If you've been keeping an eye on the cloud landscape, you might have heard about the upcoming launch of the New Zealand North Azure Region. While this is a massive win for data residency, compliance, and performance in the region, it also got me thinking - what does it take to migrate between Azure regions?
So, whether you’re preparing for a move to a new Azure region or just curious about how it all works, you’re in the right place. We’re going to walk through the essentials of planning, executing, and optimising your migration journey. It’s all about making sure you get the most out of your cloud investment, with as few hiccups as possible.
Why Migrate to a New Azure Region?
Let’s start with the why. Maybe you’re looking to take advantage of lower latency, better compliance, or new features available in a different region. Or perhaps your company is expanding, and you need your data closer to your new customers. Whatever the reason, moving between Azure regions can be a game-changer.
Planning Your Migration: The Blueprint
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of moving workloads, it’s crucial to have a solid plan. Think of this as laying the foundation for a smooth transition.
Assess Your Current Setup: Understand what you’ve got running in your current region. Inventory your resources, understand dependencies, and figure out what needs to move and what can stay put.
Choose Your Destination Region: Not all regions are created equal. Some offer specific services or features that others don’t. Make sure the new region supports everything your applications need.
Evaluate Costs: Moving data and services isn’t free. Calculate the cost of data transfer, potential downtime, and any additional services you might need in the new region.
Compliance Check: Especially if you’re dealing with sensitive data, ensure that moving to a new region aligns with all regulatory requirements.
Pro Tip: Leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC)! If you already have IaC in place, such as ARM templates, Terraform, or Bicep, migrating infrastructure can be a lot smoother. You can redeploy your resources in the new region with minimal manual intervention. However, remember that IaC will not automatically handle the migration of your data. You’ll need to plan and execute that separately to ensure consistency and integrity.
Pro Tip: Build a dependency map that outlines all Azure services and any connected applications using the resource you’re migrating. This will significantly aid in visualising the overall effort, risks for testing, costs, and compliance implications.
Executing the Migration: Let’s Get Moving
With your plan in place, it’s time to make the move. Here’s how to do it without breaking a sweat.
Start Small: Begin with non-critical workloads to test the waters. It’s like dipping your toes in before taking the plunge.
Use Azure’s Built-In Tools: Azure provides a suite of tools designed to make migration as smooth as possible. Think of tools like Azure Site Recovery, Azure Migrate, and others as your trusty toolkit.
Data Replication: Consider setting up replication between the old and new regions. This way, you can ensure data consistency and reduce downtime during the final cutover.
Test, Test, Test: Before fully committing, run extensive tests to ensure everything is functioning as expected in the new region. This is your chance to catch any issues before they impact your users.
Optimising After the Move: Settling In
Once you’ve made the move, it’s time to optimise your setup to ensure you’re getting the best performance and cost-efficiency.
Performance Tuning: Take advantage of the lower latency and improved features of your new region. Fine-tune your applications and services to make the most of these benefits.
Monitoring and Maintenance: Set up monitoring to keep an eye on how your workloads are performing in the new region. Azure Monitor and other tools can help you spot and resolve any issues quickly.
Cost Management: Keep an eye on your new billing setup. Azure Cost Management tools can help you optimise spending and avoid any surprises at the end of the month.
Resource Migration Steps for Common Data and Insight Tooling/Resources
Now, let's get into the specifics of migrating some common data and insight tools/resources. I’ve grouped these into two categories:
Those that involve an Azure assisted migration,and
Those that require a manual re-creation.
List Of Resources
Take Note:
Before diving into the migration, it's crucial to remember that some downtime may be unavoidable. This means you'll need to plan for it carefully. Coordination and communication are key - ensure all stakeholders are aware of the timeline and potential impact, so there are no surprises. This preparation will help minimise disruptions and keep everyone on the same page during the transition.
At the time of writing this blog, Azure Synapse Analytics is not planned to be available in the New Zealand North Azure region. Only 'foundational' and 'mainstream' services are expected to be available. See more information here.
Azure assisted migration
Azure SQL Database
Prerequisites
You need Owner access on the subscription containing the resources that you want to move.
Notes
You can add dependencies if required. Azure will display them only if it detects any. These dependencies are automatically validated in the background when you add resources. If the initial auto-validation doesn’t resolve an issue, a "Validate dependencies" option will appear.
Steps
In the Azure portal, search for Resource Mover.
Select "Move across regions."
Choose the source and destination regions.
Select the database and server to move.
Azure Resource Mover currently doesn't support moving SQL Server instances across regions. To proceed, you’ll need to first assign a target SQL Server in the destination region and then commit the move. The SQL Server will now be in a "Manual assignment pending" state, while the other added resources will be in a "Prepare pending" state.
Assign a Target SQL Server:
In the "Across regions" section, find the SQL Server resource, and in the "Destination configuration" column, select "Resource not assigned."
Choose an existing SQL Server resource in the target region.
You'll see the SQL Server status change to "Commit move pending.
Commit the SQL Server Move:
In the "Across regions" section, select the SQL Server and then click "Commit move."
In the "Commit resources" dialog, click "Commit."
Track the move progress in the notifications bar.
Manual re-creation
Prerequisites
You need access to create the resource in the target subscription/resource group.
Azure Synapse Analytics
Prerequisites
Ensure that the source Azure Synapse workspace has been integrated with source control.
Move Azure Storage to same destination region. See Azure Storage Accounts
Ensure the dedicated SQL and/or Apache Spark pool name are the same in the source region and the destination region workspace.
Notes
The steps below don't physically move the workspace. Instead, they guide you through creating a new workspace in a different region and restoring the artifacts from the original region.
Steps
Create a new Synapse workspace in the target region (including the dedicated pool).
Restore from a newly created restore point or geo-backup.
Re-create logins, integration runtimes (Including any self-hosted), serverless SQL pool, and Spark clusters if required.
Update any CI/CD deployment pipelines and deploy the the artifacts to the new destination workspace.
Azure Data Factory
Prerequisites
Ensure that the source Azure Data Factory has been integrated with source control.
Notes
The below steps don't physically move Azure Data Factory. Instead, they guide you through creating a new Azure Data Factory instance in a different region and restoring the artifacts from the original region.
For security purposes, the generated Resource Manager template will not include sensitive information, such as passwords for linked services. Therefore, you’ll need to supply the credentials as deployment parameters. If manually entering credentials isn’t ideal for your setup, consider using Azure Key Vault to retrieve the connection strings and passwords.
Steps
Create a new Data Factory in the target region.
Re-create integration runtimes (Including any self-hosted).
Connect the new factory to the same repository and build from adf_publish branch. Resources, such as pipelines, datasets, and triggers, will carry through. You can then remove the source control from the source region.
Update any CI/CD deployment pipelines to point to the new region.
Azure Key Vault
Prerequisites
Since Key Vault is typically a crucial resource in any application, I strongly recommend creating a dependency map that includes all the services and applications relying on it.
Document and plan to re-configure in the Key Vault in the target region:
Access Policies and Network configuration settings.
Soft delete and purge protection.
Autorotation settings.
Notes
The below steps don't physically move Azure Key Vault. Instead, they guide you through creating a new Azure Key Vault instance in a different region and restoring the artifacts from the original region.
Steps
Create a new Key Vault in the target region.
Re-create secrets and certificates as needed.
If the private key can't be exported, a new certificate must be generated, possibly increasing difficulty.
Azure Storage Accounts
Prerequisites
Depending on your Storage Account deployment configuration, the following dependent resources may need to be deployed and configured in the target region prior to relocation:
Virtual Network, Network Security Groups, and User Defined Route
Azure Key Vault
Azure Automation
Public IP
Azure Private Link Service
Steps
Create a new Storage Account in the target region, making sure you the same configurations as the original. Remembering that the name will need to be changed as these need to be globally unique.
Move the data from the old account to the new account.
AzCopy is the preferred tool to move your data over due to its performance optimisation. With AzCopy, data is copied directly between storage servers, and so it doesn't use the network bandwidth of your computer.
You can also use Azure Data Factory to move your data over.
Conclusion: Embrace the Change
Migrating between Azure regions might seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be a smooth and rewarding process. Whether you’re moving for better performance, compliance, or just to explore new possibilities, the key is in the planning and execution.
Thanks for joining me on this journey! If you’ve got any tips or experiences with Azure migrations, I’d love to hear about them. And if you’re just starting out, remember - you’ve got this!
Stay tuned for more insights, and happy migrating!
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