Are you thinking to migrate all your workload to Azure cloud? The cost of Azure migration is one of the most crucial elements to consider. A comprehensive approach is necessary to calculate the costs and leverage the benefits of Azure migration. This article will share the top three ways to determine Azure migration cost.
Azure Migration: Understanding The Costs
Microsoft Azure is the most preferred cloud migration solution with various services and scalability possibilities. However, the cost of an Azure migration can vary significantly based on various factors, just like it might with any technology solution. So let’s discuss all the major variables that may impact the overall pricing of Azure.
1. Calculation Of The Current Cost Of IT Infrastructure
Before migrating to Azure, a thorough understanding of your current on-premises architecture is necessary. The first stage is an infrastructure audit. It will help your enterprise to develop better understanding of your current spending on IT. Hence it become easy to compare the overall cost with Azure cloud.
This audit will serve as the starting point for your migration to the cloud, helping you to estimate the possible costs of the cloud resources you’ll utilize.
Hardware and Software Costs
The need to calculate the cost of the following is essential.
- Physical servers
- Software licenses
- Contracts for maintenance
- Warranties
- Supplies
- Spare parts and everything else
The costs mentioned above ought to be well-documented. These are easy to locate by pulling your financial department’s invoices, purchase orders, and payment history.
You will need to collect further information in order to determine your cloud total cost of ownership. For example, In addition to the expenditures associated with hardware and software,you should consider your servers’ capabilities, network bandwidth, storage, and database capacity.
Administrative Costs
For the administrative cost, you need to calculate all the expenses required to run and keep your IT department up to date. This includes all the necessary resources to take full advantage of Azure migration. For instance, the finance and human resources departments will help to determine the overall administrative costs.
However, the cost of hiring, integrating, managing, and training new hires can take a lot of work. For this reason, while estimating the cost of your cloud migration, you must consider your administrative expenses. The assessment of administrative expenses may differ for different businesses as per their needs.
Operational Costs
The operational cost of your current IT infrastructure must be calculated first to estimate the full-fledged benefits of the Azure cloud. The following are the key points while estimating the overall cost:
- The price of internet usage and power
- Cost of labor for servers, databases, and other business software
- Storage space and the cost of the actual servers
- Full-proof security and insurance
- Additional expenses linked to maintaining IT infrastructure
The audit adopts a thorough approach, considering the cost of infrastructure and the cost of using and sustaining your current on-premise IT investment over time. Both direct and indirect costs will be considered in this estimate.
Productivity Costs
The productivity costs cannot be measured directly. Hence an indirect approach is used to measure it. Focusing on the “Lost of Productivity” when your IT infrastructure is unavailable will help you determine the estimated productivity cost.
2. Estimated Cost For Azure Cloud Migration
Finding the expected cost of Azure cloud infrastructure comes after figuring out your on-premises infrastructure cost. Then, with the help of the best Azure cloud solution provider, you can hire Microsoft Azure migration consultants to use the Azure cloud platform.
Although cloud pricing may get very complex, Microsoft has streamlined its Azure pricing models to make them easier for potential customers to understand. Along with pricing calculator, Azure migrate pricing will help you get a better estimate of pricing.
Total Cost Of Ownership Calculator By Azure
You may calculate the cost of running your workloads using the advanced Azure pricing calculator, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It allows you to choose the precise resources and services you intend to use, such as virtual machines, storage, and networking and then computes an estimate of the costs depending on your usage and setup. Companies can benefit from the Azure pricing calculator in several ways:
- It enables enterprises to decide which cloud provider to choose by comparing the overall costs of running workloads on Azure vs other cloud providers. For further pricing details, refer to AWS vs. Azure Pricing – Cost Comparison.
- It can assist businesses in planning and budgeting for their migration to Azure and minimize migration costs.
- Additionally, it can assist businesses in identifying and estimating the expenses associated with adopting various Azure service alternatives, such as reserved instances or the Azure hybrid advantage, to save expenditures.
3. How Much Will Azure Migration Cost You?
The final step will evaluate the overall anticipated cost of Azure Migration. In addition to the usage of Azure pricing calculator, the following factors should be taken into account:
Migrating data to Azure: It is one of integral part of cloud migration. Equally important are the network consumption and the time and effort needed to ensure data is well integrated throughout the migration process.
Testing and integrating applications: Sometimes, cloud infrastructure does not support current applications. If this is the case, extra costs are involved with integrating and testing these apps before and after migrating them to Azure.
The smart approach here is to set up a staging environment to test everything and understand how these applications will function in or integrate with the new cloud environment. Next, ascertain the modifications required for the systems to function and flourish in their new Azure cloud environment.
Consultation fees: Feel free to ask for help! Several renowned migration partners, such as Kloudeo, have the knowledge and experience to make Azure migration easier for you. In addition, you can easily hire Microsoft cloud engineers for complete assistance for your migration project.
Based on their experience and expertise, different consultants charge differently. As a result, consultants add significant value throughout the migration process, from planning to execution.
Post-migration costs: The monthly cloud subscription we assessed in the second phase, where the Azure pricing calculator determines the overall cost. These expenses are often discussed with your cloud migration partner before migration. The monthly cost depends on the usage of the cloud as per the company’s requirement.
Pricing Models for Azure Migration
Azure Migrate: This model is a service that helps you discover, assess, and migrate on-premises workloads to Azure. You can refer to Azure migrate pricing for further details.
Pay-as-you-go: With no up-front expenditures or long-term obligations, this model enables you to pay just for the resources you consume.
Azure Hybrid Benefit: This model allows you to use your existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses to save on Azure virtual machines.
Reserved Instances: This model allows you to save up to 72% on virtual machines by committing to one-year or three-year terms.
Azure Migration Program: This model provides a set of tools, services, and guidance to help you assess, plan, and execute your Migration to Azure.
It’s important to note that the pricing for these models can vary depending on the specific services and resources you use, the region, and the size of your deployment. Therefore, visiting the Azure pricing page and using the pricing calculator to estimate the costs for your specific migration scenario is best.
Conclusion
Azure migration costs might vary significantly depending on several factors. The key is understanding the costs of each migration phase, including assessment and planning, infrastructure and licensing, data transfer and networking, and managed services and support.
The Azure migrate pricing and Total cost of ownership calculator can help you estimate the costs of running your workloads on Azure based on your specific requirements and usage, optimize your costs, and make the most of your investment.
By understanding these costs, you can better plan for and budget for your Azure Migration, ensuring that you can fully leverage the benefits of the cloud while keeping costs under control.
