Few events in today’s enterprise IT landscape are as loaded with expectation and anxiety as a cloud migration. Yet for many organizations, the move to Microsoft Azure is not a dramatic, overnight transformation, but a nuanced, multi-stage journey—one that stretches far beyond technical rehosting and into the heart of people, process, and long-term strategy. Sopra Steria BENELUX, a consulting giant in the digital transformation realm, has carved a reputation for delivering practical and successful Azure migrations for clients across Europe. With the insights of Michiel Hamers, Solution Lead and Microsoft Certified Trainer at Sopra Steria, this article explores what cloud migration to Microsoft Azure really looks like today, drawing on best practices, lived experience, and critical analysis.
The narrative around enterprise cloud migration often centers on speed and simplicity—a “lift and shift” image in which server workloads are moved overnight, unlocking instant savings and innovation. However, the reality, as evidenced by Sopra Steria’s extensive portfolio and echoed by leading industry research, is both more complex and more rewarding.
Cloud migration should be seen less as a leap and more as a continuum, involving an array of assessments, pilot programs, governance frameworks, and human factors alongside technical engineering. Michiel Hamers notes that every successful migration starts with fundamental business questions: “What are we moving? Why now? What outcomes does the client care about? Is it cost savings, innovation, compliance, all of the above?” These are not mere technicalities—they are central pillars that shape the entire strategy.
This approach recognizes that migration is never just about infrastructure. It is about realizing tangible business value, whether that means streamlining costs, enabling security and compliance, or laying the groundwork for AI-driven services.
Michiel relates that his team often finds clients running dated SQL workloads in ways that are now inefficient. “Sometimes we recommend skipping lift-and-shift, or rehosting, and moving straight to a managed solution,” he says. This underscores the importance of uncovering inefficiencies early, before they become expensive liabilities in the cloud.
Externally, the days of underestimating this phase have passed; Gartner and Forrester highlight that failure to properly assess business and data governance needs early in a migration process is a primary cause of costly remediation later.
Scalability and automation come next. Sopra Steria standardizes deployment patterns so environments are not only secure, but also repeatable and ready to scale. This includes segmentation of environments for development, testing, and production, and policy-driven automation to prevent “sprawl.” Hamers cautions: “If you treat your first move to Azure like a side project, you’ll be fighting sprawl later.”
Sophisticated use of Microsoft tooling (Azure Site Recovery, Database Migration Service, and integrated monitoring) lets engineers migrate databases and business logic with minimal downtime, sometimes even enabling “hot cutovers” for applications where no interruption is permitted.
Hamers provides a concrete example: a client slashed costs after migration simply by deleting unused resources from a legacy project, a scenario confirmed by countless post-migration reviews.
Microsoft’s new AI assistants, for example, can generate actionable migration summaries, contextualize compliance issues, and produce tailored recommendations for different verticals. Early results indicate these tools significantly reduce the time required for planning and cost analysis—shaving days off assessments and providing clarity for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
For organizations eyeing the leap, the key takeaways are clear: Start with discovery. Make security and governance foundational, not optional. Empower your people with training and support. Pilot and optimize relentlessly. And above all, treat migration as a business transformation, not just an IT project.
It is a journey, not a switch—and when handled strategically, one that can transform both operations and ambition for years to come.
Source: Sopra Steria BENELUX What Cloud Migration to Microsoft Azure Really Looks Like
Understanding the Realities of Azure Migration
The narrative around enterprise cloud migration often centers on speed and simplicity—a “lift and shift” image in which server workloads are moved overnight, unlocking instant savings and innovation. However, the reality, as evidenced by Sopra Steria’s extensive portfolio and echoed by leading industry research, is both more complex and more rewarding.Cloud migration should be seen less as a leap and more as a continuum, involving an array of assessments, pilot programs, governance frameworks, and human factors alongside technical engineering. Michiel Hamers notes that every successful migration starts with fundamental business questions: “What are we moving? Why now? What outcomes does the client care about? Is it cost savings, innovation, compliance, all of the above?” These are not mere technicalities—they are central pillars that shape the entire strategy.
This approach recognizes that migration is never just about infrastructure. It is about realizing tangible business value, whether that means streamlining costs, enabling security and compliance, or laying the groundwork for AI-driven services.
Layer One: Discovery—Charting the Entire Terrain
Before executing a single script or spinning up a cloud VM, Sopra Steria advocates for a rigorous discovery phase. This step is essential for understanding not only the technical landscape but also the operational and human contexts in which the applications sit.Why Discovery Matters
A proper discovery phase goes far beyond a basic technical scan. It means mapping all applications, their interdependencies, business-criticality, and underlying risks. For example, workloads running critical infrastructure—like emergency dispatch systems or financial transaction platforms—can’t tolerate downtime and must be flagged for special treatment. Sometimes, this phase uncovers legacy deployments that have outlived their purpose, presenting opportunities for rationalization or outright retirement.Michiel relates that his team often finds clients running dated SQL workloads in ways that are now inefficient. “Sometimes we recommend skipping lift-and-shift, or rehosting, and moving straight to a managed solution,” he says. This underscores the importance of uncovering inefficiencies early, before they become expensive liabilities in the cloud.
Tools and Frameworks
Microsoft’s Azure Migrate and Well-Architected Framework are pivotal for discovery and assessment. Azure Migrate helps catalog servers, apps, and databases, providing dependency maps and right-sizing suggestions. The Well-Architected Framework ensures that every migration is aligned with best practices for security, cost management, reliability, operational excellence, and performance efficiency.Externally, the days of underestimating this phase have passed; Gartner and Forrester highlight that failure to properly assess business and data governance needs early in a migration process is a primary cause of costly remediation later.
Layer Two: Designing for Governance, Scalability, and Security
With business goals identified and discovery completed, Sopra Steria’s methodology moves to create a migration roadmap—one that bakes automation, robust security, and governance controls into the very foundation.Building-In vs. Bolting-On
Security and compliance are non-negotiable from the outset. As cyberthreats escalate and regulatory demands proliferate, it is critical that controls—such as multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, role-based access controls (RBAC), and continuous monitoring via Azure Sentinel—are embedded from day one rather than retrofitted later. This proactive approach is validated by examples across public sector, finance, and healthcare, where organizations face stringent rules and mission-critical uptime needs.Scalability and automation come next. Sopra Steria standardizes deployment patterns so environments are not only secure, but also repeatable and ready to scale. This includes segmentation of environments for development, testing, and production, and policy-driven automation to prevent “sprawl.” Hamers cautions: “If you treat your first move to Azure like a side project, you’ll be fighting sprawl later.”
Segmenting and Structuring
Proper segmentation ensures that environments do not become tangled, permissions are not overbroadened, and business units don’t end up inadvertently exposing sensitive data or overprovisioning resources. This resonates with Microsoft’s own guidance—well-architected environments minimize risk and deliver auditable compliance, essential for both day-to-day management and industry audits.Layer Three: Bringing People Along for the Journey
One of the most underappreciated elements in any cloud migration is the human story. New tools and workflows—OneDrive, Teams, and Azure-native management portals—can create confusion or resistance if their purpose is not clear or if users are left without support.Change Adoption and Training
Sopra Steria takes a partnership approach with its clients on the human front. That means proactive communication, robust training, and change management initiatives. A successful Azure migration ensures that business users aren’t just handed new logins and interfaces but are supported as they adopt new, potentially efficiency-boosting, ways of working. This echoes research showing that organizations investing in user enablement and transparent communication realize far higher adoption and satisfaction rates.Avoiding “Cloud Fatigue”
Change fatigue and project burnout are real risks. Phased rollouts with comprehensive feedback mechanisms allow Sopra Steria to keep users engaged and address points of confusion rapidly before they snowball into costly productivity losses.Layer Four: The Execution and Optimization Engine
With discovery, governance, and change management in place, the actual migration can begin. Execution is phased, not a “big bang,” and is always guided by robust testing and pilot programs.The Phased Approach
Critical workloads get the most tailored attention. Less critical apps often migrate first in a “pilot” phase, allowing organizations to measure real-world impacts, test disaster recovery and failover, and establish success metrics before wider rollout. This staged tactic is validated by numerous industry case studies showing far better business continuity and IT satisfaction when pilot migrations are used as bellwethers.Sophisticated use of Microsoft tooling (Azure Site Recovery, Database Migration Service, and integrated monitoring) lets engineers migrate databases and business logic with minimal downtime, sometimes even enabling “hot cutovers” for applications where no interruption is permitted.
Optimization Never Ends
Once workloads are running in Azure, the next phase—optimization—begins in earnest. Sopra Steria’s clients routinely benefit from cost optimizations post-migration, such as identifying idle or over-provisioned resources and cleaning up leftover project artifacts. The misconception that cloud will “automatically” save money is tackled head-on; real savings depend on active management and continuous tuning using Azure Cost Management and third-party analytics tools.Hamers provides a concrete example: a client slashed costs after migration simply by deleting unused resources from a legacy project, a scenario confirmed by countless post-migration reviews.
Innovation as the Endgame—But Not Without Caution
Perhaps the most exciting value proposition of an Azure migration, according to Hamers, is the innovation it unlocks. Once in the cloud, organizations can leverage the full span of Microsoft’s digital stack—AI pilots, data analytics, advanced automation, and rapid deployment of new digital services.Azure as an Innovation Platform
From low-code app development to advanced AI, the Azure ecosystem is designed for rapidity and scalability. The Well-Architected Framework and AI-driven tools like Azure Migrate Explore provide advanced capabilities to analyze infrastructure, map dependencies, and generate custom plans, empowering organizations to be more ambitious.Microsoft’s new AI assistants, for example, can generate actionable migration summaries, contextualize compliance issues, and produce tailored recommendations for different verticals. Early results indicate these tools significantly reduce the time required for planning and cost analysis—shaving days off assessments and providing clarity for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Staying Sane Amid the Innovation Hype
Yet, Hamers and Sopra Steria are vigilant about the risks of “innovation sprawl.” The ease of launching new workloads, experimenting with machine learning, or integrating IoT sensors can cause governance headaches if proper controls and policies are not maintained post-migration.Critical Analysis—Strengths and Risks
Notable Strengths
- Tailored Discovery: Comprehensive mapping of applications and dependencies sets migration projects up for success, reducing risk, and uncovering early-stage inefficiencies.
- Governance by Design: Embedding security, segmentation, and automation from the start creates resilient, auditable environments that support scale and compliance.
- People-First Approach: Focused user engagement, phased change programs, and robust training maximize the chances that new ways of working are truly adopted, not just pushed.
- Cost and Resource Optimization: Continuous analysis and optimization ensure that true savings are realized, not just assumed.
- Innovation Enablement: Azure’s platform unlocks new realms of digital service, AI, and analytics, turning the cloud into a launchpad for transformation.
Potential Risks and Caveats
- Skills Gap: Cloud migration introduces new tools, processes, and security models—without proper training and change management, organizations can quickly fall behind, opening the door to misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.
- Cloud Complexity: The dynamic nature of cloud environments increases the risk of cost overruns, technical debt, and compliance breaches if governance is not strictly enforced.
- Vendor Lock-In and Data Sovereignty: Entrusting critical infrastructure and data to Azure raises questions about future portability, contract management, and regional regulatory compliance—issues particularly acute for governmental and transnational entities.
- Security Is Not "Set and Forget": Even with world-class security features, cloud misconfigurations and attacker sophistication can bypass protection. Ongoing operations, audits, and external reviews remain essential.
Conclusion: What Success Really Looks Like
A successful Microsoft Azure migration is never just about moving workloads. It is about orchestrating a holistic transformation—of technology, people, and business agility. Sopra Steria’s approach, corroborated by industry research and Microsoft’s best practices, demonstrates that true value comes from layered preparation, business alignment, embedded governance, and a relentless focus on both optimization and innovation.For organizations eyeing the leap, the key takeaways are clear: Start with discovery. Make security and governance foundational, not optional. Empower your people with training and support. Pilot and optimize relentlessly. And above all, treat migration as a business transformation, not just an IT project.
It is a journey, not a switch—and when handled strategically, one that can transform both operations and ambition for years to come.
Source: Sopra Steria BENELUX What Cloud Migration to Microsoft Azure Really Looks Like
