Microsoft Azure is an excellent option for businesses looking to modernize their IT solutions but moving from one platform to another can be a daunting task.
These tips can help you get started:

1. Develop a Cloud Strategy with Business Goals in Mind
   The first step in every journey is planning. To move to Azure, you’ll want to have a clear vision of why you want to use the platform and what you want to achieve with its many functions. Your first task should be to determine if you need Azure for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS). Knowing this information will help you have a smooth transition to the cloud and allow you to move at your own pace. With this information in mind, identify the key objectives and results you want to track. These should align with the goals, priorities, and values of your business.
2. Conduct a Migration Assessment
   Before moving to a new platform, take inventory of what your current IT capabilities and needs are. This should include on-premises applications and servers, identifying app and server conditions, plus configuration and cost analysis for your migration. Understanding your current infrastructure will help you identify any gaps, risks, or areas of growth you may need to address before a successful migration can occur. This is also a great time to evaluate what you hope to add to your IT operation with Azure. Having solid answers to these questions can help you save costs using Azure’s pay-for-what-you-use subscription model.
3. Establish Policies and Procedures
   You can take some of the guesswork out of this unchartered territory by having strong leaders in place. Define how your IT operations and processes will run and who will be responsible for what. This should also be a time when you implement security, compliance, monitoring and governance processes to ensure your Azure environment runs effectively.
4. Set Up Architecture
   A conceptual architecture provides all the necessary components and configurations for your Azure workflow. Designing a workload includes all the elements for organization, networking, security, and automation. Once your workloads are in place, you will have a secure central location to deploy and manage your applications.
5. Get More Out of Azure
   You can improve the quality and performance of your Azure workloads with Azure Well-Architected Framework. Go further with your development and go beyond your goals with a solid technical foundation. One way to do this is by calibrating your resources to enhance security, execution and boost your return on investment.