Mainframe Migration to Microsoft Azure

Step 1: Discovery

Advanced begins every modernisation initiative with a discovery, free of charge. Our modernisation experts work with you to understand and document your business and technical goals and objectives. Together, we gather information about your mainframe estate. Everything from infrastructure to language and database types and quantities are accounted for. The discovery concludes with a workshop where Advanced recommends optimal Azure-bound modernisation approaches based on information gathered, as well as rough order of magnitude (ROM) pricing, and estimated project durations and resource requirements.

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Step 2: Assess and Design

The assess and design phase is performed using Advanced's automated tools to fully catalogue and develop a complete understanding of the application, infrastructure, and operational components of a mainframe environment. It exposes mainframe artifacts that organisations did not know they had, relationships they did not realise existed, and assets that are no longer in use. Assess and design activities provide stakeholders with valuable insight to inform application modernisation decisions such as disposition strategies and target environment architectures. It also mitigates cost and risk by highlighting potential challenges and how to overcome them. At the conclusion of the assess and design phase, all in-scope artifacts are accounted for, a detailed project plan is established, and the transformation process begins.

Step 3: Transform

The transform phase includes the bulk of the Automated Refactoring and Rehosting activities, the database and data modernisation, and build-out of the target operating environment in Azure. During transform, Advanced refactors pre-defined work packets, performs functional tests, and delivers them into the DevOps pipeline. While customer teams build, test, and deploy these work packets in Azure, Advanced refactors the next work packet, iterating until the entire mainframe estate has been transformed.

Step 4: Test & Deploy

The test and deploy phase begins with the receipt of work packets through the DevOps toolchain as they are delivered from iterative refactoring activities in the transform phase. If issues arise, the work packet is passed back to Advanced where we review the code, adjust our tooling, reprocess the work packet, and send it back into the DevOps pipeline to resume testing and deployment. This process repeats until the entire refactored estate has been deployed.

Prior to go-live, Advanced refreshes the target environment in Azure by transforming a final snapshot of the mainframe environment to account for changes that have taken place throughout the modernisation project as part of normal business operations. Fortunately, since all adjustments and optimisations have been made to the automated refactoring tools and not the refactored code, this final refresh can be delivered into production over a weekend, eliminating code freezes.

Step 5: Support

Advanced works closely with you and your team to ensure a smooth transition into Microsoft Azure. Part of this transition includes the cooperative construction and testing of a go-live production cutover plan to reduce the potential risks associated with application deployments. Advanced also provides on-demand assistance during the warranty period following production deployment, as well as post-transformation support of the modernised application.