Successful cloud migration requires careful analysis and planning, however, the general acceptance by business leaders is equally rudimental for success. That’s why it’s crucial to understand business benefits and financial impacts of moving on-premises IT infrastructure to the cloud. As several Windows Server and SQL server versions’ support expired in 2022, with others to follow in 2023, the decision of cloud migration can’t be delayed any longer.

Financial benefits of the cloud

Migrating on-premises infrastructure to the cloud can free up investment formerly dedicated to on-premises infrastructure and can allow for more agility. First of all, with on-premises IT infrastructure, the investment is tied up. When the infrastructure moves to the cloud, organizations can free up money previously invested in capex and re-invest in innovation. Secondly, moving to cloud means less time spent maintaining data centers and leverage the rapid scalability of cloud solutions. Lastly, in a cloud-based IT infrastructure, the cloud provider and customer share responsibility for security. With an on-premises infrastructure all responsibility for security goes the company.

Reasons to choose Azure

Here are a few important advantages for Windows Server and SQL Server on-premises customers when they move to Azure.

• Azure Hybrid Benefit: optimizing existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to lower subscription costs when porting workloads between on-premises and cloud deployment.
• Azure Reserved VM Instances: providing lower cost of a reserved instance, as well as flexibility in pricing based on actual usage. Can be used with Azure Hybrid Benefit to further reduce costs.
• Azure free account and new customer credit: can be used by developers within an enterprise to try new ideas with no investment.
• Dev/test pricing benefits: providing companies with development and test licenses at low cost and with access to high-availability cloud infrastructure.
• Azure Cost Management + Billing: ensuring an economic analysis tool on cloud spending for greater cost visibility and predictability.

Optimizing cloud spending

Cloud spend can be managed just as effectively and predictably as with on-premises system.

Initial resource clean-up, rightsizing and optimization

When migrating to Azure, consider which workloads can be turned off. For workloads still needed, think about steps to optimize those resources and operational hours, leveraging tools such as Azure Migrate.

Resource tagging and spend categorization

Azure allows for simplified resource tagging and cost allocation compared with on-premises. With this spend accountability can be achieved, while evaluating workload ROI.

Continuous cost optimization

Workloads aren’t static. Once in Azure, leverage tools (including Azure Cost Management + Billing and Azure Advisor) and establish processes to monitor resources and patterns to continuously optimize cloud costs.

How Noventiq can help

Migrating to cloud is an incremental process with several factors and expectations to consider along the way. Noventiq is here to help you find the best solutions for your organization for moving SQL Server and Windows Server to Azure. Contact us and ask for a consultation with one of our Microsoft experts.

In case you’d read about Moving SQL Server and Windows Server to Azure in more details, you can download the ebook from Microsoft here, after registration.