AI-Ready Application Modernization on Azure: Assess, Prove & Scale - 8-Wk Engagement

This engagement turns application modernization from an abstract multi-year program into a concrete, evidence-led journey with a working result at the end of eight weeks. Acuity Analytics assesses modernization candidates against Microsoft's 6 Rs framework (rehost, replatform, refactor, rearchitect, rebuild, replace), selects one priority application, and delivers a working modernization PoC on Azure. Uses Azure Migrate and GitHub Copilot to accelerate discovery and code upgrade.

The journey: Assess, Prove, Scale.

Phase 1 - Assessment (2 weeks). Portfolio-level review using Azure Migrate and application/code assessment tooling; stakeholder interviews; technical principles workshop (landing zone, identity, networking, security, observability); 6-R scoring; priority-application selection. Deliverables: portfolio findings report with per-application 6-R recommendation, target landing-zone architecture, priority-application selection with success criteria, costed PoC plan, modernization program roadmap.
Phase 2 - Proof of Concept (6-8 weeks). Landing-zone scaffolding for the priority application; modernization build per the agreed 6-R path (containerisation on AKS/ACA, replatform to App Service, refactor to microservices, or database modernization); GitHub Copilot-assisted code upgrade; non-functional testing; weekly demos; final playback. Deliverables: working modernized application running on Azure, documented architecture, measured results, evidence pack, production roadmap and costed program plan.
Phase 3 - Delivery and Scale (quoted separately). Program delivery of the modernization backlog; production landing zone build; wave-based migration and modernization with cutover management; retirement of legacy estate and data-centre exit where applicable; knowledge transfer.
What you provide. Executive sponsor and a named business owner; access to 3-6 subject matter experts for interviews and workshops; representative (anonymised if needed) sample data and/or access to the target application or source systems in a non-production environment; existing architecture documentation where available; Azure subscription with a sandbox resource group for the PoC (Acuity Analytics can provision if preferred).
Prerequisites. Azure tenant and subscription (or willingness to provision one); access to source code and deployment artefacts for the priority application in a non-production environment; executive sponsor and a named application owner.
Microsoft funding. Eligible for consideration under applicable Microsoft partner-funding programs (Azure Innovate, Azure Migrate and Modernize, AI Partner funding, Microsoft Fabric PoC) for qualifying customers, subject to Microsoft approval. Acuity Analytics manages the funding nomination with your Microsoft account team.