Out of the Server Room and Into Something Maintainable
Whether the goal is full cloud, hybrid, or just retiring one aging server, we plan the migration, run the cutover, and operate the result. Azure, M365, hosted SQL, file shares, and line-of-business apps.
Whether the goal is a full move to Azure, a hybrid architecture that keeps your most sensitive workloads on-premises, or simply retiring one ageing server before the hardware fails, North Star plans the migration, runs the cutover, and operates the result.
We deliver cloud migration projects remotely across Canada, with dispatch locations in Prince George, BC and Grande Prairie, AB for scoped physical work. On-site visits depend on project needs, technician availability, site access and agreed travel arrangements; dispatch locations are not walk-in counters or a promise of immediate arrival. Fixed-price cloud migration projects include a documented design, a phased execution plan, and post-migration support.
What Is Included
We do not hand you a platform and leave you to figure it out. Every migration project includes scoping, architecture, execution, and a handoff, whether that is to our managed service or to your internal team with full documentation.
Lift and Shift
Virtual machines moved to Azure where application compatibility and licensing allow. Compare sizing, monitoring responsibilities and estimated running costs before approving a lift-and-shift design. Budget alerts are not a guarantee that spending cannot exceed an estimate.
Replatform
SQL Server, IIS, and file shares considered for managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) equivalents where compatible. Compare operating responsibilities, configuration, licensing and costs; a different platform does not automatically make an application secure or cheaper.
Hybrid Architecture
Some workloads on-premises, some in the cloud, with connectivity selected for the applications and sites involved. Document access controls, network dependencies and who operates each part. Not everything belongs in the cloud.
Decommission
Plan hardware retirement after migration acceptance and any agreed retention period. Confirm licensing changes, sanitisation method, disposal responsibilities and required evidence in the project scope before equipment is released.
How It Works
Step 1, Inventory
Catalogue the servers, applications, file shares, integrations and dependencies in scope. Record missing access and unresolved dependencies so discovery gaps remain visible when the design is reviewed.
Step 2, Design
Target architecture produced: Azure landing zone or hybrid design, cost estimate, and cutover plan. You see and approve before anything is provisioned or ordered.
Step 3, Migrate
Phase workloads where feasible. Agree validation criteria, cutover authority and a feasible fallback approach before each move. Test lower-risk workloads first where dependencies allow; parallel running and rollback are not available for every migration path.
Step 4, Operate
Handoff to North Star's managed service or to your internal team with full documentation, monitoring configuration, and a post-migration support period. We do not disappear at go-live.
Who This Is For
- Businesses across Canada, including Prince George, Northern BC, Alberta and Yukon, with ageing on-premises infrastructure and an upcoming hardware refresh decision
- Organisations with a server room lease expiry or a co-location cost that no longer makes sense
- Teams that rely on a single on-premises server and want to reduce dependence on that hardware while planning for cloud, connectivity and recovery risks
- Businesses that have started using Microsoft 365 but still have on-premises workloads running on legacy hardware
What buyers ask before they sign
How is the project priced?
Fixed-price, scoped after the discovery phase. We document your environment first, then produce a written proposal with a defined scope, timeline, and price. Changes to scope are documented and agreed before any additional work is done.
Do we have to move everything at once?
No. The plan can separate workloads into phases where dependencies allow. Agree the order, validation checks and any interruption window before cutover. Keeping the old environment available is a planning decision, not a promise of continuous access.
What happens to our data during the migration?
The transfer method depends on the workload and tools. The plan should identify final synchronisation, any pause in changes or access, and checks of data and permissions before release. Parallel running is used where feasible; uninterrupted access and zero data loss are not guaranteed.
What if something goes wrong during cutover?
Agree stop criteria, decision owners and feasible recovery options before cutover. Returning to the old environment can depend on retained systems, backups, application support and data written after the switch. Where a step is not reversible, record that limit and the recovery approach before approving it.
Can you migrate line-of-business applications?
Assess each in-scope application against vendor support, operating system and database requirements, integrations and licensing. Record unsupported configurations and remediation decisions before committing to a migration path; compatibility is not assumed from the application being able to start.
Do you provide ongoing management after migration?
Yes. North Star offers managed services covering monitoring, patching, backup, security, and helpdesk support on a monthly retainer. Confirm the selected workloads, licences, coverage and handoff responsibilities in that agreement; ongoing management is separate from the migration project.
Why North Star
North Star provides Canada-wide remote service, with physical work scoped through dispatch locations in Prince George and Grande Prairie. Fixed-price projects include agreed security configuration and post-migration support. The proposal identifies the controls, licences, verification work and support period rather than treating migration as a guarantee of security.
Get a Quote on Cloud Migration
Tell us about your environment so we can identify the discovery work and agree when a scoped proposal can be prepared. Access, application complexity and vendor input affect that timing.
Call 672-983-1174 or request a quote online.
Cloud migration by city
Local cloud migration pages: server-to-cloud moves, Microsoft 365 tenancy, and hybrid setups by region.
More cloud services
Get a quote on cloud migration.
Tell us a bit about your environment to discuss discovery and the information needed for a scoped proposal. No obligation, no pressure.
Request a Quote Back to Cloud & InfraPlan the move around the workloads your business relies on.
A cloud migration moves selected workloads from office or colocation hardware to a cloud service. The objective might be to reduce hardware administration, change recovery arrangements or support access from other locations. File shares, email, databases and line-of-business applications need separate decisions: their permissions, integrations, performance and operating costs may call for different destinations or for retaining part of the environment on-premises.
For example, a project-file workload needs more than a new storage location. Identify application links, file permissions, site connectivity and who can approve the migrated result. Compare SharePoint, Azure Files and retaining a local server against those needs. Moving a workload changes its risks and responsibilities; it does not remove the need to plan access, protection and recovery. This is an illustrative decision process, not a reported customer migration.
Cloud migration deliverables.
- Discovery and inventory: inventory of the agreed servers, services, applications, databases and file shares, including dependencies, access gaps and items requiring vendor confirmation.
- Migration strategy: recommendation for each workload: lift-and-shift to Azure IaaS, replatform to PaaS, replace with SaaS (M365, Dropbox Business), or retire. Written rationale for each recommendation.
- Data residency planning: document required locations and relevant data flows, then check the selected products, tenant, regions and provider commitments. Escalate legal and contractual interpretation to the organisation's qualified advisers.
- Microsoft 365 migration: email migration from Exchange on-premises or Google Workspace to Exchange Online, including calendar and contact migration and cutover coordination.
- File share migration: migration of on-premises file shares to SharePoint document libraries or Azure Files, with permissions mapping and user communication.
- Application migration or lift-and-shift: Windows Server workloads moved to Azure virtual machines or replaced with equivalent cloud services where applicable.
- Cutover planning: agree a workload-specific interruption window, approval contacts, user communication and feasible fallback or recovery options. The schedule depends on transfer volume, connectivity, dependencies and verification results, not a standard weekend promise.
- Post-migration validation: record agreed access, permissions, application and recovery checks with the responsible owners. Resolve or explicitly accept outstanding issues before release, and obtain approval before retiring source systems.
Businesses with ageing on-premises infrastructure or a hardware refresh coming up.
A hardware refresh is a useful point to compare options. An illustrative $20,000-$40,000 server purchase should be compared with a scoped cloud design, not treated as a current hardware quote or proof of savings. Include migration work, subscriptions, licences, connectivity, backup, support and any parallel-running costs over the same planning period. Sometimes a hardware refresh is the better fit; sometimes migration or a hybrid design is. Cloud migration does not guarantee savings.
Before selecting a destination, confirm the organisation's contractual, privacy and data-location requirements with its responsible advisers. A Canadian region is not by itself proof of compliance: assess the selected services, configuration, access and relevant data flows. Record unresolved requirements before approving the design rather than assuming that one region or provider satisfies them all.
For businesses with multiple BC or AB locations, compare each site's connectivity, application latency and access needs. A cloud destination can change reliance on a central server, but it may still need private networking or local dependencies. Validate representative work from the relevant sites before assuming better performance or removing existing connectivity.
Fixed-price project scoped after discovery.
Cloud migrations are scoped and priced as a fixed-price project after a discovery engagement that assesses what is on-premises and what the cloud destination will be. The discovery is typically a short paid engagement (a few hours of technical review), and the migration project is then quoted with a fixed price and a defined timeline. Ongoing cloud infrastructure costs (Azure subscription, Microsoft 365 licensing) are separate from North Star's project fee and are billed directly by Microsoft. Contact us to schedule a discovery call and receive a migration scoping proposal.
What clients ask before migrating.
Will our line-of-business applications work in Azure?
It depends on the application, its licensing and vendor support. Assess operating system and database versions, integrations and hardware dependencies such as dongles or serial devices. Agree a supported design and representative workflow checks before migration; a successful startup alone does not establish that every business function will work.
Where will our data be stored?
Document the location and provider commitments for each selected service rather than assuming all cloud data is stored in one country. Microsoft 365 commitments depend on the tenant and covered service; check current and committed locations where available. Review relevant access and data flows with your privacy or legal adviser. A Canadian storage location alone does not establish compliance with BC PIPA, AB PIPA or PIPEDA.
How much downtime is involved?
Agree an interruption window after reviewing the workload, transfer method, final changes and validation needs. Some moves allow parallel operation; others require an access or write pause. Define the approval to proceed, stop criteria and recovery options in advance. Do not assume that a failed cutover can be reversed immediately or that work will finish over a weekend.
What happens to the old hardware after migration?
Coordinate decommissioning after agreed migration checks, owner acceptance and retention decisions. Confirm which hardware is in scope, who performs sanitisation and disposal, and what evidence is required. Do not release the old system while it is still needed for an agreed recovery option or outstanding validation.
Cloud migrations with data-location and operating responsibilities in the plan.
North Star supports cloud migration remotely across Canada, with scheduled physical work arranged from its Prince George and Grande Prairie dispatch locations where the agreed scope requires it. A scoped migration connects workload decisions with access, security, data-location and recovery requirements. Record what will be configured, what will be checked and what remains the responsibility of the customer or another provider. Technical configuration is not a legal compliance guarantee. Post-migration management follows the agreed support scope or a separate managed IT services agreement.
Cloud migration across Canada.
Explore the local service context and discuss project scope, access and delivery arrangements for your location.
Sources
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