Posts

Shawn Upchurch

Cloud Migration Experiences

 

In the cloud, experience definitely matters.  So, we wrote Cloud Migration Experiences to highlight some of what we learned after migrating numerous clients to the cloud, including our own ISV.  If you have questions about migrating to the cloud, we can help.

Cloud Migration Experiences

Cloud Migration ExperiencesPreviously, we explored Cloud Migration Benefits.  Next, let’s talk about where the rubber meets the road – experience.

Something we often hear is “We looked at cloud platforms, but they are too complicated and cost too much.”  That’s a fairly common situation.  Yet, sticking with physical infrastructure can end up costing you significantly in the long run.

The predictability of any of your systems has a huge impact on when the the cloud makes sense.  But, you really wouldn’t know how to move beyond the complexity or cost barriers without experience.

Evyware’s story is one of many about an organization enabled to leverage the cloud after working with UpSearch.  Here’s what Evyware’s David Poeschl had to say:

“When it was time for our ISV to move beyond open source, we turned to UpSearch to migrate to the cloud and Microsoft SQL Server from MySQL. They complemented our team extremely well, provided structured guidance and expert SQL Server and Azure know-how. The migration went so well we engaged UpSearch to provide 24/7 monitoring and dedicated support for our SQL Server / Azure environment.”

Real World Experiences

Our team has developed deep practical know how and firsthand experiences, which include:

  • Convert business requirements & existing SQL Server infrastructure into an Azure topology
  • VMWare and Hyper-V planning with a focus on SQL Server
  • Deploy SQL Server to Azure Virtual Machines or Amazon Web Service’s EC2
  • Plan and implement High Availability & Disaster Recovery strategies for complete cloud environments and hybrid scenarios
  • Migrate existing SQL Server databases to SQL Server on Azure VM with minimal downtime
  • Monitor and manage SQL Server in the cloud and virtualized environments
  • Automate SQL Server deployments to public and private clouds with Powershell
  • Deploy database solutions to Azure SQL Database
  • Amazon Web Service’s Relational Database Service for SQL Server
  • Deploy and performance tune SQL Server in VMWare environments

Conclusion

The cloud is a viable option to reduce risk, costs and time to deploy.  Regardless of private, public or hybrid cloud, a subtle mindset change is required to unlock the value of digital infrastructure.  Consider engaging a capacity planning expert to get concrete numbers sized to fit your unique needs.

This blog series continues with case study from one of our clients.  We enabled them to expand globally after a successful cloud migration.  If you have questions about migrating to the cloud, we can help.

SQL Server Health Check Series

This blog series will help you decide if UpSearch’s <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/microsoft-sql-server-health-check/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check</a></span> is right for your organization. Follow the links below to learn how you can use our assessment to identify and resolve SQL Server problems.


<ol>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-introduction/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Introduction</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-benefits/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Benefits</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-1-collect-metrics/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 1</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-2-analyze-results/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 2</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-3-report-findings/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 3</a></span></li>

</ol>

About UpSearch

up-social-round

UpSearch is a company of data management and analytics experts who enable digital maturity with Microsoft’s technologies. Its mission is to enable every leader to unlock data’s full potential. UpSearch provides full lifecycle support for SQL Server, SQL Server in Azure (IaaS), Azure SQL DB (PaaS), Azure SQL DW (PaaS), Analytics Platform System (APS), and Power BI.

Shawn Upchurch

Cloud Migration Benefits

The cloud is the hot topic these days.  But are the benefits really worth it?  We wrote Cloud Migration Benefits to share what we learned after migrating numerous clients to the cloud, including our own ISV.  When the time is right for your organization to move to the cloud, we know first hand you can lower total cost of ownership.

Cloud Migration Benefits

 

What are the benefits of Cloud Migration?


Cloud Migration BenefitsPreviously, we shared a high-level overview in Cloud Migration Introduction.  We introduced the three cloud hosting services, noted the subtle mindset change needed to unlock the cloud ‘s benefits and suggested an easy pilot project.

Let’s get right to the point. You want to know why you should move to the cloud.  Its really quite simple – to reduce costs.  Let’s not make this any harder than it needs to be.  You have a a fiduciary responsibility to get it done – for less.

The cloud is cost-effective because you will only pay for what you actually use, with no long-term contracts and little to no initial investment. That is a profound shift from physical infrastructure.

There is Always a But

We’ve grown to understand that if you are not saving money by using the cloud, you’re doing it wrong.  You probably either picked a system that’s not right for the cloud or didn’t build to capacity enough.  The right cloud service fit to your needs will ensure mission critical data remains highly available, optimized, and most importantly secure.

The cloud can be a little tricky.  A subtle mindset change is required to unlock the cloud’s value.  As stated previously, the secret lies in understanding your actual capacity needs.  Think what to move rather than how to move.  The more predictable the system the more likely reduced costs are possible.  A capacity planning expert can help you get concrete numbers sized to fit your unique needs.

UpSearch enables WebSystem3 to expand globally after successful cloud migration

View Press Release

Benefits Beyond Reduced Costs

The cloud offers many benefits in addition to cost savings, including;

  1. Cost-Effective – You pay only for what you use, with no long-term contracts and little to no initial investment
  2. Secure – Robust infrastructure keeps customer data secure and protects against threats
  3. Scalable – Optimizes IT assets based on demand, ensuring the ideal elasticity of your cloud
  4. Flexible – Supports a broad selection of operating systems, programming languages, frameworks, tools, databases and devices
  5. Faster deployment– Integrated tools and pre-built templates reduce deployment times from days to hours and increase the productivity of your IT professionals

In summary, the cloud has become a viable option to reduce risk, costs and time to deploy.  Regardless of private, public or hybrid cloud, a subtle mindset change is required to unlock the value of digital infrastructure.  Consider engaging a capacity planning expert to get concrete numbers sized to fit your unique needs.

This blog series continues with a highlight of real world experiences. At the conclusion of this series, you will have a better understanding of how your organization will benefit from Cloud Migration.

 

SQL Server Health Check Series

This blog series will help you decide if UpSearch’s <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/microsoft-sql-server-health-check/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check</a></span> is right for your organization. Follow the links below to learn how you can use our assessment to identify and resolve SQL Server problems.


<ol>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-introduction/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Introduction</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-benefits/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Benefits</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-1-collect-metrics/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 1</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-2-analyze-results/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 2</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-3-report-findings/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 3</a></span></li>

</ol>

About UpSearch

up-social-round

UpSearch is a company of data management and analytics experts who enable digital maturity with Microsoft’s technologies. Its mission is to enable every leader to unlock data’s full potential. UpSearch provides full lifecycle support for SQL Server, SQL Server in Azure (IaaS), Azure SQL DB (PaaS), Azure SQL DW (PaaS), Analytics Platform System (APS), and Power BI.

Shawn Upchurch

Cloud Migration Introduction

The cloud.  Everybody’s talking about it, but what does it really mean and what does it take to get there?  This Cloud Migration Introduction and blog series will help you determine when moving to the cloud is right for your organization.

Cloud Migration Introduction

 

What is the Cloud?


Cloud Migration Introduction

Let’s start at the beginning. The cloud is hosting services over the Internet. Cloud migration is the process of moving an organization’s applications and databases from an onsite environment to the cloud or transitioning from one cloud platform to another. Cloud hosting services fall into three (3) categories: public, private and hybrid.

  • A cloud is called a “public cloud” when the services are rendered over a network that is open for public use. Technically there may be little or no difference between public and private cloud architecture, however, security consideration may be substantially different.
  • Private cloud is cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party, and hosted either internally or externally. Undertaking a private cloud project requires a significant level and degree of engagement to virtualize the business environment, and requires the organization to reevaluate decisions about existing resources. When done right, it can improve business, but every step in the project raises security issues that must be addressed to prevent serious vulnerabilities.
  • Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community or public) that remain distinct entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models. Hybrid cloud can also mean the ability to connect collocation, managed and/or dedicated services with cloud resources. Gartner defines a hybrid cloud service as a cloud computing service that is composed of some combination of private, public and community cloud services, from different service providers.

Begin with the End in Mind

Now that we’ve taken care of the cloud migration introduction, let’s shift to what matters most.  How do you ensure that your mission critical data will remain highly available, optimized, and most importantly, secure in the cloud?  The process begins with a subtle mindset change.

To leverage digital infrastructure, select the right cloud solution for your organization and reduce costs, architectural changes are often required. Simply stated, there is a different way of thinking between physical and digital infrastructure. You are close once you start asking, “How can we change our current architecture to reduce costs even further?”

Let’s be clear, the cloud is not right for every situation. But when it does make sense, total costs of ownership can be reduced with digital infrastructure. This is particularly true when capacity can be predicted. The question that often unlocks cost savings associated with the cloud is not how do we migrate to the cloud, but rather what do we migrate to the cloud. Based upon our experience, every organization has predictable systems.

UpSearch enables WebSystem3 to expand globally after successful cloud migration

Read Press Release

Consider a Pilot Project

An easy pilot project is to identify a predictable system, maybe at end of hardware life, and work with a cloud specialist for one-to-one mapping and proof of concept.  The result will be actual capacity required to actual cost. You should know online pricing calculators are not concrete numbers sized to fit your needs.

You will typically need the expertise of a capacity planning expert with deep practical expertise migrating database platforms to the cloud. They will assess your current SQL Server environment along with your business needs to design a cloud architecture that works for you; whether that means a hybrid environment or a fully-hosted cloud solution.

We have verified Microsoft SQL Server’s total cost of ownership can be reduced with digital infrastructure, and so can you.

Conclusion

The cloud has become a viable option to reduce risk, costs and time to deploy.  Regardless of private, public or hybrid cloud, a subtle mindset change is required to unlock the value of digital infrastructure.  Consider engaging a capacity planning expert to get concrete numbers sized to fit your unique needs.

This blog series continues with a highlight of benefits and real world experiences. At the conclusion of this series, you will have a better understanding of how your organization will benefit from a Cloud Migration.

SQL Server Health Check Series

This blog series will help you decide if UpSearch’s <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/microsoft-sql-server-health-check/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check</a></span> is right for your organization. Follow the links below to learn how you can use our assessment to identify and resolve SQL Server problems.


<ol>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-introduction/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Introduction</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-benefits/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Benefits</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-1-collect-metrics/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 1</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-2-analyze-results/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 2</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://upsearch.com/sql-server-health-check-step-3-report-findings/” target=”_blank”>SQL Server Health Check Process – Step 3</a></span></li>

</ol>

About UpSearch

up-social-round

UpSearch is a company of data management and analytics experts who enable digital maturity with Microsoft’s technologies. Its mission is to enable every leader to unlock data’s full potential. UpSearch provides full lifecycle support for SQL Server, SQL Server in Azure (IaaS), Azure SQL DB (PaaS), Azure SQL DW (PaaS), Analytics Platform System (APS), and Power BI.