Getting off ageing servers safely

Moving your applications to Azure, carefully.

We move bespoke and legacy applications from on-premises servers and ageing hosting to Microsoft Azure, modernise them where it makes sense, and build new applications for the cloud. Every move is planned, rehearsed and reversible.

Is this for you?

  • A bespoke application still runs on a server in a cupboard, or with a hosting company you no longer trust
  • The hardware, operating system or database it runs on is going out of support
  • Nobody is sure how the system is backed up, or whether it could be restored
  • You'd like to move to Azure but don't want to risk disrupting a system the business depends on
  • You need a new application, and you'd like it built for the cloud from the start

What we do

  • Migration assessment. We look at the application, its database, its integrations and where it runs today, and set out the options: move it as it is, change it so it runs well in Azure, or rebuild parts of it. Each option comes with the effort, the risks and the expected running costs.
  • Moving legacy applications. We move .NET Framework and other older applications to Azure with as few changes as possible, then improve them in steps once they're safely across.
  • Modernisation. Where it pays, we upgrade frameworks, move to managed Azure services such as Azure App Service and Azure SQL Database, and remove the parts that tie the system to a single server.
  • Cloud application development. We design and build new applications on Azure, with automated tests and a repeatable release process from day one.
  • Infrastructure as code. We describe your Azure resources in code kept in your own repository, so the environment can be rebuilt, reviewed and changed safely.
  • Security and resilience. Access control, secrets kept out of the code, backups that have been tested by restoring them, and monitoring and alerting.
  • Microsoft 365 integration. Where it helps, we connect your applications to Microsoft 365, for example single sign-on with your staff's existing work accounts.

Moving .NET Framework applications to Azure

Older .NET Framework applications can usually run in Azure with few changes, on Azure App Service or on Windows virtual machines where they need them. Once a system is safely across, we can upgrade it to current .NET in steps, with automated tests checking that it still behaves as it did. That gets you off ageing servers quickly and onto supported versions without a risky rewrite.

How a migration works

  1. Assessment. We review the system and agree the approach, the plan and a fixed quote.
  2. Preparation. We put the code into your own source control, add automated tests that describe how the system behaves today, and build the Azure environment in code.
  3. Rehearsal. We move a copy of the system and its data, test it with the people who use it, and time the cut-over.
  4. Cut-over. We move the live system at an agreed time, with a way back agreed in advance.
  5. Handover. You receive the documentation, the code and the infrastructure definitions, all in your own repository.

Afterwards

Once your system is in Azure, we can look after it through software care: monitoring, security updates, keeping frameworks in support, and a named engineer accountable for it.

Questions

Frequently asked

Will moving to Azure save us money?

Sometimes, but not automatically. The bigger benefits are usually security, resilience and getting off hardware or hosting that's nearing the end of its life. We'll give you an honest estimate of running costs before you commit, and design the system to keep them under control.

Our application is old. Does it need rewriting first?

Usually not. Many older applications can move to Azure largely as they are, and be improved in steps afterwards. The assessment tells you which parts can move as they are, which need changes, and which would be better rebuilt.

What if something goes wrong on the day?

We rehearse the cut-over before the real one and agree a way back in advance. If something unexpected happens, we can return to the old system while we fix it.

Who looks after it once it's moved?

You can look after it yourselves with the documentation we hand over, or we can look after it as part of software care, with monitoring, security updates and a named engineer.

Do we need to change our Microsoft 365 set-up?

Not as a rule. Where it helps, we connect your applications to Microsoft 365, for example so staff sign in with their existing work accounts.

Get in touch

Let's talk about what's next for your business.

An initial conversation is free and without obligation. Tell us a little about where you are, and we'll take it from there.

Start a conversation eastpoint@eastpoint.co.uk