One of the first hurdles to overcome when you decide to use cloud is that you have to get your data and applications there. It’s important to spend time to develop a strategy for your cloud migration. Make sure to plan for the key actions to take before, during, and after the migration. If your cloud provider is Azure, ensure the migration itself runs as smoothly as possible by using these tools:

1. Azure Migrate

Microsoft provides the Azure Migrate tool to help you determine whether your on-premises workload is suitable for Azure, determine how to size your cloud resources, and estimate what your cloud expenses will be. Because it’s common for servers and services to be interdependent, Azure Migrate helps you identify dependencies and group machines to be migrated together.

2. Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit

This Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit will also assess whether your on-premises workloads are ready for Azure. It will discover your servers and applications, helping you build your inventory. It can then generate a report that indicates whether the servers can be supported by Azure. It will also recommend the appropriate server size for your Azure instances.

3. Website Migration Tools

If the systems you’ll be migrating are running websites, take a look at the Azure App Service Migration Assistant (deprecated) or its upcoming replacement, Migrate to Azure App Service. Either of these can be used to evaluate your website to determine whether the technologies it uses can be transitioned to Azure. If the site needs to be modified to be compatible with Azure, you’ll be told what changes need to be made.

4. Database Migration Tools

The Azure Database Migration Service supports you in migrating SQL Server to Azure; it will also help you migrate additional database sources into SQL Server on Azure. The Data Migration Assistant helps you assess compatibility. Another tool to help you move SQL Server databases to Azure is Azure Site Recovery.

5. License Migration Tools

The cost of software licenses is an often-overlooked expense in cloud migrations. The Azure Hybrid Use Benefit will let you use on-premises licenses in virtual machines running on Azure.

In addition to using tools from Microsoft to migrate to Azure, your third-party products’ vendors may provide tools to support migration from your premises to instances in the Azure cloud. Check in the Azure Marketplace to find tools that work with the products you use.

You should also consider working with an IT consulting services firm that has experience overseeing complex transitions to the cloud. Prescient Solutions is a Microsoft Partner and provides full support for Azure to businesses in the Chicago and Schaumburg are. Our team can streamline your journey to the cloud and provide support once your applications are there. Contact us to learn more about how our help can ease your transition to the cloud.