Evaluate on-premises servers, data, and applications for migration
5 minutes
5 Questions
Evaluating on-premises servers, data, and applications for migration is a critical first step in any Azure migration project. This assessment process helps organizations understand their current infrastructure and make informed decisions about cloud adoption.
The evaluation begins with discovery, …Evaluating on-premises servers, data, and applications for migration is a critical first step in any Azure migration project. This assessment process helps organizations understand their current infrastructure and make informed decisions about cloud adoption.
The evaluation begins with discovery, where you inventory all existing servers, applications, databases, and their dependencies. Azure Migrate serves as the primary tool for this purpose, providing a centralized hub to assess and track migration readiness. It can discover VMware VMs, Hyper-V VMs, physical servers, and other workloads.
During assessment, you analyze several key factors. First, examine application dependencies to understand how systems communicate with each other. The Azure Migrate dependency analysis feature helps visualize these connections, ensuring you migrate related components together.
Next, evaluate performance metrics including CPU utilization, memory consumption, disk IOPS, and network throughput. This data helps determine appropriate Azure VM sizes and storage configurations. Azure Migrate collects this information over time to provide accurate sizing recommendations.
Application compatibility assessment identifies potential issues with moving workloads to Azure. Some legacy applications may require modifications, while others might be candidates for modernization through containers or PaaS services.
Data assessment involves cataloging databases, understanding their sizes, and evaluating migration complexity. Azure Database Migration Service can assess SQL Server databases and provide compatibility reports.
Cost estimation is another essential component. Azure Migrate generates cost projections based on discovered workloads, helping build business cases for migration. You can compare on-premises costs against projected Azure expenses.
Finally, prioritize workloads based on business criticality, technical complexity, and interdependencies. Create migration waves that group related applications and establish a logical sequence for moving to Azure.
The evaluation phase produces a comprehensive migration plan with clear timelines, resource requirements, and risk mitigation strategies, setting the foundation for a successful cloud transition.
Evaluate On-Premises Servers, Data, and Applications for Migration
Why This Is Important
Evaluating on-premises infrastructure for migration is a critical first step in any cloud adoption journey. Organizations must thoroughly assess their existing environment to make informed decisions about what to migrate, how to migrate it, and what approach best suits each workload. Poor assessment leads to cost overruns, performance issues, and failed migrations. For the AZ-305 exam, this topic tests your ability to recommend appropriate assessment strategies and migration approaches.
What Is On-Premises Evaluation for Migration?
On-premises evaluation involves systematically analyzing your current infrastructure, including servers, databases, applications, and dependencies, to determine their cloud readiness. This process identifies: - Hardware and software inventory - Application dependencies and interconnections - Performance baselines and resource utilization - Compliance and security requirements - Technical debt and modernization opportunities
Key Azure Tools for Assessment
Azure Migrate The primary hub for discovering, assessing, and migrating on-premises workloads. It provides: - Server assessment and migration - Database assessment via Data Migration Assistant - Web app assessment via App Service Migration Assistant - Dependency visualization - Cost estimation for Azure resources
Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment - Discovers VMware, Hyper-V, and physical servers - Collects configuration and performance metadata - Provides Azure readiness analysis - Recommends VM sizing based on utilization data
Service Map - Automatically discovers application components - Maps dependencies between servers - Identifies communication patterns
How the Evaluation Process Works
Step 1: Discovery Deploy the Azure Migrate appliance in your on-premises environment. This lightweight appliance connects to vCenter Server, Hyper-V hosts, or physical servers to collect inventory and performance data.
Step 2: Assessment Create assessments based on collected data. Choose assessment types: - Azure VM assessment: For lift-and-shift scenarios - Azure VMware Solution assessment: For VMware workloads - Azure SQL assessment: For database migrations
Step 3: Dependency Analysis Enable dependency visualization using agent-based or agentless analysis to understand application relationships and plan migration waves.
Step 4: Right-Sizing Review recommendations for: - Performance-based sizing (uses actual utilization) - As on-premises sizing (matches current specs)
Migration Strategies (The 5 Rs)
- Rehost: Lift-and-shift with minimal changes - Refactor: Make small adjustments for cloud benefits - Rearchitect: Significantly modify for cloud-native features - Rebuild: Create new cloud-native applications - Replace: Switch to SaaS solutions
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on This Topic
Know the Tools - Azure Migrate is the central hub for all migration scenarios - Data Migration Assistant assesses SQL Server compatibility - App Service Migration Assistant evaluates web applications - Strategic Migration Assessment and Readiness Tool (SMART) helps with large-scale planning
Understand Assessment Types - Questions often ask which assessment type suits specific scenarios - Performance-based assessments are preferred for accurate sizing - As on-premises sizing is useful when performance data is unavailable
Common Question Patterns - Scenarios asking how to assess thousands of servers: Answer involves Azure Migrate with the appliance - Questions about understanding application dependencies: Focus on dependency visualization features - Cost estimation questions: Azure Migrate provides TCO analysis
Watch for Distractors - Azure Site Recovery is for replication and disaster recovery, not assessment - Azure Resource Mover moves resources between regions, not from on-premises - Ensure you distinguish between assessment and actual migration tools
Key Numbers to Remember - Azure Migrate appliance can discover up to 10,000 servers per vCenter - Performance history can be collected for up to one month - Assessment confidence ratings depend on data point availability