Top 5 Reasons to Migrate Your Data Center to Microsoft Azure

Cloud computing has transformed the way enterprises grow. Moving databases to the cloud allows organizations to manage their applications globally in a scalable and flexible environment. With most enterprises worldwide having already adopted cloud over on-premises data centers, service providers are continuously improving the agility and flexibility that cloud facilities provide.

Microsoft Azure is a leading public cloud platform that is designed to enable businesses to make the most of the cloud’s possibilities. Several recent updates and enhancements provide added convenience, capabilities and performance.

Here are the top 5 reasons you should migrate your data center to Azure Cloud.

1. Comprehensive Coverage for Discovery and Assessment

Your new cloud environment should not just be a replica of your on-premises IT ecosystem but an optimized, efficient, and future-ready version of it. To achieve this, the first stage is a careful evaluation of your current systems and needs.

However, this initial discovery and assessment phase can become extremely complex. To save time and ensure full coverage you must use the right tools to identify and assess the components and services in your existing environment. Azure’s SMART (Strategic Migration Assessment and Readiness Tool) allows you to assess the suitability of your cloud migration, plan costs better, and right-size.

Azure discovery and assessment includes:

• Support for physical server discovery, and discovery for virtual machines running in other public clouds

• Direct import of any data that is available in the Configuration Management Database export into Azure Migrate

• Enhanced agentless dependency mapping

2. Scalability, Accessibility, Security and Speed

Your IT setup needs to grow with your business. By migrating your data center to Azure, you can build all the applications you need across multiple servers – ensuring scalability, as server capacity will never run out.

Microsoft Azure has data centers in over 54 regions, more than any other service provider, minimizing latency and reducing the time needed for data transfers.

With multiple storage options, Azure data centers are highly secure. At least 3 copies of your data are stored at all times, across different data centers, to ensure business continuity even in the case of natural disasters, power cuts, or other unforeseen interruptions. Encrypted communications, threat monitoring, and threat management detect and prevent unauthorized access and potential vulnerabilities. Continuous monitoring allows prompt threat identification and response to maintain the integrity of your data.

3. Enhanced Compatibility and Integration

The ideal cloud environment makes it straightforward to manage your system. Microsoft Azure’s unified directory makes all necessary tools directly available, eliminating the need for extra, confusing software, and making tasks more manageable.

Flexible licensing options make it possible to keep using your current software licenses, making the transition to the cloud smoother and more cost-effective. This feature helps in optimizing your existing resources during the migration.

4. Easy Server Migration

You can migrate from any environment to Azure. You also have the option to perform non-production testing before you decide to migrate your data – giving you higher confidence in your migration results, while ensuring zero data loss and minimal downtime.

Additionally, if you are currently using Windows Server 2008 or SQL Server in your environment, it’s important to know that the support has ended – so you will no longer receive security updates. This can leave you exposed to hackers and other cybersecurity threats. To overcome this, you have three options: rebuild your servers, pay for additional security enhancements, or migrate your data centers to Microsoft Azure.

5. Overcoming the Pain of Hardware Refresh Cycles

You may have had a handful of customers during your initial investment in equipment. But now you have hundreds of customers – and need hardware that can support your growth. At the same time, as your equipment ages, it becomes less reliable and prone to component failures, affecting your production environment. The problem is: replacing hardware not only incurs significant capital expenditures, but it is likely to create disruption. Cloud platforms like Azure take responsibility for hardware refresh cycles and feature updates so you no longer have to.

As cloud adoption grows, global organizations are accelerating their cloud transformations. They are starting to realize that the small private deployments that were common a few years ago are no longer fit for purpose. The market is shifting towards a consumption-based public cloud model – and a public cloud like Azure, that is self-scalable, up-to-date, secure, and fully certified will be a strong choice.