SERVICE SCOPE
What’s in scope.
01
Inventory and ownership
Locate the in-scope Windows and SQL Server instances, versions, editions and hosts. Identify the business purpose, criticality and accountable owner, then verify the relevant support and licensing position.
02
Dependencies and route options
Map applications, reports, integrations and latency requirements. Compare retention with risk treatment, upgrade, consolidation, retirement, rehosting, managed database options, refactoring or replacement as appropriate.
03
Foundation and change planning
Define identity, network, backup, recovery and governance requirements. Establish validation, cutover, rollback, business acceptance and the operating responsibilities that follow the change.
Evidence for an executive risk decision.
The scan should show which decisions can be made now and which need deeper workload evidence.
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Version, support-status and ownership inventory.
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Business-criticality and dependency map.
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Route options with risk, constraints and TCO inputs.
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Foundation and operational requirements.
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Prioritised workload sequence and executive readout.
When this scan fits.
Use it when a known support deadline, ageing infrastructure or an inherited SQL or Windows estate creates uncertainty. A version number signals where to investigate; the dependencies and business purpose determine the route.
01
Connect the support concern to the business dependency
A server or database version identifies a possible support concern but does not explain the consequence of changing it. The workload may support an application with a specific vendor requirement, an undocumented interface or a business process used only occasionally. The scan should uncover those relationships before recommending a destination.
Azure Migrate can contribute discovery and assessment evidence for applicable workloads. Treat discovered configuration, readiness and sizing information as inputs to a business decision. Support status, application compatibility and operating constraints still require their own verification, particularly where information is incomplete or a third-party vendor controls the application.
02
Prepare the inventory and the reasons systems remain
Bring versions, installed roles, workload owners, vendor details and known support concerns. Include database and application dependencies, recovery requirements and maintenance restrictions. Record the reason an ageing system has not already changed; it may reveal a constraint that an infrastructure-only scan would miss.
The customer should identify business criticality and approve the acceptable interruption and data-loss requirements. The output should distinguish verified findings from assumptions, identify viable routes and prioritise deeper investigation. Extended support, licence benefits or migration assistance must be checked for the exact product and circumstances. The scan informs the change programme; it does not replace detailed migration design or authorise production changes.
03
Decisions the assessment should make visible
BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Practical questions.
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Must the workload move to Azure?
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Are Extended Security Updates automatically included?
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Can downtime be eliminated?
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Can an old system remain in place?
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Will discovery identify every application dependency?
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How should we treat a vendor-controlled application?
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Does the scan include a full cutover plan?
BUILD YOUR BUSINESS CASE
Turn the support backlog into a prioritised risk decision.
The problem to solve.
Unsupported runtimes, old database versions and fragile dependencies can remain invisible until a change or failure makes the exposure urgent.
What success should look like.
Identify the legacy constraints that matter most, assign owners and separate immediate stabilisation from a longer modernisation programme.
Bring these into the discussion.
A useful starting point for your team and the people approving the investment.
Useful reading for your proposal.
Evidence, examples and questions to take into the decision.
Insight
25 August 2026
Runtime risk
Connect retirement notices to an accountable owner
Identify the handover needed between platform administration and application maintenance.
Read the insight
Insight
25 August 2026
Database lifecycle
Make old database versions a visible decision
Consider support exposure and operating cost together.
Read the insight
Insight
26 August 2026
Compatibility
Test the assumptions embedded in older software
An application-compatibility example to inform the dependency inventory.
Read the insight
LET’S GROW.
Work through the next step with Braintree.
Bring the workloads with uncertain support or ownership. We can help prioritise the next investigation.
