A global cargo airline with aging on-premises datacenter infrastructure and a ~$16.6M annual IT run rate needed to make a board-level cloud platform decision. The engagement was driven by both cost pressure and operational risk — existing DC infrastructure was approaching end-of-life, and the client needed a structured, defensible evaluation methodology to choose between three hyperscalers before committing to a multi-year transformation.
The engagement delivered a comprehensive Cloud Readiness Assessment covering 759 applications and 149 servers, a three-platform financial comparison (GCP, AWS, Azure) with full credit modeling, an application complexity assessment via CloudScape, and a Cloud Selection Scorecard that produced a clear, auditable platform recommendation. GCP was selected as the recommended path, offering the strongest 5-year economics (~$10.24M savings), the largest credit package ($3.43M), and the fastest payback at 39 months.
The CRA and Business Case positioned Rackspace as the expert partner for the migration execution phase — with migration professional services, CCOE design, and cloud operations scoped as the natural follow-on. The financial model, scorecard, and architecture artifacts all require Rackspace expertise to execute, making this a strong entry point for a long-term managed relationship.
- Infrastructure assessment across 759 applications — 4-tier complexity classification using CloudScape data and deep-dive sessions
- Server inventory analysis for 149 in-scope servers — utilization, sizing, and cost baseline established through joint working sessions with the client
- Current-state cost model built with client: DC (39%), Software (32%), and Labor (29%) mapped to eliminations and retained costs post-migration
- Migration complexity and readiness assessment — "Big Rocks" technical risks and reference architecture gaps identified
- 3-platform 5-year TCO model (GCP, AWS, Azure) — cloud costs, migration PS, CCOE, cloud ops, client FTEs, and all hyperscaler credits modeled per platform
- Cloud Selection Scorecard: structured scoring across strategic, financial, technical, and operational dimensions — produced auditable GCP recommendation
- Migration cost estimate (~$2.46M over 18 months) — includes PS, CCOE setup, cloud ops, and client FTE ramp
- Executive Presentation (Sept 2024): board-ready summary with platform recommendation, savings trajectory, and migration roadmap overview
| Deliverable | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Readiness Assessment | Full CRA covering 759 applications — complexity tiering (Very Hard / Hard / Medium / Easy), infrastructure assessment, BigRocks technical risks, and current-state cost analysis | PPTX |
| Cloud Business Case | 5-year financial model comparing GCP, AWS, and Azure — cloud costs, migration PS, CCOE, cloud ops, hyperscaler credits, EDP/MACC discounts, NPV, and payback period by platform | PPTX + XLSX |
| Cloud Selection Scorecard | Multi-dimensional scoring framework evaluating all three platforms across strategic alignment, financial model, security & compliance, technical fit, and operational readiness — GCP selected | XLSX |
| Executive Presentation | Board-ready executive summary (September 2024): current state scope, financial case findings, platform recommendation rationale, and high-level migration roadmap | PPTX |
| Migration Estimate — Wave 1&2 (100 VMs) | Detailed professional services migration estimate for the initial wave including transition manager role — labor, tooling, and workstream breakdown | XLSM |
| Migration Estimate — Wave 2a (500 VMs + Citrix) | Expanded migration estimate for larger wave scope including Citrix environment migration — component-level cost and effort model | XLSM |
The CRA and Business Case engagement established Rackspace as the authoritative cloud advisor for this client. The platform recommendation (GCP) was backed by a rigorous financial model that the client used to justify the investment to their board — and the migration estimates produced during the engagement already scoped Wave 1&2 and Wave 2a as Rackspace-delivered workstreams.
The 40% annual cost reduction narrative ($16.6M → $9.7M) is an executive-level story that a sales team can reference directly. The engagement model — CRA + Business Case as the funded entry point, migration execution as the upsell — is the cleanest example of the consulting-led land-and-expand playbook in this brief library.
Assessment & Discovery
- Led infrastructure and application discovery — CloudScape complexity tiering across 759 applications, server inventory analysis, and joint working sessions with the client to validate cost baseline
- Conducted the Cloud Selection Scorecard analysis — structured evaluation of GCP, AWS, and Azure across strategic, financial, technical, and operational dimensions, resulting in the GCP recommendation
- Identified and documented migration "Big Rocks" — technical complexity items, architecture gaps, and risk factors that shaped the migration wave sequencing
Financial Modeling & Executive Delivery
- Built the 5-year 3-platform TCO model — cloud costs, PS migration, CCOE, cloud ops, client FTEs, hyperscaler credits, and discounts modeled per platform with year-by-year savings trajectory
- Produced the migration professional services estimates for Wave 1&2 (100 VMs) and Wave 2a (500 VMs + Citrix) — component-level cost and effort models for the initial migration waves
- Delivered the September 2024 Executive Presentation — platform recommendation rationale, financial summary, and migration roadmap for board-level stakeholders