40%
Faster onboarding of advertisers and internal users after removing on-prem capacity constraints
Outdoor Advertising Provider Cuts Onboarding Time By 40% with Azure Migration
Modernized a legacy on-premise stack to Azure to improve scalability, harden security, and simplify governance for a nationwide billboard business.
60%
Windows and SQL workloads migrated and sustained under a standardized Azure operating model
<6 hours
Planned production cutover window with validated migration waves and controlled DNS switchover
A US-based outdoor advertising company operates a nationwide billboard marketing network supporting advertisers, partners, and internal business teams. Its core campaign management and reporting platforms were built in the early 2000s and ran entirely on an on-premises VMware environment.
Over time, the platform expanded to support dozens of Windows servers, SQL Server databases, and virtual desktops used by internal users. As the business scaled, infrastructure limitations, security gaps, and governance complexity began to slow growth. Simform partnered with the client to migrate and modernize these workloads on Microsoft Azure while preserving application compatibility and minimizing operational risk.
Challenges
As usage scaled, tightly interwoven infrastructure, identity, and security concerns increased operational risk and reduced the platform’s ability to absorb change safely.
Capacity bottlenecks in on-prem infrastructure
The platform ran on fixed on-prem hardware and routinely hit capacity ceilings as campaign volume grew. Provisioning was manual, onboarding slowed down, and peak advertising periods increased operational risk.
Fragile Windows and SQL dependencies
Workloads were spread across dozens of tightly coupled Windows and SQL servers. Shared databases amplified failures, troubleshooting was messy, and even routine maintenance or upgrades could trigger disruptive ripple effects.
Identity-bound database connectivity
SQL Server depended on Windows integrated authentication anchored to the on-prem domain. Those identity ties made database connectivity rigid, raised migration complexity, and increased the chance of access breaks during infrastructure changes.
Solution
We migrated the client’s VMware-based estate to Azure using an assessment-led approach, then sustained the environment through ongoing operational ownership.
Assessment-led discovery and wave planning
Deployed an Azure Migrate appliance in the client’s VMware environment to auto-discover servers and populate migration readiness assessment data. Grouped workloads logically, planned migration waves, and validated downtime expectations by migrating dev workloads first.
Azure landing zone and connectivity foundation
Built an Azure landing zone as the base for azure cloud migration, including virtual networks, on-prem connectivity, and baseline governance controls for sustainable operations. This standardized how workloads would be hosted and governed once moved to Azure.
Phased migration of Windows and SQL workloads
Rehosted Windows servers to Azure Virtual Machines and re-platformed databases to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Preserved integrated authentication with Kerberos and Entra ID, retained SSIS packages, and completed production cutover via Azure Load Balancer.
Ongoing operational maturity through managed services
Post-migration, the environment was maintained via a managed services operating model where Simform handled day-to-day operations, maintaining stability and governing security as the platform evolved.
Business impact
The migration removed infrastructure constraints, stabilized operations across a large workload estate, and enabled controlled change without disrupting live advertising operations.
Faster onboarding
By removing dependency on on-prem capacity provisioning, new advertisers, tenants, and internal users can now be onboarded ~40% faster, without waiting for servers, storage, or environment readiness.
Consistent operations at scale
Over 60 Windows and SQL workloads now run on Azure under a standardized operating model, eliminating fragmented ownership and enabling teams to manage scale without expanding operational effort.
Controlled production change
Migration waves and pre-tested cutover steps enabled a <6-hour production cutover, validating an execution model where infrastructure and platform changes no longer require extended downtime windows.
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Hiren Dhaduk
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