The first step is to assess your workloads to determine their compatibility with the cloud. Identify the resources your applications depend on and the data they require.
Next, you need to choose between IaaS and PaaS. To make this decision, consider how much control you need over your applications. If you want to manage your own resources, IaaS is the right choice. However, if you prefer to focus on your applications rather than the underlying infrastructure, choose PaaS.
IaaS
In Azure, IaaS primarily involves Azure Virtual Machines and related networking components. Here, you have control over nearly everything – the operating system, the network configuration, the installed applications. The drawback is that you are responsible for maintaining these resources: patches, OS upgrades, and performance monitoring all fall on your shoulders.
PaaS
Azure’s PaaS offering, on the other hand, includes services like Azure App Services, Azure Functions, and Azure SQL Database. Azure manages most of the infrastructure for you, including patching and upgrades. However, you still have some control over the configuration and can customize your environment according to your needs.
| IaaS | PaaS | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | High | Low |
| Maintenance | User Responsibility | Azure Responsibility |
| Customization | High | Dependent on Service |
Tools For Migrating Workloads
Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate is a service that provides guidance, insights, and mechanisms to assist in your migration. It performs an assessment of your on-premises infrastructure, identifying dependencies, and providing sizing and cost estimates. It also helps perform the actual migration, whether you are migrating servers to IaaS or databases to PaaS.
Azure Site Recovery
Azure Site Recovery facilitates the replication of your on-premises VMs to Azure, turning them into Azure VMs. You can use it as part of your migration strategy if you plan to move entire VMs to the cloud, or simply to provide disaster recovery capabilities.
Azure Database Migration Service
For migrating your on-premises databases to Azure’s PaaS offerings, Azure Database Migration Service is an excellent tool. It supports migration from multiple source database systems to Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure Cosmos DB.
Example: Migrate an Existing Service to Azure PaaS
Let’s say we are running a .NET application with a SQL Server database on-premises. We want to move this to Azure, using Azure App Service for the web application and Azure SQL Database for the database.
- We perform an assessment of our application using Azure Migrate, which confirms that our application is compatible with Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database.
- We configure our Azure SQL Database instance, and use Azure Database Migration Service to transfer our database schema and data.
- We modify our application to read the database connection string from an environment variable rather than from a configuration file, so that it can connect to the new database instance.
- Finally, we use Visual Studio to publish our .NET application to Azure App Service.
In this example, the key Azure services used include Azure Migrate, Azure SQL Database, Azure Database Migration Service, and Azure App Service.
In conclusion, migrating workloads to IaaS or PaaS requires proper planning and the right Azure services to execute. Azure provides a variety of tools for assessment, migration, and the management of migrated workloads. Regardless of your choice between IaaS and PaaS, these services simplify your journey to the cloud.
Practice Test
True/False: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) allows businesses to rent virtualized hardware resources over the internet.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: IaaS provides businesses with computing resources over the internet, including servers, storage, and networking hardware.
The most recommended method of migrating on-premise applications to the cloud is to perform the migration all at once.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The best practice when undertaking a cloud migration is to move applications over in batches or phases. Moving everything all at once can be risky and potentially disruptive to business operations.
True/False: A lift-and-shift migration is a straightforward approach where an app or operation is moved from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud without modifications.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The Lift-and-shift approach is a cloud migration strategy where an application or operation is moved as-is from its current environment to a cloud environment.
In IaaS, using managed disks is recommended during migration because ________
- a) Improve Security
- b) Easier Management
- c) Both a and b
- d) Neither a nor b
Answer: c) Both a and b
Explanation: Managed disks automatically manage the storage account, and also provide better availability and security.
What is one major benefit of a PaaS (Platform as a Service) cloud model?
- a) Platform maintenance
- b) Hardware control
- c) Lower costs
- d) Both a) Platform maintenance and c) Lower costs
Answer: d) Both a) Platform maintenance and c) Lower costs
Explanation: PaaS significantly simplifies application deployment, reducing costs, and platform maintenance is taken care of.
True/False: If your application needs to meet specific physical security and compliance requirements, the IaaS model will be a better fit than PaaS.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: IaaS provides more flexibility and control over your infrastructure, making it easier to meet specific physical security and compliance requirements.
Which of the following migration types is the most time consuming and complex, but results in more cloud-native applications?
- a) Refactoring
- b) Replatforming
- c) Repurchasing
- d) Retiring
Answer: a) Refactoring
Explanation: Refactoring (also known as rearchitecting) involves making changes to the application design and can be complex and time-consuming, but it results in more cloud-native features.
Which tool can help you determine the readiness of your workloads for Azure?
- a) Azure Pricing Calculator
- b) Azure Migration Guide
- c) Azure Migrate
- d) Azure Blueprints
Answer: c) Azure Migrate
Explanation: Azure Migrate is a service that helps you assess the readiness of your on-premises machines for migration to Azure.
True/False: Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a platform on which software can be developed and deployed.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: PaaS provides a platform for developers to build upon and use to create customized applications.
The Azure Import/Export service is used to transfer what type of data?
- a) Small sets of data to Azure Storage
- b) Large amounts of data to Azure Storage
- c) Streaming data to Azure Storage
- d) Live data to Azure Storage
Answer: b) Large amounts of data to Azure Storage
Explanation: Azure Import/Export service is used to securely transfer large amounts of data to Azure Blob Storage and Azure Files.
Interview Questions
What is the first step in migrating workloads to the IaaS and PaaS environment of Microsoft Azure?
The first step involves conducting a thorough assessment of the current infrastructure, applications, and data. This helps understand the requirements and identify suitable Azure services.
Name the Microsoft Azure tool used for assessing and migrating on-premises workloads to Azure?
Azure Migrate is the Microsoft tool used for assessing and migrating on-premises workloads to Azure.
During a migration, what strategy can be used to minimize downtime?
To minimize downtime during migration, businesses can use Azure Site Recovery for replication, failover, and recovery.
What Azure service is best used to migrate SQL Server databases to Azure?
The Azure Database Migration Service is recommended for migrating SQL Server databases to Azure.
When should you opt for IaaS over PaaS in Azure?
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) should be chosen over Platform as a Service (PaaS) when there is a need for maximum control and flexibility over the servers and apps.
What characteristic of PaaS makes it a suitable choice for developers?
PaaS is suitable for developers as it allows them to focus on code and application logic without worrying about infrastructure management, hence increasing productivity.
How does the Azure App Service help while migrating to PaaS?
Azure App Service helps in migrating to PaaS by providing a fully managed platform for building, deploying, and scaling web apps without managing the underlying infrastructure.
How does Azure ensure data security during the migration process?
During migration, Azure ensures data security through Azure Security Center, Azure Active Directory, Azure RBAC, and encrypted communication. All data in transit is encrypted.
What Microsoft strategy ensures that applications remain online during migration to Azure?
Microsoft’s strategy for ensuring applications remain online during migration is through the use of hybrid clouds, where some elements of the application remain on-premises while others move to the cloud.
How can users estimate the cost of running their services in Azure before migrating?
Users can estimate potential costs before migrating to Azure using the Azure Pricing Calculator.
How does Azure Backup help in the migration process?
Azure Backup provides data protection and aids in disaster recovery, which offers assurance during the migration process.
What Azure service could you use for migration of .NET apps to the Azure environment?
For .NET applications, one could use Azure App Service or Azure Kubernetes Service for containerized applications for migration.
When migrating a large amount of data to Azure, what service can assist in this process?
When migrating a large amount of data to Azure, Azure Data Box service can help in this process.
Is it possible to perform both offline and online migrations to Azure?
Yes, both offline and online migrations to Azure are possible depending on the specific requirements. Azure Migrate, Azure Site Recovery and Azure Data Box support both online and offline migrations.
Can Azure support multi-tier applications during migration?
Yes, Azure supports multi-tier applications during migration through services like virtual networks and load balancers which provide the necessary network infrastructure.
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