How to use Azure Infrastructure-As-a-Service (IaaS) in the most cost effective way – top 10 - survival guide
A couple of months ago, I presented on – The Different Ways to Migrate Workloads to Azure – at the E2E conference in Amsterdam. During this presentation, I gave people tips and tricks on how they can lift-and-shift workloads to Azure in the most cost-effective way. I’m now writing this information down in an article and share it with the Tech Community!
The Azure Cloud (or every other Public Cloud out there) is not cheap when you compare an on-premises scenario directly to Microsoft Azure. You need to translate – transform applications, services, and servers to a Cloud scenario – although in a Lift-and-Shift situation – costs will be the hardest part to convince your IT manager. The usage of power management tools or Azure Reserved Instances can help to lower the Azure subscription OpEx bill, but a broader approach is preferred to take full advantage of the simplicity of the Azure Cloud.
I also would like to mention one of the two most significant misunderstandings about the Public Cloud – which sounds pretty obvious for most of us IT professionals, although not for every business…
“The Biggest Benefit of Cloud Computing is Lower Costs”
Not so fast… The cloud can quickly adjust the amount of computing power you’re using, giving a lot of flexibility to your budget. Focusing on cost – though – and not investigating how you might achieve significant efficiencies with new cloud technologies after you could diminish your return on the cloud investment, which is pretty bad thinking if you ask me…
Replacing on-premises workloads to Azure is not the key to success. I see it as a step – or better say bridge – between modern applications and “legacy” application (or Windows wrote apps) within the Digital Transformation. Success in the cloud relies on the automated management infrastructure around the server working well – it has to save management and maintaining effort as well as eventually benefit in costs.
The following diagram shows a very detailed path which must be followed when performing the digital transformation. Following the brownfield and Greenfield paths directs you to Infrastructure-As-a-Service, but it will advise you to go for other Cloud Services as well. I’m using this diagram most of the times to explain to my customers in a high-overview method what the roadmap could be for their organization.
Read the complete article here: