Azure Solutions Architecture · AZ-305 · Cloud Adoption Framework · by Raushan Ranjan, MCT
The Plan methodology is where you convert your cloud adoption strategy into a clear, actionable blueprint. Think of it as creating the architectural drawings for your cloud house. A solution architect's role in this phase is to turn high-level goals into a detailed, practical plan that the entire organization can follow.
Here's how a solution architect would approach the Plan methodology:
1. Get the Team and Organization Ready 🤝
A great plan starts with people. You need to make sure your team has the right skills and that the organization is aligned.
- Mindset Check: Are we going to build our cloud like a traditional IT project (task-driven) or like a continuous product (outcome-driven)? The latter is often better for a successful cloud journey.
- Team Roles: You're not the only one building this. You need to identify a core team and assign clear responsibilities for areas like governance, security, and operations.
- Skills Gap: What new skills does your team need? Use tools and training programs like Microsoft Learn to get everyone up to speed.
2. Take Inventory of Your "House" 🏠
You can't plan a move without knowing what you have. This step is about systematically discovering your existing applications and infrastructure.
- The Big Picture: What applications do you have? Where do they live? How do they talk to each other?
- Discovery Tools: Use a tool like Azure Migrate to automatically find all your servers, applications, and databases. It's like a digital survey of your IT estate.
- Prioritize: Once you have your inventory, decide what to move first. Start with the workloads that provide the most business value and are easiest to migrate.
3. Choose Your Migration Strategy 🚚
Now that you know what you have, you need to decide how to move it. This is where you, as the architect, choose the best strategy for each workload. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. The most common strategies are known as the "7 Rs":
- Rehost: The easiest option. You just lift and shift the application as is, from your data center to a virtual machine in Azure.
- Replatform: A simple upgrade. You move the app but make a small change to take advantage of a cloud feature (e.g., switching from a self-managed database to a managed Azure service).
- Refactor/Rearchitect: A major overhaul. You change the application's code and architecture to fully leverage cloud-native services. This gives you the most benefit but takes the most effort.
- Retire/Retain/Replace: You decide not to move certain applications because they're no longer needed, they are already a SaaS solution, or they're too complex to move right now.
4. Assess and Plan for Costs 💸
A good plan isn't complete without a solid financial model.
- Workload Assessment: For each app you plan to move, you need to assess its architecture, code, and databases to understand any technical risks.
- Cost Estimation: Use the Azure Pricing Calculator to model the cost of your planned architecture. Don't forget to account for ongoing operational costs and training. A smart architect knows the costs of different solutions and can justify their choices.
- Risk Management: Create a risk register to track and manage any technical, operational, or business risks you discover during your assessment.
By completing these steps, you'll have a clear, well-documented cloud adoption plan that sets the foundation for a successful and cost-effective migration.