#migrating to Azure cloud

[nuvento-sys]

Before migrating to Azure cloud, remember the important points you need to carefully focus on.

[cloudatlasinc]

Accelerating transformation with SAP on Azure

Microsoft continues to expand its presence in the cloud by building more data centers globally, with over 61 Azure regions in 140 countries. They are expanding their reach and capabilities to meet all the customer needs. The transition from a cloudless domain like DRDC to the entire cloud platform is possible within no time, and a serverless future awaits. Microsoft gives the platform to build and innovate at a rapid speed. Microsoft is enhancing new capabilities to meet cloud services' demands and needs, from IaaS to PaaS Data, AI, ML, and IoT. There are over 600 services available on Azure with a cloud adoption framework and enterprise-scale landing zone. Many companies look at Microsoft Azure security compliance as a significant migration driver. Microsoft Azure has an extensive list of compliance certifications across the globe. The Microsoft services have several beneficial characteristics; capabilities are broad, deep, and suited to any industry, along with a global network of skilled professionals and partners. Expertise in the Microsoft portfolio includes both technology integration and digital transformation. Accountability for the long term, addressing complex challenges while mitigating risk. Flexibility to engage in the way that works for you with the global reach to satisfy the target business audience.

SAP and Microsoft Azure

SAP and Microsoft bring together the power of industry-specific best practices, reference architectures, and professional services and support to simplify and safeguard your migration to SAP in the cloud and help manage the ongoing business operations now and in the future. SAP and Microsoft have collaborated to design and deliver a seamless, optimized experience to help manage migration and business operations as you move from on-premises editions of SAP solutions to SAP S/4 HANA on Microsoft Azure. It reduces complexity, minimizes costs, and supports end-to-end SAP migration and operations strategy, platform, and services. As a result, one can safeguard the cloud migration with out-of-box functionality and industry-specific best practices while immaculately handling the risk and optimizing the IT environment. Furthermore, the migration assimilates best-in-class technologies from SAP and Microsoft, packed with a unified business cloud platform. 

SAP Deployment Options on Azure

SAP system is deployed on-premises or in Azure. One can deploy different systems into different landscapes either on Azure or on-premises. SAP HANA on Azure large instances intend to host the SAP application layer of SAP systems in Virtual Machines and the related SAP HANA instance on the unit in the 'SAP HANA Azure Large Instance Stamp.' 'A Large Instance Stamp' is a hardware infrastructure stack that is SAP HANA TDI certified and dedicated to running SAP HANA instances within Azure. 'SAP HANA Large Instances' is the official name for the solution in Azure to run HANA instances on SAP HANA TDI certified hardware that gets deployed in ‘Large Instance Stamps’ in different Azure regions. SAP or HANA Large Instances or HLI are physical servers meaning bare metal servers. HLI does not reside in the same data center as Azure services but is in close proximity and connected through high throughput links to satisfy SAP HANA network latency requirements. HLI comes in two flavors- Type 1 and 2. IaaS can install SAP HANA on a virtual machine running on Azure. Running SAP HANA on IaaS supports more Linux versions than HLI. For example, you can install SAP Netweaver on Windows and Linux IaaS Virtual Machines on Azure. SAP HANA can only run on RedHat and SUSE, while NetWeaver can run on windows SQL and Linux.

Azure Virtual Network

Azure Virtual Network or VNET is a core foundation of the infrastructure implementation on Azure. The VNET can be a communication boundary for those resources that need to communicate. You can have multiple VNETs in your subscription. If they weren't connected, we could call them Pierre in Azure wall; there will be no traffic flow in between. They can also share the same IP range. Understanding the requirements and proper setup is essential as changing them later, especially with the running production workloads, could cause downtime. When you provision a VNET, The private blocks must allocate address space. If you plan to connect multiple VNETs, you cannot have an overlapping address space. The IP range should not clash or overlap with the IP addressing in Azure while connecting on-premise to Azure via express route or site-site VPN. Configuring VNET to the IP address space becomes a DHP service. You can configure VNET with the DNS server's IP addresses to resolve services on-premise.VNETS can be split into different subnets and communicate freely with each other. Network security groups or NSGs are the control planes we use to filter traffic. NSGs are stateful but simple firewall rules based on the source and destination IP and ports.

 Azure Virtual Gateway

 For extensive connectivity, you must create a virtual gateway subnet. When you create a virtual gateway, you will get prompted for two options: VPN or Express Route Gateway; with VPN, you cannot connect to the Express Route Circuit. If you choose the Express Route Virtual Gateway, you can combine both.

 There are two types of VPN;

1) The point-to-site VPN is used for testing and gives the lowest throughput.

2) The site-site VPN connection can offer better benefits by bridging networks.

This VPN offers zero support for SLA and uses this connection as a backup for the recommended connection on Azure, called the express route. Express route is a dedicated circuit using hardware installed on your data center, with a constant link to ‘Microsoft Azure Edge’ devices. Express route is inevitable for maintaining the communication between application VNET running in Azure and on-premise systems to HLI servers. The express route is safer and more resilient than VPN as it provides a connection through a single circuit and facilitates second redundancy; this helps route traffic between SAP application servers inside Azure and enables low latency. Furthermore, the fast path allows routine traffic between SAP application servers inside Azure VNET and HLI through an optimized route that bypasses the virtual network gateway and directly hops through edge routers to HLA servers. Therefore, an ultra-performance express route gateway must have a Fast Path feature.

SAP HANA Architecture (VM)

This design gets centered on the SAP HANA backend on the Linux Suse or RedHat distributions. Even though the Linux OS implementation is the same, the vendor licensing differs. It incorporates always-on replication and utilizes synchronous and asynchronous replication to meet the HANA DB requirements. We have also introduced NetApp file share for DFS volumes used by each SAP component using Azure site recovery and building a DR plan for App ASCs and the web dispatches servers. Azure Active directory is used in synchronization with on-premises active directory, as SAP application user authenticates from on-premises to SAP landscape on Azure with Single Sign-On credentials. Azure high-speed express route gateway securely connects on-premises networks to Azure virtual machines and other resources. The request flows into highly available SAP central, SAP ABAP services ASCS and through SAP application servers running on Azure virtual machines. The on-demand request moves from the SAP App server to the SAP HANA server running on a high-performance Azure VM. Primary active and secondary standby servers run on SAP-certified virtual machines with a cluster availability of 99.95 at the OS level. Data replication is handled through HSR in synchronous mode from primary to secondary enabling zero recovery point objective. SAP HANA data is replicated through a disaster recovery VM in another Azure region through the Azure high-speed backbone network and using HSR in asynchronous mode. The disaster recovery VM can be smaller than the production VM to save costs.

SAP systems are network sensitive, so the network system must factor the design decisions into segmenting the VNETs and NSGs. To ensure network reliability, we must use low latency cross-connections with sufficient bandwidth and no packet loss. SAP is very sensitive to these metrics, and you could experience significant issues if traffic suffers latency or packet loss between the application and the SAP system. We can use proximity placement groups called PGS to force the grouping of different VM types into a single Azure data center to optimize the network latency between the different VM types to the best possible.

 Security Considerations

 Security is another core pillar of any design. Role-based Access control (RBAC) gets accessed through the Azure management bay. RBAC is backed up through AD using cloud-only synchronized identities. Azure AD can back up the RBAC through cloud-only or synchronized identities. RBAC will tie in those cloud or sync identities to Azure tenants, where you can give personal access to Azure for operational purposes. Network security groups are vital for securing the network traffic both within and outside the network environment. The NSGs are stateful firewalls that preserve session information. You can have a single NSG per subnet, and multiple subnets can share the same energy. Application security group or ASG handles functions such as web servers, application servers, or backend database servers combined to perform a meaningful service. Resource encryption brings the best of security with encryption in transit. SAP recommends using encryption at rest, so for the Azure storage account, we can use storage service encryption, which would use either Microsoft or customer-managed keys to manage encryption. Azure storage also adds encryption in transit, with SSL using HTTPS traffic. You can use Azure Disk Encryption (ADE) for OS and DBA encryption for SQL.

Migration of SAP Workloads to Azure

The most critical part of the migration is understanding what you are planning to migrate and accounting for dependencies, limitations, or even blockers that might stop your migration. Following an appropriate inventory process will ensure that your migration completes successfully. You can use in-hand tools to understand the current SAP landscape in the migration scope. For example, looking at your service now or CMDB catalog might reveal some of the data that expresses your SAP system. Then take that information to start drawing out your sizing in Azure. It is essential to ensure that we have a record of the current environment configuration, such as the number of servers and their names, server roles, and data about CPU and memory. It is essential to pick up the disk sizes, configuration, and throughput to ensure that your design delivers a better experience in Azure. It is also necessary to understand database replication and throughput requirements around replicas. When performing a migration, the sizing for large HANA instances is no different from sizing for HANA in general. For existing and deployment systems you want to move from other RDBMS to HANA, SAP provides several reports that run on your existing SAP systems. If migrating the database to HANA, these reports need to check the data and calculate memory requirements for the HANA instances.

When evaluating high availability and disaster recovery requirements, it is essential to consider the implications of choosing between two-tier and three-tier architectures. To avoid network contention in a two-tier arrangement, install database and Netweaver components on the same Azure VM. The database and application components get installed in three-tier configurations on separate Azure Virtual Machines. This choice has other implications regarding sizing since two-tier, and three-tier SAP ratings for a given VM differs. The high availability option is not mandatory for the SAP application servers.

You can achieve high availability by employing redundancy. To implement it, you can install individual application servers on separate Azure VMs. For example, you can achieve high availability for ASCS and SCS servers running on windows using windows failover clustering with SIOS data keeper. We can also achieve high availability with Linux clustering using Azure NetApp files. For DBMS servers, you should use DB replication technology using redundant nodes. Azure offers high availability through redundancy of its infrastructure and capabilities, such as Azure VM restarts, which play an essential role in a single VM deployment. In addition, Azure offers different SLAs depending on your configuration. For example, SAP landscapes organize SABC servers into different tiers; there are three diverse landscapes: deployment, quality assurance, and production.

Migration Strategies:- SAP landscapes to Azure

 Enterprises have SAP systems for business functions like Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP), global trade, business intelligence(BI), and others. Within those systems, there are different environments like sandbox developments, tests, and production. Each horizontal row is an environment, and each vertical dimension is the SAP system for a business function. The layers at the bottom are lower-risk environments and are less critical. Those towards the top are in high-risk environments and are more critical. As you move up the stack, there is more risk in the migration process. Production is the more critical environment. The use of test environments for business continuity is of concern. The systems at the bottom are smaller and have fewer computing resources, lower availability, size requirements, and less throughput. They have the same amount of storage as the production database with a horizontal migration strategy. To gain experience with production systems on Azure, you can use a vertical approach with low-risk factors in parallel to the horizontal design.

 Horizontal Migration Strategy

 To limit risk, start with low-impact sandboxes or training systems. Then, if something goes wrong, there is little danger associated with users or mission-critical business functions. After gaining experience in hosting, running, and administering SAP systems in Azure, apply to the next layer of systems up the stack. Then, estimate costs, limiting expenditures, performance, and optimization potential for each layer and adjust if needed.

Vertical Migration Strategy

The cost must be on guard along with legal requirements. Move systems from the sandbox to production with the lowest risk. First, the governance, risk, compliance system, and the object Event Repository gets driven towards production. Then the higher risk elements like BI and DRP. When you have a new system, it's better to start in Azure default mode rather than putting it on-premises and moving it later. The last system you move is the highest risk, mission-critical system, usually the ERP production system. Having the most performance virtual machines, SQL, and extensive storage would be best. Consider the earliest migration of standalone systems. If you have different SAP systems, always look for upstream and downstream dependencies from one SAP system to another.

Journey to SAP on Azure

Consider two main factors for the migration of SAP HANA to the cloud. The first is the end-of-life first-generation HANA appliance, causing customers to reevaluate their platform. The second is the desire to take advantage of the early value proposition of SAP business warehouse BW on HANA in a flexible DDA model over traditional databases and later BW for HANA. As a result, numerous initial migrations of SAP HANA to Microsoft Azure have focused on SAP BW to take advantage of SAP HANA's in-memory capability for the BW workloads. In addition, using the SAP database migration option DMO with the System Migration option of SUM facilitates single-step migration from the source system on-premises to the target system residing in Azure. As a result, it minimizes the overall downtime. In general, when initiating a project to deploy SAP workloads to Azure, you should divide it into the following phases. Project preparation and planning, pilot, non-production, production preparation, go-live, and post-production.

Use Cases for SAP Implementation in Microsoft Azure

 Use  cases

How  does Microsoft Azure help?

How  do organizations benefit?

Deliver  automated disaster recovery with low RPO and RTO

Azure  recovery services replicate on-premises virtual machines to Azure and  orchestrate failover and failback

RPO  and RTO get reduced, and the cost of ownership of disaster recovery (DR)  infrastructure diminishes. While the DR systems replicate, the only cost  incurred is storage

Make  timely changes to SAP workloads by development teams

200-300  times faster infrastructure provisioning and rollout compared to on-premises,  more rapid changes by SAP application teams

Increased  agility and the ability to provision instances within 20 minutes

Fund  intermittently used development and test infrastructure for SAP workloads

Supports  the potential to stop development and test systems at the end of business day

Savings  as much as 40-75 percent in hosting costs by exercising the ability to control  instances when not in use

Increase  data center capacity to serve updated SAP project requests

Frees  on-premises data center capacity by moving development and test for SAP  workloads to Microsoft Azure without upfront investments

Flexibility  to shift from capital to operational expenditures

Provide  consistent training environments based on templates

Ability  to store and use pre-defined images of the training environment for updated  virtual machines

Cost  savings by provisioning only the instances needed for training and then  deleting them when the event is complete

Archive  historical systems for auditing and governance

Supports  migration of physical machines to virtual machines that get activated when  needed

Savings  of as much as 60 percent due to cheaper storage and the ability to quickly  spin up systems based on need.

  References

n.d. Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing Services. Accessed June 13, 2022. http://azure.microsoft.com.

n.d. All Blog Posts. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://blogs.sap.com.

n.d. Cloud4C: Managed Cloud Services for Enterprises. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.cloud4c.com.

n.d. NetApp Cloud Solutions | Optimized Storage In Any Cloud. Accessed June 13, 2022. http://cloud.netapp.com.

[unifycloudllc]

Why Application and Database Modernization is Critical for Digital Transformation

Application and database modernization are critical for digital transformation for several reasons:

1. Improved Efficiency: Modernizing applications and databases can help organizations to automate and streamline their processes. This can lead to increased efficiency and productivity, allowing businesses to achieve their goals faster and more effectively.

2. Better Customer Experience: Modernized applications and databases can provide a more seamless and personalized customer experience. By leveraging modern technologies such as AI and machine learning, businesses can gain insights into customer behavior and preferences and tailor their services accordingly.

3. Cost Reduction: Legacy applications and databases can be costly to maintain and upgrade. By modernizing these systems, organizations can reduce costs associated with maintenance, licensing, and hardware upgrades.

4. Scalability: Modernized applications and databases are more scalable and can adapt to changing business needs. This allows organizations to quickly respond to new opportunities and challenges.

5. Security: Modernizing applications and databases can improve security by reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing data protection measures. This is particularly important given the increasing frequency and severity of cyberattacks.

In summary, application and database modernization are critical components of digital transformation. By modernizing their systems, organizations can improve efficiency, customer experience, scalability, and security, while also reducing costs associated with legacy systems.

[bdccglobal]

Azure Migration is an intense process that may impact your organization’s ability to operate. With these key tools and best practices, you can migrate your data safely and effectively.

For more information, Visit our blog page: https://www.bdccglobal.com/blog/azure-migration-tools-and-best-practices/

[emorphistechno]

Cloud migration services can help your business become more adaptable and agile so you can meet changing customer expectations. Companies have been moving their data and services to the cloud for a very long time to improve their performance.

Discover the Cloud Migration Services types, benefits, and brief about the process. Learn how cloud computing services help the scalability of your business.

[atcuality1]

Revitalize Your Online Platform with a Framework Upgrade

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Microsoft Solution Partner in Chennai | Cloud Solution Provider

IFI Techsolutions is a leading Microsoft Solution Partner in Chennai and managed service provider that was recognized as a 2020 Microsoft Partner of the Year Finalist.

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Accelerating Biomedical Research with Azure Cloud Migration

[newvision-software]

Is your business ready for the cloud?

Migrating to Azure can help you reduce costs, scale on demand, and strengthen security. With built-in AI, hybrid options, and global reach, Azure is designed to empower businesses to innovate faster and stay competitive. From flexible infrastructure to advanced disaster recovery, a move to Azure sets the stage for future growth.

Want to know more? Explore the full blog here!

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Ensure hassle-free transitions with a robust Azure cloud migration strategy. Learn how to plan and execute migrations for long-term cloud success.

[nuvento-sys]

You can speed up your cloud adoption journey in a seamless, safe, low-risk, and cost-effective way with Nuvento's Azure cloud migration expertise.

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The Cloud Computing Job Market is Exploding – how can you dive in?

In recent years, cloud computing has transformed the way businesses operate, leading to an explosion in demand for skilled professionals in this field. As companies continue to migrate to the cloud, the job market is not just growing; it’s evolving rapidly. If you’re looking to capitalize on this opportunity, understanding how to navigate this expanding landscape is crucial. In this blog, we’ll explore the current job market for cloud computing and how enrolling in a cloud computing institute in Hyderabad can help you dive in.

The Rise of Cloud Computing

The shift to cloud computing is no longer a trend; it’s a necessity for many organizations. Businesses of all sizes are adopting cloud solutions for their flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Here are some reasons why cloud computing is booming:

Increased Data Storage Needs: With the exponential growth of data, companies require robust storage solutions that can adapt to their needs. Cloud services provide the scalability that traditional systems often lack.

Remote Work Culture: The rise of remote work has accelerated the adoption of cloud technologies, allowing teams to collaborate seamlessly regardless of their physical location.

Cost Savings: Cloud computing eliminates the need for extensive physical infrastructure, reducing overhead costs for businesses. This financial benefit is a major driving force behind its adoption.

Focus on Security: As cyber threats continue to evolve, many organizations turn to cloud providers for their advanced security measures, making cloud solutions more attractive.

Current Job Market Trends

As the cloud computing market grows, so does the demand for various roles. Here are some key trends to watch:

Diverse Job Roles: From cloud architects and data engineers to security analysts and compliance officers, the range of positions is expanding. This diversity allows professionals to find roles that match their skills and interests.

Competitive Salaries: Cloud computing roles often come with attractive salary packages, reflecting the specialized skills required in this field. This trend makes cloud careers increasingly appealing to job seekers.

Focus on Certifications: Employers are increasingly looking for candidates with relevant certifications. Credentials from recognized institutions can significantly enhance your employability in this competitive market.

How to Dive into the Cloud Computing Job Market

If you’re eager to enter the cloud computing field, here are some steps to help you get started:

Gain Relevant Skills: Focus on acquiring the skills necessary for cloud roles. This includes understanding cloud architecture, security, and data management.

Pursue Certifications: Consider obtaining certifications from reputable cloud providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud. These credentials can enhance your resume and demonstrate your expertise.

Network: Engage with professionals in the field through networking events, webinars, and online forums. Building connections can lead to valuable job opportunities and insights.

Stay Updated: The cloud landscape is constantly evolving. Stay informed about the latest trends, technologies, and best practices to remain competitive.

Enroll in a Cloud Computing Course: One of the most effective ways to gain a solid foundation is by enrolling in a cloud computing institute in Hyderabad. The Boston Institute of Analytics offers a comprehensive program that provides hands-on experience and industry-relevant knowledge.

What to Expect from a Cloud Computing Institute in Hyderabad

When choosing a cloud computing institute in Hyderabad, look for programs that offer:

Comprehensive Curriculum: Ensure the program covers essential topics like cloud infrastructure, services, security, and deployment strategies.

Practical Experience: Hands-on training with real cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud is crucial for developing applicable skills.

Expert Guidance: Learning from experienced instructors can provide valuable insights and help you navigate your career path effectively.

Career Support: Many institutes offer resources for job placement and internships, giving you a head start in the job market.

Conclusion

The cloud computing job market is indeed exploding, offering a wealth of opportunities for those willing to dive in. By gaining relevant skills, pursuing certifications, and enrolling in a cloud computing institute in Hyderabad like the Boston Institute of Analytics, you can position yourself for success in this dynamic field. Embrace the future of technology and start your journey in cloud computing today!

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VastEdge offers expert Azure Cloud Migration services to help businesses transition smoothly to Microsoft Azure. Enhance your cloud infrastructure, improve security, and achieve scalability with VastEdge's reliable migration solutions. Migrate to Azure with zero disruption and minimal downtime.

[ajmishra]

Dominating the Market with Cloud Power

Explore how leveraging cloud technology can help businesses dominate the market. Learn how cloud power boosts scalability, reduces costs, enhances innovation, and provides a competitive edge in today's digital landscape. Visit now to read more: Dominating the Market with Cloud Power

[altdigitaltechnologies]

Migration to Microsoft Azure

So, is your company ready for the cloud? Migration to Microsoft Azure may indeed be the move needed to make you the game-changer!

Moving to Azure has such wonderful benefits, but don't forget to weigh all that's to offer and against before making that switch.

Benefits of Azure Migrate. Scalable: Scale up or down according to the growth of your business. Cost-effectiveness: You pay for only what you have used, and hence, no waste or unnecessary spending. Top-class security: Reap robust features and compliance certificates with Azure. Global access. Improve the performance of your application across the globe. All the data centers of Azure are accessible to every single person on the earth. Hybrid integration. Hybrid integration is not really an advantage but rather a feature that you would welcome with glee. It can be quite easy to integrate on-premises data into the cloud resources.

Dealing With Cons: ⚠️ Steep Learning Curve: It may take some time for your team to get accustomed to the Azure platform. ⚠️ The system May Experience Downtime: This is a very rare possibility, however, but it can also come in the way of operation. ⚠️ Cost Upward Creep: In case you do not learn how to restrain usage properly as workloads scale, then it becomes a problem.

Most of the times with Azure are characterized by having most pros weighed against very few cons, offering it flexibility and security in a global reach. Are you considering the move? Let's connect to see how we can work toward making the Azure migration suited for your business!

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