AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog

Accelerate Microsoft Workload Modernization on AWS with Softchoice

By Anthony Wat, Principal Architect – Softchoice
By Kyle Lee, Architect – Softchoice
By Chi Dinjors, Enterprise Architect – AWS

Softchoice-AWS-Partners
Softchoice

AWS offers a compelling platform for running Microsoft workloads, whether you’re starting your cloud journey with a lift-and-shift migration or developing new solutions. The expansive array of services compatible with the Microsoft technology stack, along with tools and prescriptive guidance, provides many options for migration and modernization, balancing cost and requirements. As an AWS Advanced Tier Services Partner, Softchoice has helped numerous customers migrate, modernize, and operate their Microsoft workloads on AWS.

In this blog post, we’ll share our experience helping a customer migrate and modernize their Microsoft workloads onto AWS, explaining our approach to planning and executing a migration aligned with the customer’s long-term cloud adoption roadmap.

Customer Challenges

A Canadian automotive intelligence company faced growing challenges with its data center and managed services. Replacing outdated hardware and upgrading unsupported software was costly, with long return-on-investment (ROI) periods. Additionally, their managed services became inadequate as their use cases grew more complex.

After careful consideration, the customer chose not to renew their services and instead migrate to AWS. An application rationalization exercise identified re-platforming, specifically through containerization and managed services, as the best modernization strategy to align with their innovation and operational goals. The executive decision to migrate and modernize simultaneously necessitated seamless execution, with significant planning, development, and knowledge ramp-up needed by the datacenter exit date. To meet their ambitious six-month timeline, the customer enlisted Softchoice to support the effort. Leveraging the Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) further reduced costs and bolstered support through AWS fundings and domain experts.

Solution Approach

Softchoice’s phased approach aligns with AWS’s prescriptive guidance Mobilize your organization to accelerate large-scale migrations as follows:

Figure 1: Softchoice Migration and Modernization Approach

With the customer, we created a tailored plan combining the mobilize and the migration phases in three stages – Landing Zone setup, Migration, and Operational Readiness.

Figure 2: Customer-Tailored Migration Plan

The joint team from Softchoice and the customer achieved efficiency to meet the compressed timeline with strategies including:

  • Streamlining discovery, design, and planning tasks.
  • Building realistic contingency into the first migration wave in a non-production environment to address unknown risks and establish the solid foundation for subsequent waves.
  • Co-owning tasks with the customer to ensure transparency and accountability, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among team members.

Solution Architecture

Some key implementation aspects are covered in the following sections.

Secure AWS Control Tower Based Landing Zone

Softchoice recognized the need for an enterprise-grade, well-architected environment to support both the current project and future initiatives. Using our Advanced Landing Zone solution, we designed a tailored AWS Control Tower-based landing zone that amalgamates foundational elements with customizations specific to the customer’s requirements.

The account structure is shown in the following diagram:

Figure 3: Landing zone OU and account structure

Notable features include:

The overall design is depicted in the following diagram:

Figure 4: Workload on EKS infrastructure with both Windows and Linux support

Infrastructure-As-Code (IaC) Using Terraform

Softchoice recommended managing AWS infrastructure as code to ensure consistency, repeatability, and to reduce error-prone manual work. Although AWS CloudFormation is typically recommended for deploying AWS Infrastructure using IaC, Terraform was chosen to meet the customer’s preference for a platform-agnostic approach.

A modular design provides flexibility to manage central infrastructure separately from application resources, which is particularly advantageous as the customer’s operating model evolves. A single set of application stacks for all environments maximizes reusability and standardization, drastically reducing the effort during both the environment build-out and ongoing maintenance.

Windows Application Modernization on Amazon EKS

The customer had hosted their Linux workloads on self-managed Rancher clusters, with plans to containerize legacy .NET Windows workloads (and eventually move to .NET Core on Linux containers). We recommended Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) as a combined solution, accommodating both use cases within a single cluster.

Amazon EKS provides a managed control plane, reducing operational overhead for administrators. Managed node groups help keep EKS nodes up to date with the latest security patches. Cluster Autoscaler was used manage variable demand and optimize costs. Persistent storage was backed by Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, allowing data to be shared between EKS and external applications.

Softchoice recommended using an Application Load Balancer (ALB) and AWS WAF to protect public ingress traffic, while using NGINX as the ingress controller to address the customer’s URL rewrite requirements which aren’t supported by the default AWS Load Balancer Controller.

SQL Server Database Modernization on Amazon RDS

The customer develops applications primarily on the Microsoft technology stack and uses SQL Server 2019 for data and analytics. Softchoice devised a homogeneous rehost + re-platform migration strategy balancing effort and effectiveness.

We selected Amazon RDS for SQL Server for relational databases and Microsoft SQL Server on EC2 for ETL and reporting. RDS for SQL Server reduces the operational overhead and enable a more scalable, resilient setup. To optimize costs and meet service level objective (SLO), Softchoice recommended using Standard Edition with a PITR-based DR strategy. A well-planned migration enabled simpler data migration using native backup/restore. Implementation required app refactoring to eliminate legacy features like Common Language Runtime (CLR).

The advanced use of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) required a service that permits full OS-level control. We selected Microsoft SQL Server on EC2 to simplify migration, considering future data modernization on AWS that could replace SSIS and SSRS. We chose a backup and restore DR strategy with a secondary instance and automation to deploy SSIS packages and SSRS reports as needed.

Operational Readiness

To ensure that the customer was ready to operate their new AWS environment, Softchoice conducted several on-site workshops. These sessions were crucial for the customer’s successful transition to a self-managed approach on AWS, which requires a culture shift and significant upskilling. Additionally, AWS supported this effort by creating learning plans via AWS Skill Builder, hosting AWS GameDays, and providing direct access to AWS partner solution architects specializing in Microsoft workloads – an essential part of the mobilize phase.

Benefits of Softchoice’s Migration and Modernization Solutions

By partnering with Softchoice on your AWS migration and modernization initiatives, you gain the following benefits:

  • Proven approach aligned with AWS best practices, refined through years of experience helping clients transition to and build on AWS.
  • A strong relationship with AWS and access to subject matter experts and funding programs such as the AWS Migration Acceleration Program.
  • Deep technical expertise to design and implement the solutions that meet migration requirements and enable innovation leveraging modern AWS technologies like serverless compute and generative AI.
  • Cloud operational readiness through training, knowledge transfer, or our managed services solution.

Conclusion

Softchoice and AWS helped the customer migrate from a hosted datacenter to AWS under the AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP). Softchoice worked with the customer to create a tailored migration plan, build an enterprise-grade AWS landing zone using IaC, design a modern, container-based workload infrastructure for the Microsoft stack, and migrate all workloads to AWS on an accelerated timeline.

To ensure success, AWS and Softchoice supported the customer throughout the project to improve their cloud fluency and operations readiness through self-learning, documentation, and knowledge transfer workshops. We also advanced the customer’s shift towards DevOps with inspiring automation ideas and co-developed automations.

The customer has a strong foundation to gain operational experience and optimize their business using cloud-native AWS services and innovative data and AI solutions.

Visit the Softchoice website to learn more about our full-lifecycle AWS solutions and how they can help your business start or accelerate its AWS cloud journey.

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Softchoice – AWS Partner Spotlight

Softchoice is a certified AWS partner that offers a comprehensive suite of planning, implementation, and management services across cloud environments. They have expertise in migration and modernization as well as DevOps. As a trusted technology advisor, Softchoice offers personalized solutions backed by insights, expertise, and experience to help organizations succeed in their cloud journey. The company has demonstrated significant progress with AWS by helping customers begin and grow their AWS adoption through professional services, cloud lifecycle management, and managed services. With dedicated AWS presales teams and solution architects focused on customer success, Softchoice transforms business processes by integrating AWS capabilities to deliver optimal outcomes. Softchoice runs solutions on AWS to help organizations achieve innovation, agility, cost savings, and operational efficiency.

Contact Softchoice | Partner Overview | AWS Marketplace