Ensure a “factory approach” to your cloud migration

The Challenge 

The Client undertook a project to move workload hosted on virtual infrastructure in their various private hosting environments as well as their existing VMware‐based private cloud into a new cloud built on OpenStack.

The Solution

GTSG leveraged the components of our Strategy and Migration offering as the foundation for these key services:

• Developed and executed a detailed migration planning processes and artifacts including:
• Application decomposition; documentation of application dependencies and affinities in the form of infrastructure point‐of‐departure diagrams; firewall dataflow mappings
• “T‐minus” overall project plans and timelines to keep preparation for migration on track
• Move day timelines and command center checklists, ensure migration night steps are followed in order and to a strict cadence without the need to redefine migration practices due to differing technologies. These included custom Windows IIS and .NET applications, MS SQL databases, WebSphere Application Server, Linux, and eventually zLinux
• Identified and overcame design and architectural obstacles, which became evident only after initial migrations
• Some applications were migrated directly, some redeployed physical to virtual. Some applications needed to be redesigned or rewritten; some were fixed in place and some migrated to, and redesigned in, the new private cloud.