Azure to AWS Migration Helped a Workforce Tech Company Streamline Infrastructure & Cut Overhead

To unify operations after a corporate acquisition, the company migrated its virtual infrastructure from Microsoft Azure to AWS. The transition involved 29 production VMs supporting internal systems and customer-facing platforms. Cygnet.One executed the migration using AWS-native tooling and implemented best practices for security, remote access, and performance monitoring. The result was a seamless cutover, minimal disruption, and a more manageable cloud environment for future growth.

The company operated a mature infrastructure on Microsoft Azure, supporting remote desktop access for staff, secure business applications, and customer-facing systems. Following a corporate acquisition, the decision was made to consolidate infrastructure under AWS to streamline management, reduce cloud vendor complexity, and align future investments with a single platform.

This cross-cloud migration needed to account for existing configurations, including Active Directory authentication, firewall policies, VPN connections, and user access methods. A particular challenge was ensuring that Microsoft Terminal Services Client (RDP) access remained unaffected—an essential tool for employee productivity.

Cygnet.One was engaged to lead the discovery, design, implementation, and handoff. The migration aimed to replicate the functional state of the Azure environment inside AWS, without triggering reconfiguration for end users or impacting daily business functions.

The inherited Azure setup supported 29 VMs used for both infrastructure and applications. These machines were tightly integrated with internal Active Directory, hosted firewall policies, and provided consistent IP addresses for access.

Post-acquisition, the infrastructure team faced several pressing challenges:

• Cloud Sprawl and Vendor Lock-in Running systems on separate cloud environments increased overhead and required dual expertise
• Dependency on Terminal Services: Any disruption to RDP-based workflows would cause direct productivity loss
• Security Complexity: Firewall rules and user roles had to be preserved precisely during the move
• Limited AWS Familiarity: The internal team was experienced with Azure but required enablement for AWS
• Downtime Constraints: Time-tracking and attendance systems needed to stay operational during business hours

The company needed a well-structured, low-risk plan that included not just a successful migration, but also a path to operational readiness for AWS post-transition.

Cygnet.One began the engagement with a detailed discovery phase, identifying VM roles, security configurations, user access flows, and system dependencies. A complete inventory was built, mapping each Azure VM to its AWS counterpart. Firewall rules, security groups, Active Directory integration, and VPN requirements were documented.

The AWS environment was architected to mirror existing settings while introducing platform-native practices:

• Amazon Elastic IPs were used for static IP consistency
• Amazon Managed AD was deployed and synced with user credentials
• Custom IAM roles and policies replicated previous access permissions
• AWS VPN enabled remote RDP access without reconfiguration on the user side
• Firewall rules were recreated using AWS Security Groups with 1:1 rule mapping

Data synchronization between Azure and AWS was enabled through secure tunnels, with continuous updates ensuring both environments remained in sync during testing. Once stability was confirmed, a phased cutover was executed.

During the cutover, workloads were monitored in real time. Performance metrics, connectivity, and authentication flows were verified before decommissioning Azure instances. The team also provided knowledge transfer, documentation, and operational handoff for internal ownership of the AWS environment.

The company now runs a fully consolidated and secure AWS environment that matches their prior configuration without compromise. The migration brought clear benefits:

• Zero Disruption for End Users: Remote desktop access continued without changes or retraining
• Preserved Network & Security Architecture: All firewall, IP, and directory settings migrated as-is
• Reduced Management Overhead: Unified platform reduces complexity and streamlines operations
• Operational Independence: Internal team is now equipped to manage and optimize AWS infrastructure
• Stronger Security & Governance: AWS-native monitoring, CloudTrail, and IAM enforcement enabled better visibility and control

The migration not only met all initial success criteria but also created a more future-ready infrastructure model. The company is now positioned to expand within AWS, backed by a secure, documented, and scalable foundation.