Cloud computing has transformed the way organisations view IT infrastructure. Microsoft Azure, in particular, offers over 300 cloud services, providing businesses immense flexibility to innovate, scale, and optimise their environments. However, such a rich array of options, bring with it the complexity of choice. For organisations contemplating a cloud migration, this abundance can be both a blessing and a challenge. Especially when modernising applications.
One of the most critical and often overlooked steps in any migration journey is taking the time to thoroughly assess existing applications. Before diving into technical evaluations or planning migration waves, businesses need to understand what they’re working with: the true size, scope, and relevance of their application portfolio. Without that insight, even the most sophisticated cloud strategy can falter. Leading to increased cost, exposure and compliance risks.
You may be familiar with the “Five R’s” framework (Rehost, Refactor, Revise, Rebuild, Replace) used to guide cloud migration decisions. While this model remains relevant, Data#3 has adapted and expanded it into a six-pattern model that is more closely aligned with real-world customer needs. These six migration paths reflect the nuanced decisions businesses must make when transitioning to Azure:
Each path has unique technical and business implications. Choosing the right one requires more than a cursory glance at your app list; it demands a rigorous, structured assessment process.
The first and arguably most important step is to build a clear picture of your existing applications. We’ve seen many customers significantly underestimate the size of their app estate, believing they’re managing around 100 applications, only to discover through a formal review that the actual number is closer to several hundred.
This discrepancy highlights the risk of overlooking a portfolio review. Without it, you may end up migrating applications that are redundant, not fit-for-purpose, or soon to be retired. Worse still, you might migrate an application without realising it depends on other services that haven’t yet been moved, breaking functionality and introducing avoidable disruption.
Beyond just counting applications, a portfolio review helps identify:
This baseline sets the stage for a more intelligent and cost-effective cloud strategy.
Once the scope of your application portfolio is clear, the next step is to engage in structured technical and business assessments. This dual lens is essential for making informed modernisation decisions that balance technical feasibility with real business value.
A technical assessment usually starts with a workshop on architecture and operations to understand your current environment. This involves identifying the infrastructure layout, cloud readiness posture, and resource interdependencies across data, networking, and application tiers.
The business assessment, on the other hand, ensures alignment between IT priorities and organisational goals. Through stakeholder interviews and structured workshops, we uncover insights about how each application supports core business functions, where efficiency gains can be realised, and which legacy systems are candidates for retirement.
By combining these assessments, organisations gain a roadmap tailored to their operational, architectural, and business requirements, a crucial foundation for success in any cloud migration or
Frequently, organisations hastily engage in technical assessments or initiate the migration of workloads without a well-defined vision of their optimal state. Transitioning to the cloud presents numerous advantages; however, if these advantages cannot be clearly articulated in relation to the associated costs, efforts, and risks that the company is prepared to undertake, it may result in adverse outcomes, including inefficiencies and substantial errors. The consequences can be costly. Misunderstood dependencies can break critical applications. Premature migrations may waste resources on servers soon to be decommissioned. Without business alignment, IT teams may modernise applications that no longer meet organisational needs.
Being realistic means being effective.
It is completely normal that not every customer will reach total application modernisation, and that’s absolutely okay. The key is to understand the level of cloud adoption that fits best with your organisation’s unique situation, taking into account factors like cost, resources, maturity, applications, and risks.
Data#3’s approach to application modernisation is grounded in experience and shaped by practical customer needs. We help organisations:
Whether you’re just beginning your migration, or planning the next phase of your cloud journey, understanding your applications is key. A structured assessment lays the foundation for successful modernisation, minimising risk, reducing cost and ensuring that your move to Azure delivers long-term value.
Explore how our team of specialists can help you unlock your full potential with Azure Application Modernisation today.
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