The migration path: A streamlined approach to moving from VMware to Google Cloud

While planning a migration may feel daunting, transitioning VMware applications to Google Cloud is not only seamless, flexible, and cost-effective – it’s also fast

Enterprises modernizing and migrating their applications and workloads repeatedly express similar concerns to us: how long will it take and what will be the impact on end users? The answer, of course, depends on the nature and size of the workloads. It also depends on the target environment.

Capgemini works with clients to migrate on-premises VMware workloads to Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE) , and one key benefit is that it’s fast, so the impact on end users is minimal. In most cases, what is often a four- to six-month process gets done in four weeks – end to end. But the time saving is just one of many benefits. Others include significantly reduced costs, increased flexibility and agility, and the capacity to effectively leverage GenAI capabilities.

VMware clients can start their own migration assessment using the Google Cloud Migration Center, which initiates a discovery process and explores the ROI of the migration. The tools within Migration Center empower clients to estimate cloud costs, scan and assess infrastructure, and begin to envision a migration plan.

Planning for success: Prioritize extensive planning

Capgemini brings an additional key benefit to the process with the power of our proprietary Clear Sight IT Decision Maker tool, which we use to assess the feasibility and ROI of the migration plan. This gives us a clear view into the size and scope of the migration, and enables us to design an efficient plan and optimized process, as well as test and validate results.

First, we use Clear Sight to examine all client machines to get a complete picture of the migration and its impact on business applications. For example, Clear Sight gives us insights into potential security issues or required operating system upgrades. It also tells us the machine types involved, how much storage space they require, how much the applications are used, and whether we should migrate them at all or simply archive the data. Clear Sight also maps out the key considerations, and involves end users and application owners in the process so that they’re aware of the requirements to undertake the migration effectively.

A thorough assessment like this ensures we don’t undertake a mass migration that negatively impacts adjacent applications. It also reveals potential cost savings and areas for improvement, and allows us to assess essential workloads for migration prioritization based on business needs and technological feasibility.

Planning for success also means working with internal client-side subject matter experts to ensure the team is informed, aligned, and able to verify results to ensure accuracy and minimal downtime. For customers with an existing multi-cloud approach, we can run VMware workloads on GCVE and connect with other hyperscalers as well.

Finally, before proceeding, our team of Google Cloud experts will deploy a security landing zone to ensure alerts are in place for any possible breaches, as well as 24/7 proactive remediation.

The migration journey

Here’s a closer look at how a complete migration journey unfolds when working with Capgemini.

1. Assessment phase: Assessment is arguably the most important part of the migration process. Without it, you’re simply flying blind – and a lot of migration missteps can happen due to the lack of a thorough evaluation. This phase typically takes up to two weeks.
2. Pilot migration phase: We perform a test migration to ensure the network has enough bandwidth to complete the process efficiently, and to confirm we’re communicating with end users, so they know what is happening and can plan accordingly.
3. Velocity migration wave: Application testing, also known as User Acceptance Testing (UAT), ensures that the machines are responding. This is conducted internally by those who know the ins and outs of the applications involved in the migration. We also conduct seed and delta migrations using VMware’s HCX toolset. This enables us to do large migrations all at once.
4. Handover and hypercare: After the migration, we monitor the machines for a specified amount of time to address any issues that may come up. In some cases, additional data or machines may need to be migrated, and we’re there to help our clients manage this.

We typically allow four to six weeks to complete the migration process – from assessment, to a designed and agreed upon plan, to migrated data and machines.

But the beauty of migrating to GCVE is that once you’re there, you can benefit from an open cloud approach to your contract. You also get the peace of mind that comes with flexibility and options for ensuring you’re leveraging the right tools and the right approaches for your business.

Interested in exploring the VMware to GCVE migration process? Contact us for more information and an assessment – googlecloud.global@capgemini.com