Understand the true costs of migration with Block 64 Cloud Enablement services

A well-considered migration and management strategy can enable you to truly harness the promise of the cloud. A rushed or poorly planned implementation, however, can be equally disruptive. When it comes to the cloud, haste does indeed make waste.

A prudent migration plan means understanding your options from a technical and financial perspective – before you move. That’s the driving force behind the latest enhancements to Block 64’s suite of Cloud Enablement Services.

Don’t buy off the rack – your cloud solution should be made-to-measure

Despite what major cloud providers might profess, a one-size fits all approach is not the way forward. The cloud should be tailored to the unique characteristics of your business and workloads.

To get you there, our suite of services is making it faster and easier to answer three critical questions:

1.     Is it technically feasible to move a desired workload to the cloud? The reality is that some of your applications may not be immediately compatible and ready for migration. We’ll tell you if this is the case and whether migrating an application will impact functionality, or even expose you to a breach of existing licensing terms. 

2.     If I can move it, do the business requirements support the decision? If an application cannot tolerate any latency or downtime, it requires special consideration. We’ll assess your applications and business requirements along with any potential impact on network performance.

3.     Does it make sense from a financial perspective? Beyond the costs of provisioning and resourcing a workload, what is the impact on software licensing? There are many variables we look at to help you understand the true costs – and potential savings – of migrating and operating in the cloud.

Understanding compatibility, suitability and affordability makes all the difference between reaping the benefits of the cloud and costly missteps. Here’s a closer look at how we help you do that.

Ensuring your workloads are optimized for the cloud

The Block 64 Discovery and Analytics platform collects over 60 difference performance and resource consumption metrics to evaluate the suitability of workloads for cloud migration. This data-driven approach also provides the information to right-size application resources to ensure optimal cloud performance with the least amount of cost.

Capitalize on existing licensing investments

Software licensing oversights can undo much of the value of migrating to the cloud in the first place. We provide specific guidance on how to wring the most value out of your current investments. This includes taking advantage of License Mobility to migrate without additional expense and the Azure Hybrid Benefit which can reduce the cost of running virtual machines by as much as 40 percent.

Maximize vendor incentives

There are many incentives that can increase the attractiveness of cloud migration. Moving SQL 2008 to Azure? Doing so entitles you to three more years of free support, something that would be incredibly expensive – 300% more in some cases – to acquire on premise. Depending on your strategy, we help you understand additional savings you can realize by making upfront commitments through programs like Reserved Instances, or longer-term commitments. 

Powered by the Block 64 Discovery and Analytics platform, we help you avoid risky and potentially costly mistakes by taking a scientific approach to cloud migration planning. We also provide services to guide you through the decision-making process, helping you to weigh your options and create a cloud strategy that is tailored to the needs of your business.

To create an effective migration strategy, you need the most complete picture possible. Block 64 gives you exactly this. Avoid surprises. Benefit from a data-driven approach and practical advice without the ‘consultant-speak’.

Looking to get started, or optimize what you’ve already done? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out or visit https://block64.com/index.php/services/cloud/ to learn more.