouds.
Talk to us about Azure Migration.
Book a free consultation. We will look at your current setup and show you where it fits.
Tell us about your IT.
We answer almost every inquiry within one business day.