Migrating Critical Workloads to Azure Local (Azure Stack HCI)

Background and Challenge 

The client was operating a wide range of business-critical applications and databases on an aging VMware infrastructure. For many years, this setup worked reliably and provided the stability the business needed. However, as demands grew and technology advanced, the limitations of the system became increasingly evident. 

Some of the key challenges included: 

• Scaling up resources was time-consuming and expensive. 

• Maintaining uptime during upgrades or failures was challenging. 

• Disaster recovery plans were complex and offered longer recovery times. 

• Hardware maintenance and licensing overheads were rising. 

• The business needed to comply with strict data residency requirements – ruling out a move to the public cloud. 

The leadership team was clear: they wanted the agility of cloud computing but hosted entirely within their own data centre. 

Our Approach 

After a detailed review of the client’s infrastructure and workload requirements, Teleglobal recommended migrating to Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI). This hybrid cloud platform provides the power of Microsoft Azure services while keeping infrastructure fully within the organization’s data center, addressing both compliance and performance concerns. 

The migration plan was built around three main objectives: 

1. Seamless transition: Minimize downtime and avoid disrupting daily business operations. 

2. Performance and scalability: Build an environment capable of supporting current needs and future growth. 

3. Security and manageability: Integrate Azure tools for monitoring, compliance, and governance across workloads. 

Execution 

The migration was carried out in three key phases: 

1. Discovery and Planning 

Teleglobal conducted a full assessment of the client’s VMware infrastructure. Every virtual machine, application, and database dependency was mapped to ensure no critical process was overlooked. 

Workloads were grouped according to importance and migration risk. This allowed for a phased migration schedule that reduced downtime for essential applications. At the same time, sizing calculations were performed to ensure that the Azure Local environment was optimized for both current and anticipated future workloads. 

2. Deployment and Configuration 

Once planning was complete, Teleglobal deployed the Azure Local cluster inside the client’s own data center. Key steps included: 

• Setting up a resilient cluster to ensure high availability. 

• Integrating Azure Arc for centralized management, policy enforcement, and monitoring. 

• Preparing the MySQL environment on Azure Local with built-in high availability, automated backups, and strict role-based access controls to safeguard data. 

This deployment stage ensured that the foundation was strong before workloads were migrated. 

3. Migration and Cutover 

With the new environment ready, Teleglobal carried out workload replication from VMware to Azure Local. Multiple test migrations were conducted to confirm performance, security, and application compatibility. 

A final production cutover was then executed, transferring workloads with minimal downtime. Following successful validation, the old VMware infrastructure was safely decommissioned, eliminating unnecessary maintenance costs. 

The Outcome 

The entire migration was completed within three weeks, aligning with the client’s timeline and expectations. 

The results included: 

• Cloud agility with on-premises control: The client can now scale resources quickly without depending on public cloud providers. 

• High availability and resilience: Built-in clustering and disaster recovery readiness ensure systems remain online even in the event of hardware failure. 

• Centralized management: With Azure Arc, policies, monitoring, and compliance checks are streamlined across the entire IT environment. 

• Reduced operational overhead: The shift away from aging VMware hardware and complex licensing reduced both cost and administrative effort. 

Long-Term Benefits 

By moving to Azure Local, the client gained more than just a technology upgrade. The new infrastructure provides: 

• Future-ready scalability: Capacity can be increased without major overhauls or downtime. 

• Stronger compliance posture: All data remains within the client’s own data center, meeting residency requirements. 

• Simplified IT operations: Day-to-day management is more efficient thanks to integrated Azure services. 

• Business continuity: Improved resilience ensures the company can meet customer demands without interruptions. 

Why Azure Local Was the Right Choice 

For businesses facing similar challenges with legacy infrastructure, Azure Local offers a compelling middle ground between traditional on-premises hosting and full public cloud adoption. It combines the flexibility of cloud services with the reassurance of in-house control. 

With Teleglobal’s expertise in planning and execution, the client achieved a smooth transition and is now positioned to grow with confidence, knowing their infrastructure is modern, secure, and fully compliant. 

Conclusion 

This case study highlights how Teleglobal  transformed a legacy VMware-based infrastructure into a modern, agile, and compliant environment using Azure Local. The migration not only reduced operational costs and risks but also delivered cloud-like benefits while keeping everything securely hosted on-premises.