Moving to Cloud

This article describes the process involved for clients wishing to move from a Locally installed version of Migration to the Cloud version of Migration Manager.

Migration Manager is available in 2 platforms:

LOCAL Install:

Your SQL Database is stored on your local Server (or primary PC).

Your Folder and File Storage is located on the same local Server (or primary PC).

CLOUD Install:  

Your SQL Database is hosted on Migration Manager's 'Microsoft Azure SQL Cloud Server'.

Your Folder and File Storage is hosted on your choice of Cloud File Storage (Dropbox, Google Drive etc).

 

In both cases, the Migration Manager program still remains as a locally installed application on your Computer, the “Local” or “Cloud” platform is simply where Migration Manager accesses the data from.  The primary advantage of Cloud is that your machine does not need to be in the same office as the Server (or primary PC) to be able to access Migration Manager.

For more information on the differences between Cloud and Local installs, see Migration Manager - Cloud vs Local Install.

Customers can change platforms at any time, however it should be noted that multiple platform changes during a single contract period may incur a fee.

Moving from a Local install to Cloud

If you wish to move your data from a local environment to cloud, both your Migration Manager File Storage and the SQL Database need to be moved.  This is usually done as a two-part process

1. Moving the Migration Manager File Storage

Your Migration Manager File Storage will reside on your Server (or primary PC) in a Folder called MigrationManager or LEAPMM.  This must be moved to your choice of Cloud Storage (Dropbox, Google Drive etc) and synced before the SQL Database can be migrated to Cloud.

Sycing your File Storage to cloud can take a very long time.  Depending on the size of File Storage and the speed of your internet, syncing can take hours, days or even weeks.

Migration Manager Support can discuss with your IT Support how to allow Migration Manager to continue to run whilst the Syncing takes place.

It is very important to be aware that the responsibility of moving your Migration Manager File Storage to Cloud is the responsibility of your own IT Support.  Whilst the Migration Manager Support team are happy to give guidance to your IT Support, it is your IT Support that must complete the task of moving your Migration Manager File Storage to your company's Cloud Storage service.

2a. Moving the Migration Manager SQL Database

Once your File Storage has synced, the Migration Manager Support Team can then organise to migrate the SQL Database from your Local Machine to the 'Microsoft Azure SQL Cloud Server'.

This process will involve a Migration Manager Support Team member dialling into your system and completing the following tasks:

  • Backing up your SQL Database
  • Transferring the Backup
  • Restoring and Migrating the Database onto the Microsoft Azure Database
  • Configuring and Activating the Database
  • Amending your Migration Manager settings file to point to the new location
2b. Re-mapping of the Migration Manager Share-drive

The Mapping of the Migration Manager Share-drive (often the “M:” Drive) usually also needs to be modified to point to the new File Storage location.  For small installations (1 or 2 machines) this can be done by the Migration Manager Support Staff.  For larger installations, the Migration Manager Support team will usually give guidance to your IT staff on the procedure of re-mapping the Migration Manager Share-drive.

Timeframe for Moving the SQL Database

Moving your SQL Database from your local installation to the 'Microsoft Azure SQL Cloud Server' can vary widely depending on the size of the Database and your internet speed.  Although the size of the SQL Database is small in comparison to your File Storage, it can still take some time.

As a rough guide, in most cases we find a small site may take up to a couple of hours to migrate the database. However, in some cases it may take many hours and the Support Team member will not be able to guarantee an exact timeframe for the process.

The customer should be aware that during the Database Migration process they will not have access to Migration Manager and prepare their staff accordingly.

Costs involved in moving to Cloud

As part of our value-add methodology, Migration Manager does not charge to Migrate your SQL Database to Cloud. As well this, we also do not charge to host your SQL Database on Microsoft Azure.  However, there are some external costs involved to moving from a Local installation to a Cloud installation, namely:

  • The cost of your Cloud File Storage (Dropbox, Google Drive etc)

If you do not already have Cloud Storage, then you need to organise this with a Cloud Storage provider and this of course comes at a monthly cost.  If you already have Cloud File Storage with sufficient space, then obviously there is no further cost regarding this.

  • IT Staff to move your MigrationManager (or LEAPMM) file storage folder to Cloud (As described in point 1).  If your company does not have on-site IT expertise, then you will need to engage external IT expertise to setup Cloud File Storage and move your Migration Manager Files.
  • Multiple platform changes.  On rare occasions, a client may find they are unhappy with their move to cloud.  This is almost always because of the client’s slow internet causing performance issues.  In these cases, Our Support Staff are happy to re-migrate the client back to a local installation and this will not incur a charge.  However, if the client then wishes to migrate to cloud again within the same contract period, there will usually be a charge for the 2nd Migration to cloud.

Important

Migration Manager for Cloud is not a solution for everyone.  The Cloud version of Migration Manager does require a good connection to the Internet. Users with a good ADSL2 connection or better will find no speed difference between running Locally or via Cloud.  Clients with a poor internet connection will find the response of the product will be slower than running a local install.