A UK government department required independent risk assessment for Azure service decommissioning amid budget constraints and incomplete AWS migration planning. The one-month engagement delivered comprehensive stakeholder analysis and strategic recommendations for informed decision-making. Details are restricted under non-disclosure agreement.
The assessment required extensive stakeholder engagement across the organisation. Non-technical service users were interviewed to understand current usage patterns, business criticality, dependencies, and downtime tolerance across Azure Data Factory, Databricks, SQL Server, and Power BI services. Parallel discussions with the AWS migration team provided context on planned capabilities and timelines. The challenge was bridging technical and non-technical stakeholders to build a comprehensive risk picture within a compressed timeline and non-negotiable budget deadline, documenting usage patterns and business dependencies that were not captured in existing migration documentation.
The assessment revealed significant gaps between user requirements and the migration roadmap. Services scheduled for decommissioning had no AWS equivalent yet planned, presenting significant business continuity risk. Analysis confirmed that whilst users indicated no downtime was acceptable, the budget reality meant service switch-off was unavoidable at the financial year end. Clear options were provided to government stakeholders balancing cost reduction against business impact - immediate decommissioning with maximum cost saving but identified continuity risks, or phased decommissioning with associated extended costs. Findings were presented to government stakeholders via online presentation, clearly articulating risks, trade-offs, and recommended approaches for informed decision-making.
Results
The assessment successfully identified gaps in migration planning that would have resulted in service disruption, providing government stakeholders with comprehensive risk analysis and clear options for decision-making. Specific cost implications and savings projections are restricted under non-disclosure agreement. The one-month engagement delivered actionable recommendations ahead of the financial year deadline, enabling informed strategic choices. The work demonstrated the value of independent assessment in complex migration programmes, particularly when bridging technical delivery teams and non-technical service users.
Key Technologies
Azure Services Assessed: Azure Data Factory, Databricks, SQL Server, Power BI
Migration Target: AWS
Deliverables: Risk Assessment, Stakeholder Analysis, Strategic Recommendations
