CLOUDMECHANIX
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Consulting

Azure migration.

Moving to Azure is the easy part; moving to Azure well is the job. We plan the networking, security and cost before anything moves, so you land on a platform that is secure and affordable from day one — not one you have to remediate later.

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The problem

You'll recognise this.

The mandate is “move to Azure”. The risk is moving badly: lifting servers into a network that isn’t ready, discovering the real cost when the first full bill arrives, and retrofitting security onto workloads that are already live and already relied upon.

Moving to Azure is the easy part. Moving to Azure well — so you land on a platform that is secure, connected and affordable from day one — is the actual job, and most of it happens before anything moves.

What you get

Senior depth, handed over.

  • A migration plan with networking and connectivity worked out up front.
  • Security and governance applied from the start, not retrofitted afterwards.
  • Cost visibility before you commit.
How we'd approach it

The decisions that matter.

Build the target platform before the workloads move.

Why: Workloads should land on a ready landing zone with networking, identity and governance in place — not a bare subscription that gets fixed up around them.

What we'd rule out: Migrating first and retrofitting the platform underneath live systems.

Right-size and cost-model before committing.

Why: Azure cost is a design decision. Sizing to real usage and using reserved capacity where it pays avoids the surprise bill that sours the whole programme.

What we'd rule out: Like-for-like sizing on trust, and finding out the cost afterwards.

Security and networking from the start.

Why: Retrofitting controls and connectivity onto workloads that are already live is expensive, risky and disruptive. Doing it first makes go-live boring.

What we'd rule out: “We’ll secure it and sort the network out after go-live.”

Deployed as code

Infrastructure as code, not click-ops.

Everything we build is defined in code, so every change is recorded, reviewable and repeatable. We work in Bicep or Terraform, and can run it through Azure DevOps or GitHub, whichever your team already uses.

We maintain our own libraries of proven, reusable code that give a project a rapid start — up to an entire enterprise-scale collection of Azure landing zones. Our code is written to be run in production and maintained by your own people: readable, adaptable, and boring in the ways that matter.

What you get

Deliverables.

  • A migration assessment of the workloads in scope.
  • A target design and a networking and connectivity plan.
  • A cost model, so you commit with the number in front of you.
  • A wave plan — what moves, in what order, with what dependencies.
  • The target landing zone if you need one, and a handover to your team.
Out of scope

What it isn't.

  • Application refactoring or modernisation is a separate engagement.
  • Physical data-centre exit logistics sit with you and your providers.
  • Licensing and commercial negotiation is not part of the work.
The shape of it

How it fits together.

Migration in waves onto a landing zone that is already built Left, the source estate: a loose, unaligned cluster of workload blocks of varied sizes, with four of them lassoed as wave 03, still being sorted and grouped by dependency and risk. Centre, a single planned link drawn as engineered infrastructure — a conduit of two rails and sleepers labelled as the migration process — carrying wave 02, six identical blocks in brand blue aligned in transit, with the Well-Architected Framework applied as they move; this is the focal point. Right, the target Azure landing zone: a large plate with networking, identity, security and governance guardrails already framing an ordered lattice of empty cells. Wave 01 has already landed and occupies six cells in the lower left of that lattice, drawn to exactly the same alignment and treatment as the lattice itself, inside the same guardrails. MIGRATION IN WAVES SOURCE ESTATE — UNSORTED WAVE 03 · SORTING BY DEPENDENCY + RISK MIGRATION PROCESS Well-Architected Framework applied WAVE 02 · COST MODELLED BEFORE THE WAVE MOVES NETWORKING IDENTITY SECURITY GOVERNANCE WAVE 01 · LANDED, GUARDRAILS INHERITED Workloads arrive into Azure landing zones and guardrails that already exist
Migration in waves onto a ready target landing zone.

Source workloads — on-premises or in another cloud — are assessed and grouped into migration waves by dependency and risk. A planned connection (ExpressRoute or VPN) links source and target during the move. Each wave lands on a target Azure landing zone that already has networking, identity, security and governance in place, so workloads inherit the guardrails on arrival rather than being secured afterwards. Cost is modelled before each wave, so spend is a decision, not a surprise.

How we work

With your team, not around them.

We assess the workloads, agree the target design, and land them on a platform built for them — with your team involved so they can run it afterwards.

Who it's for: We work with mid-to-large enterprise, State and semi-State bodies, education, and the partner consultancies who bring us in when a client needs senior Azure depth.

Questions

Frequently asked.

Do you rehost (lift-and-shift) or refactor?
Whichever fits the workload and the goal. Some things are fine rehosted; others are worth modernising. We recommend per workload rather than by dogma.
How do you handle the cost question?
We model it before you commit — right-sizing to real usage and applying reserved capacity where it pays — so the bill matches the plan.
How much downtime is involved?
It depends on the workload. We plan waves and cutovers to fit your tolerance, and test before the real move.
What about connectivity to what stays on-premises?
Hybrid connectivity is planned up front — ExpressRoute or VPN — so migrated workloads keep talking to what they need.
Do you build the landing zone too?
Yes, if you need one. Workloads land on a ready platform; building that platform is part of the same conversation.
Who runs it after you leave?
Your team. They’re involved through the migration, and the target platform is code they hold and can extend.
Related consulting

Often needed alongside.

Azure Landing Zones

Enterprise-scale foundations built to the Well-Architected Framework — governance, networking and identity from day one.

Learn more

Azure Firewall & Networking

Central egress, inspection and segmentation your team can read, audit and own.

Learn more

Talk to an Azure architect, not a salesperson.

Fixed scope, fixed price — quoted on enquiry.

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