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Skytap Launches Azure Migration Service for IBM-Based Apps

A new service from Microsoft partner Skytap aims to smooth the way for organizations to move on-premises applications based on IBM Power processors to Microsoft Azure datacenters.

The Skytap on Azure service became generally available on Thursday, according to announcements by both Microsoft and Skytap, which is a partner on both Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud services. Currently, the service is available just in the East U.S. Azure region, but Microsoft has plans to expand the service to other Azure regions "across Europe, the United States, and Asia Pacific."

The service supports running x86 workloads alongside IBM workloads (AIX, IBM i and Linux on IBM POWER), bringing the ability to tap various Azure services, according to a Skytap on Azure summary document.

The Skytap on Azure service is designed to support software developers and enterprises with their so-called "business-critical" applications. It's for dev/test and disaster recovery scenarios. It's possible to use the Skytap on Azure service in "hybrid" computing environments, combining Microsoft's cloud services with workloads housed in an organization's datacenters.

Here's Skytap's illustration of that hybrid scenario, where an Azure Dedicated subscription is indicated:

[Click on image for larger view.] Skytap for Azure service, combining on-premises datacenters with Microsoft Azure services. (Source: Skytap's Web page)

Organizations making the move to using Skytap on Azure get access to "Azure native services such as Blob Storage, Azure NetApp Files, or Azure Virtual Machines," Microsoft's announcement explained. Production environments also have the option to use Microsoft's ExpressRoute service for high-bandwidth private Internet connections.

The Skytap for Azure service is currently available from the Azure Marketplace, where it's described as offering "consumption-based pricing, on-demand access to compute and storage resources, self-service provisioning, and extensibility through RESTful APIs."

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

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