Cloud migration unlocks data potential

Migration to Microsoft Cloud improves data quality and unlocks digital and cost-saving potential.

#Technology

#IT and Architecture Consulting

#AWS

The Customer Need

Physical separation from the parent company. | As a corporate spin-off, our client needed to operate independently. The migration was bound by strict requirements: physical separation from the parent IT landscape had to be completed by a fixed deadline.

Challenges & Extra Miles

Quality and agility. | With any dynamic data migration, having a “Plan B” is a must – during a pandemic, even a “Plan C”. One thing, however, must never be compromised: quality. That’s why our project setup was built for reliability and proactive coordination – to ensure high customer satisfaction in live operations. Our client placed strong emphasis on safeguarding all migration-related adjustments. Every partial migration and solution proposal had to be tested and approved by the business department in advance.

Cloud First Strategy

Playing it safe with Lift & Shift. | In complex data migrations involving core services like web servers, databases, managed servers, and applications – all under strict security and availability requirements with a hard deadline – a Lift & Shift approach has proven its value. We cloned business-critical applications from the client’s on-prem data center to the cloud without major modifications. Together with our sister company blu Systems, we chose this strategy to move fast without compromising on security.

Innovation

Optimisations for all. | This migration sparked innovation on both sides – for the parent company and the spin-off. Selected applications were successfully modernised in the Microsoft Cloud even before the legal separation was complete.

Technical Solution

Double-checking timelines. | To ensure the legal separation was reflected in the system landscape, the spin-off migration had to be completed by a legally binding date. To meet that deadline safely, we used the Amazon Cloud as a secure interim solution – setting up a clone of the existing Microsoft environment from the on-prem data center. This approach minimized the risk of downtime or delays at application level. In parallel, we migrated and modernised numerous apps directly in the Microsoft Cloud – using the SharePoint Online platform as the new base.

Technical Milestones

The 5 Steps to Success:

Source system analysis
Redundant cloud setup in Amazon
Infrastructure automation via scripting
Large-scale pre-migration + final update for go-live
App modernization in Microsoft Cloud

Big Wins

Deadline met. | Data migrations are always time-critical – but this one was business-critical, as it enabled a full corporate spin-off. Doing it all under pandemic conditions was a major challenge for the entire project team. Agile thinking, flexible workflows, and the ability to build tools and processes in parallel were key to making it happen.

15 TB of Data migrated
20 business apps modernized
2000 websites successfully migrated
90% less downtime
1 IPO successfully launched

Small Victories

A new digital mindset emerged. Many potential roadblocks never became issues – because the project team consistently thought outside the box and stayed open to alternative digital solutions.
Overcoming tough conditions Flexibility is key in any data migration – even more so during a pandemic. Our agile approach allowed for last-minute adjustments without putting the deadline at risk.
Fail forward – and own it Digital projects fail every day. Not because of mistakes, but because of how they're handled. This project thrived thanks to a shared culture of learning and professional error management.
A strategic digital partner – for what's nextOur client is a modern company, now future-ready thanks to blu BEYOND and its partner ecosystem.

What we delivered in this project:

IT- & Digital-Consulting

Implementation & Optimization

Operational Excellence & Support

Kevin Heinloth

Senior Sales Specialist

+49 89 244116604

kevin.heinloth@blu-beyond.com