On a 30TB file server migration in a large divestiture, we evaluated three things before configuring Azure Migrate:

• Data change rate during the transfer window
• Application dependency mapping for the workloads that read from the file server
• Latency requirements of the business units using the data

The tool came after the assessment, and so did the decision.

That order matters because Azure Migrate will move a workload with latency-sensitive dependencies or access patterns tied to the on-premises network topology. The move succeeds. The performance problems show up in production, when the workload turns out to rely on applications with specific behaviors. Physical-to-cloud moves are riskier than virtual-to-cloud, so they need the closest look.

The Azure migration runbook I designed for that program included assessment criteria, not only execution steps. That section is where the honest recommendations were made.

Clients who can trust an engineer to argue for the best solution instead of the default one bring that engineer back for the next program.

Who reviews your pre-migration workload analysis before the execution plan is approved?

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