🔍 Assessment Tools Guide

Comprehensive guide to Azure migration assessment tools and methodologies


🎯 Overview

This guide provides detailed information about assessment tools that help evaluate your current environment, plan migration strategies, and estimate costs for Azure migration projects.

📊 Assessment Tool Ecosystem

🔍 Tool Classification

flowchart TD
    A[Assessment Tools] --> B[Discovery Tools]
    A --> C[Analysis Tools]
    A --> D[Planning Tools]
    A --> E[Validation Tools]
    
    B --> B1[Azure Migrate]
    B --> B2[Service Map]
    B --> B3[Device42]
    B --> B4[RVTools]
    
    C --> C1[Azure TCO Calculator]
    C --> C2[Azure Pricing Calculator]
    C --> C3[Movere]
    C --> C4[CloudEndure]
    
    D --> D1[Azure Well-Architected Review]
    D --> D2[Cloud Journey Tracker]
    D --> D3[Azure Readiness Toolkit]
    D --> D4[Migration Evaluator]
    
    E --> E1[Azure Advisor]
    E --> E2[Azure Security Center]
    E --> E3[Azure Monitor]
    E --> E4[Compliance Manager]
    
    style A fill:#e3f2fd
    style B fill:#c8e6c9
    style C fill:#f8bbd9
    style D fill:#fff3e0
    style E fill:#bbdefb

🔍 Primary Assessment Tools

🎯 Azure Migrate

Comprehensive discovery and assessment platform

Core Assessment Capabilities

Assessment Type Purpose Output Timeline
🖥️ Server Assessment VM sizing and cost estimation Right-sized Azure VMs 1-2 weeks
🌐 Web App Assessment App Service compatibility Migration readiness 3-5 days
🗄️ SQL Assessment Database compatibility SQL Database/MI recommendations 1 week
📊 AVS Assessment VMware on Azure sizing AVS node requirements 1 week

Azure Migrate Appliance Setup

# Download and configure Azure Migrate appliance
# For VMware environment

# 1. Download OVA template from Azure portal
# 2. Deploy in VMware environment
# 3. Configure appliance settings

# PowerShell configuration script
$applianceConfig = @{
    CloudEnvironment = "AzureCloud"
    SubscriptionId = "your-subscription-id"
    ResourceGroupName = "rg-azure-migrate"
    ProjectName = "contoso-migration-project"
    ApplianceName = "ContosomigrateAppliance"
    Region = "EastUS"
}

# Register appliance
Register-AzMigrateAppliance @applianceConfig

# Start discovery
Start-AzMigrateDiscovery -ProjectName $applianceConfig.ProjectName -ApplianceName $applianceConfig.ApplianceName

Assessment Configuration

{
  "assessmentSettings": {
    "assessmentName": "Contoso-VM-Assessment",
    "azureLocation": "East US",
    "pricingTier": "Standard",
    "currency": "USD",
    "discountPercentage": 10,
    "azureHybridBenefit": true,
    "azureOfferCode": "MS-AZR-0148P",
    "sizingCriterion": "PerformanceBased",
    "performanceHistory": "Month",
    "percentileUtilization": "95th",
    "comfortFactor": 1.3,
    "vmUptime": {
      "daysPerMonth": 31,
      "hoursPerDay": 24
    },
    "reservedInstances": "ThreeYear"
  }
}

💰 Azure Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator

High-level cost estimation for business cases

Input Categories & Best Practices

Category Data Sources Accuracy Tips
🖥️ Servers CMDB, monitoring tools Include all server types
🗄️ Databases Database inventory Consider licensing costs
💾 Storage Storage management tools Account for growth patterns
🌐 Networking Network monitoring Include bandwidth costs

TCO Analysis Methodology

# TCO Calculator Methodology
phase1_discovery:
  duration: "2-4 weeks"
  activities:
    - inventory_collection
    - utilization_analysis
    - dependency_mapping
  
phase2_analysis:
  duration: "1-2 weeks"
  activities:
    - workload_categorization
    - cost_modeling
    - scenario_analysis
    
phase3_validation:
  duration: "1 week"
  activities:
    - stakeholder_review
    - assumption_validation
    - final_calculations

assumptions:
  server_utilization: 65%
  storage_growth_rate: 20%
  network_utilization: 40%
  discount_rate: 10%
  migration_timeline: 12_months

Sample TCO Calculation

# Python script for TCO calculation validation
class TCOCalculator:
    def __init__(self, servers, databases, storage, networking):
        self.servers = servers
        self.databases = databases
        self.storage = storage
        self.networking = networking
    
    def calculate_current_costs(self):
        """Calculate current on-premises costs"""
        server_costs = sum([s['hardware_cost'] + s['maintenance_cost'] + s['power_cost'] 
                           for s in self.servers])
        db_costs = sum([d['license_cost'] + d['maintenance_cost'] 
                       for d in self.databases])
        storage_costs = sum([st['hardware_cost'] + st['maintenance_cost'] 
                            for st in self.storage])
        network_costs = self.networking['equipment_cost'] + self.networking['bandwidth_cost']
        
        return {
            'servers': server_costs,
            'databases': db_costs,
            'storage': storage_costs,
            'networking': network_costs,
            'total': server_costs + db_costs + storage_costs + network_costs
        }
    
    def calculate_azure_costs(self, azure_pricing):
        """Calculate Azure costs with optimizations"""
        vm_costs = sum([p['vm_cost'] * (1 - p.get('hybrid_benefit', 0)) * p.get('reserved_discount', 1)
                       for p in azure_pricing['vms']])
        sql_costs = sum([p['sql_cost'] * p.get('reserved_discount', 1)
                        for p in azure_pricing['databases']])
        storage_costs = sum([p['storage_cost'] for p in azure_pricing['storage']])
        
        return {
            'compute': vm_costs,
            'databases': sql_costs,
            'storage': storage_costs,
            'total': vm_costs + sql_costs + storage_costs
        }

# Example usage
tco = TCOCalculator(servers_data, db_data, storage_data, network_data)
current_costs = tco.calculate_current_costs()
azure_costs = tco.calculate_azure_costs(azure_pricing_data)
savings = current_costs['total'] - azure_costs['total']
roi_percentage = (savings / current_costs['total']) * 100

🔬 Specialized Assessment Tools

📊 Azure Pricing Calculator

Detailed Azure service cost estimation

Calculator Categories

graph TD
    A[Azure Pricing Calculator] --> B[Compute]
    A --> C[Storage]
    A --> D[Networking]
    A --> E[Databases]
    A --> F[Analytics]
    A --> G[AI + ML]
    A --> H[Security]
    
    B --> B1[Virtual Machines]
    B --> B2[App Service]
    B --> B3[Container Instances]
    B --> B4[Functions]
    
    C --> C1[Blob Storage]
    C --> C2[File Storage]
    C --> C3[Managed Disks]
    
    D --> D1[Load Balancer]
    D --> D2[VPN Gateway]
    D --> D3[ExpressRoute]
    
    E --> E1[SQL Database]
    E --> E2[Cosmos DB]
    E --> E3[MySQL/PostgreSQL]
    
    style A fill:#e3f2fd
    style B fill:#c8e6c9
    style C fill:#f8bbd9
    style D fill:#fff3e0
    style E fill:#bbdefb

Pricing Estimation Best Practices

Service Category Key Considerations Cost Optimization
🖥️ Compute Right-sizing, utilization patterns Reserved instances, spot instances
💾 Storage Access patterns, redundancy needs Lifecycle policies, tiering
🌐 Networking Data transfer volumes Regional placement, CDN
🗄️ Databases Performance requirements Reserved capacity, read replicas

🔍 Service Map

Application dependency discovery

Service Map Capabilities

{
  "serviceMapFeatures": {
    "automaticDiscovery": {
      "processes": true,
      "connections": true,
      "dependencies": true,
      "ports": true
    },
    "timeRanges": ["1hour", "24hours", "7days", "30days"],
    "visualizations": {
      "machineView": "Server-centric dependency view",
      "processView": "Process-level dependencies",
      "groupView": "Logical application grouping"
    },
    "integrations": {
      "azureMigrate": true,
      "logAnalytics": true,
      "securityCenter": true,
      "monitor": true
    }
  }
}

Dependency Analysis Workflow

# Service Map analysis workflow
# 1. Deploy Log Analytics agent
$workspaceName = "log-analytics-migration"
$resourceGroup = "rg-migration-assessment"

# Create Log Analytics workspace
$workspace = New-AzOperationalInsightsWorkspace -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -Name $workspaceName -Location "EastUS"

# Enable Service Map solution
Set-AzOperationalInsightsIntelligencePack -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -WorkspaceName $workspaceName -IntelligencePackName "ServiceMap" -Enabled $true

# Query for dependencies
$query = @"
VMConnection
| where TimeGenerated > ago(7d)
| where Computer == "web-server-01"
| summarize by SourceIp, DestinationIp, DestinationPort, Protocol
| order by DestinationPort
"@

$results = Invoke-AzOperationalInsightsQuery -WorkspaceId $workspace.CustomerId -Query $query

📋 Assessment Methodologies

🎯 Comprehensive Assessment Framework

Assessment Phases

gantt
    title Assessment Project Timeline
    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
    section Discovery
    Environment Inventory    :done, inventory, 2025-01-01, 2025-01-14
    Agent Deployment        :done, agents, 2025-01-08, 2025-01-21
    Data Collection         :active, collection, 2025-01-15, 2025-02-11
    
    section Analysis
    Workload Analysis       :analysis, 2025-01-29, 2025-02-18
    Dependency Mapping      :depends, 2025-02-05, 2025-02-25
    Cost Modeling          :costing, 2025-02-12, 2025-03-04
    
    section Planning
    Strategy Definition     :strategy, 2025-02-26, 2025-03-11
    Roadmap Creation       :roadmap, 2025-03-05, 2025-03-18
    Risk Assessment        :risk, 2025-03-12, 2025-03-25
    
    section Validation
    Stakeholder Review     :review, 2025-03-19, 2025-04-01
    Final Recommendations  :final, 2025-03-26, 2025-04-08

Assessment Checklist

Phase Deliverable Tools Timeline
🔍 Discovery Infrastructure inventory Azure Migrate, RVTools 2 weeks
📊 Analysis Workload assessment report TCO Calculator, Movere 3 weeks
🎯 Planning Migration strategy & roadmap WAR Tool, CAF 2 weeks
Validation Final assessment report Stakeholder reviews 1 week

🏗️ Workload Assessment Matrix

Assessment Dimensions

radar
    title Workload Assessment Dimensions
    
    "Technical Complexity" : 0.8
    "Business Criticality" : 0.9
    "Dependencies" : 0.6
    "Compliance Requirements" : 0.7
    "Performance Sensitivity" : 0.5
    "Security Requirements" : 0.8
    "Migration Readiness" : 0.4
    "Cost Impact" : 0.6

Scoring Framework

Dimension Low (1-3) Medium (4-6) High (7-10)
🔧 Technical Complexity Standard configuration Some customization Highly customized
💼 Business Criticality Dev/test systems Department systems Mission-critical
🔗 Dependencies Standalone Few dependencies Highly integrated
📋 Compliance No special requirements Industry standards Strict regulations

Workload Categorization

# Workload assessment scoring algorithm
def calculate_migration_priority(workload):
    """Calculate migration priority based on multiple factors"""
    
    # Scoring weights
    weights = {
        'business_criticality': 0.25,
        'technical_complexity': 0.20,
        'dependencies': 0.15,
        'compliance': 0.15,
        'cost_impact': 0.15,
        'migration_readiness': 0.10
    }
    
    # Calculate weighted score
    total_score = sum(workload[factor] * weight for factor, weight in weights.items())
    
    # Determine priority category
    if total_score >= 7:
        return "High Priority"
    elif total_score >= 5:
        return "Medium Priority"
    else:
        return "Low Priority"

# Example workload assessment
workload_example = {
    'name': 'Customer Portal',
    'business_criticality': 9,
    'technical_complexity': 6,
    'dependencies': 7,
    'compliance': 8,
    'cost_impact': 5,
    'migration_readiness': 4
}

priority = calculate_migration_priority(workload_example)
print(f"Migration Priority: {priority}")

📊 Assessment Reporting

📈 Executive Summary Template

Key Metrics Dashboard

Metric Current State Target State Impact
💰 Annual IT Costs $2.5M $1.8M 28% reduction
System Availability 99.2% 99.9% Improved reliability
🔒 Security Posture 65% compliance 95% compliance Enhanced security
🚀 Deployment Speed 2-4 weeks 2-3 days 10x faster

Migration Readiness Summary

pie title Migration Readiness Distribution
    "Ready (40%)" : 40
    "Needs Minor Changes (35%)" : 35  
    "Requires Refactoring (20%)" : 20
    "Not Suitable (5%)" : 5

📋 Technical Assessment Report

Infrastructure Analysis

# Sample assessment report structure
assessment_summary:
  total_servers: 150
  total_applications: 85
  total_databases: 25
  assessment_period: "30 days"
  
server_analysis:
  windows_servers: 120
  linux_servers: 30
  average_cpu_utilization: 35%
  average_memory_utilization: 60%
  average_storage_utilization: 45%
  
application_portfolio:
  web_applications: 45
  desktop_applications: 25
  service_applications: 15
  
migration_recommendations:
  rehost: 60%  # 51 applications
  refactor: 25%  # 21 applications
  replace: 10%  # 9 applications
  retire: 5%   # 4 applications
  
cost_analysis:
  current_annual_cost: 2500000
  projected_azure_cost: 1800000
  annual_savings: 700000
  payback_period: "18 months"
  
timeline:
  assessment_completion: "2025-04-08"
  migration_start: "2025-05-01"
  migration_completion: "2025-12-31"

📊 Assessment Tools Comparison

Tool Selection Matrix

Tool Complexity Cost Accuracy Best For
🎯 Azure Migrate Low Free High Initial assessment
💰 TCO Calculator Low Free Medium Business case
📊 Pricing Calculator Medium Free High Detailed costing
🔍 Service Map Medium Log Analytics cost High Dependency mapping
🏗️ Movere High Licensed Very High Enterprise assessment

🎓 Assessment Best Practices

✅ Preparation Guidelines

Pre-Assessment Checklist

  • 🎯 Define Scope: Clear boundaries and objectives
  • 👥 Assemble Team: Cross-functional assessment team
  • 🔑 Gather Credentials: Administrative access to systems
  • 📋 Document Baseline: Current state documentation
  • 🎯 Set Success Criteria: Clear assessment goals

Data Collection Best Practices

Data Type Collection Method Quality Assurance
📊 Performance Automated monitoring (30+ days) Multiple measurement points
🏗️ Configuration Automated discovery tools Manual validation
💼 Business Context Stakeholder interviews Multiple perspectives
💰 Financial Cost center analysis Historical trends

🔍 Assessment Accuracy Tips

Common Pitfalls & Solutions

Pitfall Impact Solution
🕒 Short Assessment Period Inaccurate utilization data Minimum 30-day collection
📊 Peak-only Analysis Over-provisioning Include seasonal patterns
🔗 Missing Dependencies Failed migrations Comprehensive dependency mapping
💰 Hidden Costs Budget overruns Include all cost categories


📅 Last Updated: May 2025
👥 Contributors: Cloud Assessment Team
🔄 Review Cycle: Quarterly (assessment methodologies evolve)