Cloud Readiness Assessment & Cloud Selection
Full CRA & Oracle Cloud Selection —
Latin American Retail Chain
2022  ·  Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) · Azure · AWS  ·  Strategy & Advisory
OCI — Recommended Azure AWS Cloud Readiness Assessment ~1,100 Servers CloudScape HP-UX Oracle Workloads Migration Waves Retail / Latin America

I led the Cloud Readiness Assessment and cloud selection for one of Latin America's largest retail chains — a convenience store operator with thousands of locations. The engagement covered approximately 1,100 servers across their on-premises estate and involved a three-way evaluation of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Microsoft Azure, and AWS. OCI was recommended as the primary platform based on Oracle workload alignment, licensing economics, and the client's existing Oracle commercial relationship.

I managed the full CloudScape deployment and assessment program — producing the app portfolio model, complexity scoring, and migration wave plan. The engagement also included a dedicated workstream for HP-UX (HP Integrity / RISC architecture) servers, which represented a non-trivial migration complexity requiring specialized platform evaluation. Multiple executive readout versions were produced as recommendations evolved through client review cycles.

~1,100
Servers in Scope
Full server inventory assessed via CloudScape
~1,098
Apps / Assets Priced
Full RISC table pricing across the estate
3
Clouds Evaluated
OCI, Azure, AWS — full TCO comparison
7
Executive Readout Versions
Iterated through client review cycles to final
HP-UX
Legacy Platform
Dedicated HP Integrity / RISC migration analysis
★ Recommended
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
OCI — Primary Platform
Best economics for Oracle workload licensing. OCI co-location of Oracle DB and Apps eliminates cross-cloud data transfer costs. Existing Oracle commercial relationship leveraged for credit and pricing negotiations. Strongest fit given Oracle-heavy application estate.
Microsoft Azure
Azure — Secondary Option
Strong Azure and OCI interconnect partnership makes Azure a viable secondary platform. Considered for non-Oracle workloads and future digital transformation initiatives. Azure Hybrid Benefit applicable to Windows Server estate.
Amazon Web Services
AWS — Not Recommended
Strong platform, but Oracle licensing on AWS at full BYOL cost eliminates TCO advantage. No comparable credit program for this client's Oracle commercial position. AWS considered for future greenfield workloads only.

App Portfolio Discovery

  • Full CloudScape deployment for ~1,100 server inventory across on-premises environment
  • Application stack grouping from server hostname patterns and configuration data
  • App Portfolio Model produced with relative cost and complexity scoring per application group
  • Stack rationalization analysis — candidate applications identified for retirement or consolidation
  • FinOps cost analysis produced from CloudScape asset pricing and utilization data

CloudScape Operational Program

  • CloudScape Status Documents produced across 6 versions tracking remediation and data quality progress
  • Validated remediation list for CloudScape scan gaps and uncollected assets
  • RISC table pricing applied across full ~1,098 asset scope
  • Asset inventory across License View and Server View produced
  • Migration Standard PODs Planner adapted for the client's migration volume and cadence

HP-UX Discovery & Analysis

  • HP Integrity server inventory extracted and assessed separately from x86 estate
  • Applications running on HP-UX (PA-RISC and Itanium) identified and classified
  • Solaris workloads included in same non-x86 assessment track
  • Per-server analysis of CPU architecture, OS version, and dependent applications

Migration Path Options

  • Re-platform to Linux on OCI: application compatibility assessment and porting effort estimation
  • Emulation-based migration (CHARON HP/UX emulator) evaluated as lift-and-shift alternative
  • OCI bare metal options assessed for workloads requiring dedicated compute
  • Workloads requiring full re-architecture flagged in Wave 3 as complex migration items
Wave 1

Foundation & Easy Workloads

OCI tenancy setup, network architecture, and identity foundation. Easy-complexity apps migrated as validation workloads — standard x86 Linux and Windows servers with minimal dependencies.

Wave 2

Oracle & Core Business Apps

Oracle database and application servers migrated using OCI native tooling. Core business applications including store operations, inventory management, and supply chain systems.

Wave 3

Legacy & Complex Workloads

HP-UX and Solaris workloads requiring re-platform or re-architecture. Complex integrations and high-dependency applications. Wave 3 timelines dependent on application modernization decisions.

01

CloudScape Program Management

Managed the CloudScape deployment and data quality program across 6 iterations — tracking remediation, resolving scan gaps, and producing the validated app portfolio model and RISC pricing output.

02

OCI / Azure / AWS Evaluation

Led the three-way cloud evaluation — built the OCI, Azure, and AWS TCO comparison models using CloudScape rightsizing data with Oracle licensing scenarios central to the recommendation.

03

HP-UX Analysis

Conducted the dedicated HP-UX and Solaris workload analysis — inventorying non-x86 servers, assessing migration path options, and estimating re-platform effort for OCI migration.

04

App Portfolio Model

Produced the application portfolio model — relative cost and complexity scoring for all application groups with stack rationalization candidates and migration wave recommendations.

05

Executive Readout Iterations

Produced 7 versions of the executive readout deck — adapting the narrative, cloud recommendation, and financial model as the engagement evolved through client review and stakeholder feedback cycles.

06

Architecture Diagrams

Designed OCI and Azure reference architecture diagrams — OCI/Azure strategic cloud topology, cloud decision trees, and migration journey visuals used in the executive presentations.

DeliverableDescriptionFormat
CRA Strategic AssessmentFull CRA deliverable — cloud recommendation, TCO comparison, app portfolio, and migration strategyPPTX
Executive Readout (v1–v7)7-version executive presentation iterated through client review — final version presented to leadershipPPTX ×7
App Portfolio ModelCloudScape-based application complexity and cost scoring across all stacks, with rationalization analysisXLSX
CloudScape Status Documents (×6)Iterative data quality and remediation tracking documents across 6 CloudScape program checkpointsXLSX ×6
HP-UX AnalysisNon-x86 server inventory, per-server analysis, and migration path options for HP Integrity and Solaris workloadsXLSX
Migration Wave Plan3-wave migration schedule with POD standard sizing, resource requirements, and complexity-based sequencingXLSX + PPTX
OCI Reference ArchitectureOCI/Azure strategic cloud topology diagrams, cloud decision tree, and migration journey visualsVisio + PNG
TCO Cost Input ModelDetailed OCI/Azure/AWS cost input parameters with Oracle licensing scenarios and FinOps analysisXLSX