Centric's Azure migration and modernization services help enterprises move servers, applications, and data platforms from on-premises environments to Microsoft Azure. The work spans three areas - on-premises to Azure migration, application modernization, and data platform migration - delivered through a structured three-phase approach using Microsoft tooling such as Azure Migrate, Azure Arc, and Azure Site Recovery, with security and business continuity built in throughout.
Key takeaways
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Centric delivers three connected service areas: On-Premises to Azure Migration, Application Modernization, and Data Platform Migration.
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Delivery follows a three-phase approach - Assess and Plan, Migrate and Modernize, Optimize and Stabilize.
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The practice uses Microsoft tooling - Azure Migrate, Azure Arc, and Azure Site Recovery - and references Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework and Well-Architected Framework.
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Security, compliance alignment, and business continuity are designed in, not bolted on.
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Centric is a Microsoft partner; engagement timelines run from a few weeks to several months depending on environment size and approach.
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Analytics and reporting *redesign* sits under Data & Analytics, not the migration service - an honest scope line.
What are Centric's Azure migration services?
Centric's Azure migration services are a set of advisory and delivery capabilities for moving on-premises infrastructure, applications, and data to Microsoft Azure. As part of Centric's broader Microsoft cloud solutions practice, the work is organized around three areas and one consistent delivery method, so the move is planned, executed, and stabilized rather than rushed. The aim is a modern Azure foundation that reduces infrastructure and operational cost, improves performance and scalability, and prepares the estate for future data and AI work.
If you are still comparing approaches, Centric's Azure migration and modernization services page is the right next stop - but it helps to understand the three areas first.
The three areas Centric delivers
On-premises to Azure migration
This area covers moving physical servers, virtual machines, applications, and workloads from the data center to Azure. Centric uses Azure Migrate for discovery and assessment, applies a phased cutover so workloads move in controlled waves, and runs comprehensive testing to minimize downtime. The strategy can be a straight lift-and-shift (rehost) where speed matters, or a hybrid and phased approach where some systems stay on-premises during transition - the right mix depends on the assessment, which is why Centric leads with its Azure migration assessment.
Application modernization
Modernization is where the long-term value tends to sit. Rather than simply relocating an application, Centric can re-host, re-platform, refactor, or re-architect it toward cloud-native patterns - reducing technical debt and making it readier for AI and automation. These four moves map to several of Microsoft's "6 Rs" of migration. Choosing among them is a deliberate trade-off between effort and payoff, and not every app should be modernized at once.
Data platform migration
The third area moves on-premises databases, warehouses, and analytics workloads to Azure targets such as Azure SQL, Azure Synapse, and Microsoft Fabric. The priorities here are data integrity, schema fidelity, and reporting continuity - the data has to arrive complete, structured correctly, and still feed the reports the business depends on. This is migration of the platform; redesigning the analytics layer itself is a separate discipline, which we draw out below.
How does Centric deliver an Azure migration?
Centric delivers through a consistent three-phase approach that maps closely to Centric's Azure migration methodology and to the recognized stages of an Azure migration:
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Assess and Plan - evaluate the current infrastructure, applications, and data platforms; classify workloads; and define the migration strategy and roadmap with milestones.
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Migrate and Modernize - execute the move using proven frameworks and best practices, applying the right "R" to each workload and modernizing where it earns its keep.
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Optimize and Stabilize - validate performance, security, and cost efficiency, then stabilize workloads in their new Azure home.
This is deliberately sequential. Skipping the assessment is the single most common way migrations overrun, because hidden dependencies surface during cutover instead of during planning.
Ready to scope the work? A short conversation about your current estate is the fastest way to turn this model into a roadmap. Talk to Centric about an Azure migration.
What tooling and frameworks does Centric use?
Centric's delivery rests on Microsoft's own migration tooling, applied within Centric's Azure cloud capability:
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Azure Migrate - Microsoft's hub for discovery, assessment, and migration of servers, databases, and web apps.
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Azure Arc - Microsoft's service for managing hybrid and multi-cloud resources from a single control plane, useful while some workloads remain on-premises during a phased move.
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Azure Site Recovery - Microsoft's replication and disaster-recovery service, which supports live data replication ahead of a near-zero-downtime cutover.
For method, Centric references Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) and Well-Architected Framework (WAF) - the standard bodies of guidance for planning and operating Azure workloads. Exact feature sets in these Microsoft tools evolve, so specifics are confirmed against current Microsoft documentation during planning.
How does Centric protect security and continuity during migration?
Security, compliance alignment, and business continuity are designed into the plan rather than handled after the fact. During transition, Centric aims to keep the business running - using phased migration, thorough testing and staging before production cutover, and continuous monitoring and alerting. For workloads where any interruption is unacceptable, the approach leans on live replication and validated cutover; we cover the mechanics in our piece on near-zero-downtime migration. Risk controls are applied at each phase gate, which is the core of how Centric keeps mission-critical systems safe through the move.
Where does the scope line sit?
This is the boundary buyers most often miss. Centric's data platform migration moves your databases, warehouses, and analytics *data* to Azure with integrity and reporting continuity. *Redesigning* the analytics and reporting layer - new models, new semantic layers, rebuilt dashboards - is a different discipline that Centric delivers under its Data & Analytics practice, specifically data engineering and warehousing. Naming this line up front prevents the most common source of scope creep: a "migration" that quietly turns into a full analytics rebuild halfway through.
How long does it take, and how do you start?
Microsoft and Centric both frame migration timelines as a function of environment size, workload complexity, and chosen approach - typically a few weeks to several months. A simple lift-and-shift moves faster; deep modernization takes longer. The cost and duration drivers are worth understanding before you budget, which we break down in our guide to Azure migration cost and timeline drivers. Centric provides a detailed roadmap with milestones at the end of the assessment phase, so the timeline is grounded in your actual estate rather than a generic estimate.
Start with clarity. Centric's Azure migration and modernization services begin with an assessment that turns unknowns into a costed, milestone-based plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Azure migration services?
They are advisory and delivery services that move on-premises servers, applications, and data to Microsoft Azure. Centric organizes this work into on-premises to Azure migration, application modernization, and data platform migration, all delivered through a single three-phase method.
What is the difference between migration and modernization?
Migration relocates a workload to Azure largely as-is (rehost). Modernization changes the workload - replatforming, refactoring, or rearchitecting it toward cloud-native patterns to cut technical debt and improve scalability. Most estates use a mix, decided workload by workload.
What tools does Centric use for Azure migration?
Centric uses Microsoft's Azure Migrate for discovery and assessment, Azure Arc for hybrid and multi-cloud management, and Azure Site Recovery for replication and near-zero-downtime cutover, guided by Microsoft's Cloud Adoption and Well-Architected Frameworks.
Does Azure migration include redesigning my analytics and reports?
No. The migration service moves your data platform to Azure with integrity and reporting continuity. Redesigning analytics and reporting is delivered separately under Centric's Data & Analytics practice.
How long does an Azure migration take?
It ranges from a few weeks to several months depending on environment size, workload complexity, and whether you lift-and-shift or modernize. Centric provides a milestone-based roadmap after the assessment phase.
Is Centric a Microsoft partner?
Yes. Centric is a Microsoft partner and delivers Azure migration and modernization within its broader Microsoft cloud solutions practice.
