How Trustmarque can support your Windows and SQL server migrations through The Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme(AMMP)

Planning out and executing your migration to the cloud can be fraught with challenges. From analysing your current environment, skill sets and dependencies to navigating complex workloads and detailing out the specifics in your migration roadmap. There is a lot to consider.

But there are many ways to remove the burden, and the confusion. Cloud providers like Microsoft are placing greater emphasis on user enablement programmes designed to help their customers to get the most out of their investments. Layer that with the strategic and tactical support you can get from an IT partner like Trustmarque, and you can tap into a top level of help, guidance and expertise at every stage of your journey.

The Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme (AMMP) is a Microsoft initiative designed to support customers with their Windows and SQL server migration, providing end-to-end migration help including planning and assessment, financial support and user training.

As an Specialisation Partner for Microsoft Azure, and with a strategic relationship spanning over 30 years, Trustmarque is well positioned to assist customers through the Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme. Continue reading to find out how Trustmarque can help  accelerate your move to Azure.

Five ways Trustmarque can help you through the AMMP

1. Data-driven planning – a roadmap that reflects your unique position

“We often have customers who have built a Development environment or a test and dev environment that has grown arms and legs and has become a production environment,” explains Neel Dev, Cloud Practice Director for Trustmarque. “The problem with that is that it may not have been planned properly. When production networks and security not put in place from day one this has knock on implications and the whole thing has to be reverse engineered. The customer will then have to start from scratch.”

With the correct planning you can prevent that sort of scenario. And that the first step of what you get by partnering with Trustmarque and Microsoft is a detailed migration plan. By using market-leading planning and assessment tools, we get a complete picture of your current environment and can best advise which workloads to migrate and which to keep on-prem.

2. Migration mapping and modernisation to make sure you don’t inherit problems in the cloud

As part of the planning process, we can identify the workloads the workloads that require minimum rework before being moved to the cloud – the lift and shift priorities. On the flip side, we can also create a side project to modernise your complex workloads as a subsequent step. This ensures that you don’t inherit in the cloud, the problems you’ve currently got on-premise, reducing the need for costly rectifications later on.

3. Access to skills, training and accreditations to empower your teams

The Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative gives you access to a dedicated Project Manager who will work with you to identify your skills gaps and training requirements. The PM will manage the entire enablement and training programme for your organisation working with Trustmarque and Microsoft to bring in expertise as and when required.

The engagement can also help you to source financial support for key industry training and accreditations, where eligible. Neel explains: “This isn’t about watching a couple of online videos. It is a full package of support for an IT team that is used to dealing with VMware environments for the past 10-15 years and who now have to skill up to deal with hybrid environments and public cloud environments.”

4. We’ll build your Azure Landing Zone, aka a secure front door for your infrastructure

An Azure landing zone is your future Azure virtual datacentre and is where we will migrate your new Windows Server and SQL Server environments too. The landing zone includes a ‘hub’ virtual network that incorporates security features including firewalls and jump boxes, where all traffic traverses through to protect workloads contained inside the individual ‘spokes’ of the landing zone.

With AMP, the key building block of any landing zone is either subsidised or entirely funded by Microsoft. And Trustmarque will manage the build, applying the correct design methodology so you can be sure your data is safe in the public cloud. Neel adds: “We also put in measures for backup, disaster recovery. It is a full-blown production environment.”

5. Migration taken care of by the market-leading Azure experts

The landmarks of migration are covered through the AMMP. Trustmarque will work closely with you to ensure a smooth migration with minimal business disruption by always using best practice approach and automation where possible to ensure your data is secure. We have a deep understanding of Microsoft Azure and have an established Cloud Centre of Excellence comprising deployment engineers, pre-sales cloud solution architects, managed services experts, project managers and agile delivery managers – all focused purely in Azure.

Our migrations also utilise our cloud reference architecture, used to deploy infrastructure as code and automating a great deal of the process. Neel confirms: “All this minimises human error, business disruption and creates a platform that has been tried and tested over multiple secure deployments.”

A trusted partner for your Azure migration

Trustmarque has implemented multiple SQL and Server environments in Azure for customers across healthcare, central and local government and also the private sector and are well versed in the specific requirements of each. We bring more than 35 years’ experience as a Microsoft Solution Partner and now an Advanced Specialisation Partner for Azure.

To find out more and check your eligibility for the Azure Migration and Modernisation Programme, visit our dedicated Azure Migration Services webpage or contact us.