Modernize Data Systems by Migrating to the Cloud

Business case

Our client, a multinational technology company, previously relied on on-premises servers and Azure VMs for data storage. This traditional storage system led to high costs, slow processing times, and challenges with infrastructure consolidation. With an average data pull and processing time of 24 hours, the company often opted for server upgrades to address these delays. This led to substantial infrastructure expenses and complex maintenance challenges.

Given their dependency on functional data systems for driving business insights, sales, and marketing efforts, the company handled terabytes to petabytes of data. They sought a comprehensive cloud migration strategy that not only met their functional needs but also ensured robust security and compliance.

Key challenges

·         Enable real-time reporting

·         Facilitate independent refreshes of multiple data streams

·         Simplify infrastructure management and maintenance

·         Reduce overall costs

·         Ensure data security and compliance during and after migration

Our solution

Table 1: Feature Breakdown On-prem Versus Cloud Architecture

 

To address these challenges, we devised a cloud migration strategy that used Microsoft Azure services. With a strong focus on security and compliance, our approach included the following key components:

1.      Security and compliance:

o  Azure Security Center: Implemented Azure Security Center for unified security management and advanced threat protection across the hybrid cloud environment. This included real-time threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and adherence to security best practices. All of this helped to protect data during and after the migration.

o     Azure Active Directory (AD): Integrated Azure AD for secure, single sign-on (SSO) and identity management. This ensured that only authorized personnel had access to sensitive data and applications, with multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced for added security.

o     Encryption: Used Azure's built-in encryption features, including encryption at rest (using Azure Storage Service Encryption) and in transit (using SSL/TLS), to protect data integrity and confidentiality.

o    Virtual Network (VNet): Set up Azure Virtual Network to provide a secure and isolated environment for cloud resources. This allowed for private IP address spaces, controlled communication between Azure resources, and secure access to the on-premises network via VPN Gateway.

o     Network Security Groups (NSGs): Applied NSGs to control inbound and outbound traffic to Azure resources. This ensured that only necessary traffic was allowed and unauthorized access was blocked.

o    Azure Firewall: Deployed Azure Firewall to provide a fully stateful, scalable network security solution that protects Azure Virtual Network resources from malicious threats.

o      Azure Private Link: Used Azure Private Link to provide private connectivity to Azure services over a private endpoint in the Virtual Network. This improved security by eliminating exposure to the public internet.

1.      Migration and implementation:

o    Azure Data Warehouse: Opted for Azure Data Warehouse due to its scalability and performance benefits. The migration process involved setting up a robust data warehouse architecture to efficiently handle the transfer of 50 terabytes of data daily.

o    Azure Data Lake Storage: Used for scalable and secure data storage, enabling seamless integration with other Azure services while ensuring data protection through built-in encryption and access controls.

o     Azure Databricks: Employed for advanced data processing and analytics, ensuring fast and efficient data handling while using security features such as role-based access control (RBAC).

o    Tabular Models and SQL: Used for data modeling and publication, improving data accessibility and usability with secure access controls.

o     Power BI and Excel: Used for data visualization, providing intuitive dashboards and reports for business users, with secure data access and sharing features.

2.      Operational Excellence:

o    Real-time reporting: Implemented a real-time data refresh pipeline to support timely reporting and analytics, with secure data transfer and processing practices.

o      Intelligent job monitoring: Developed a monitoring and validation framework to manage and verify data refreshes based on source availability, ensuring data accuracy and security.

 

Business outcomes

The cloud migration strategy provided several significant benefits:

·   Improved security: Implemented comprehensive security measures, including Azure Security Center, encryption, VNet, and private connectivity options. These were implemented to ensure robust data protection throughout the migration process and beyond.

·    Improved processing speed: The migration to Azure Data Warehouse enabled real-time reporting and reduced data latency, with a refresh cycle that is twice as efficient.

·    Reduced costs: The transition to a cloud-based infrastructure reduced maintenance costs and eliminated the need for frequent server upgrades.

·     Enabled scalability and flexibility: Azure’s scalable architecture provides unlimited growth potential and allows for seamless handling of large data volumes.

Highlights

·         Successfully migrated from on-premises servers to a secure, scalable cloud environment.

·         Achieved faster data processing and real-time reporting capabilities.

·         Reduced data refresh cycle time by 50% and overall maintenance costs.

·         Ensured comprehensive security and compliance with Azure’s advanced features, including VNet, encryption, and private connectivity.

Our related offers on AppSource

Cloud Migration: 1-Week Assessment