Architecture & Migration Assessments
A scoped engagement that gives you a clear, written read on your Azure environment or migration path. No retainer, no open-ended hourly work. A defined deliverable you can act on.
Start a ConversationSome technology decisions don't need a fractional CTO. They need a senior outside read, delivered in writing, with enough depth to be useful and enough scope to actually finish.
Architecture & Migration Assessments are fixed-scope engagements designed for that situation. You bring a specific question. I bring an experienced look at your environment, your architecture, or your migration plan, and a written assessment with prioritized recommendations.
When You Need an Outside Read
Most architecture and migration questions have the same shape. The team has been heads-down on the platform for years. They know it intimately. What they don't have is a comparison point. Is the Azure environment well-architected, or have they been making the same mistake for five years without realizing it? Is the migration plan sound, or are there risks that won't surface until cutover? Is the cost profile reasonable, or are you paying for capacity you don't need?
These are questions where being close to the problem makes it harder to see clearly. They're also questions where the answer matters enough to justify spending money on an outside perspective, but not enough to justify standing up a fractional engagement.
There's a particular kind of cost that comes from making a major Azure decision without an outside read. A migration that goes ahead with hidden risks. An architecture that compounds bad assumptions for years. A vendor proposal that looks reasonable until someone with the right experience reads it. The cost isn't always visible up front. It shows up later, as the operational tax that comes from a decision nobody pressure-tested at the right moment.
An assessment isn't a substitute for ongoing technical leadership. It's a fit for a specific kind of moment. Leadership is debating a migration. The Azure bill keeps climbing and nobody's sure why. A new architecture proposal needs an experienced reviewer before it gets committed to. A board or an investor wants an outside view of the technology posture before a funding round.
In all of those cases, what you need isn't a part-time executive. You need a senior practitioner who will look hard at what you have, write down what they find, and hand you something you can act on.
What's Included
Environment or Plan Review
A structured walkthrough of your Azure infrastructure, application architecture, or migration plan, depending on the scope agreed up front.
Risk and Gap Identification
A written read on security posture, resiliency, cost, performance, and operational maturity. The things you're doing well, the things that need attention, and the things that look fine today but will be problems later.
Prioritized Remediation Roadmap
What to fix first, what to defer, and what to leave alone. Recommendations are scoped so your team can act on them without needing me to come back.
Written Assessment Document
The deliverable is a document you keep and reference, not a slide deck and a goodbye. Detailed enough to be useful, focused enough to actually read.
Findings Review Session
A walkthrough of the assessment with your leadership and technical team. Questions, pushback, clarification, all on the table.
Optional Follow-Up Scoping
If the assessment uncovers something larger, a clear path to a fractional engagement or scoped project. No pressure either way.
How Engagements Work
Assessments are scoped at the start. Together we define what's being reviewed, what the deliverable looks like, and what's in or out of scope. From there it's a fixed engagement with a clear endpoint, not an ongoing retainer.
The two most common scopes:
Azure Architecture Review. For companies already running on Azure who want a senior outside read on what's there. Security posture, cost, resiliency, operational practices, and architectural choices.
Cloud Migration Readiness Assessment. For companies on-prem or hybrid who are considering or planning a move to Azure. Migration approach, sequencing, risk identification, and a written plan to support the decision.
Both produce a written assessment. Both are designed to be useful whether or not the engagement leads to further work.
Who This Is For
Companies running on Azure who need an outside read on architecture, security, or cost
Organizations planning an Azure migration who want a senior review before committing to a path
Leadership teams debating a major technology decision that needs an experienced outside voice
Founders, CEOs, or boards who want a written assessment they can reference and act on
Experience & Proof Points
Led a full Azure migration for a production SaaS platform with zero unplanned downtime during cutover. The decisions that made it uneventful are written up in detail in What I Learned Migrating a Production SaaS Platform to Azure.
10+ years of hands-on Azure architecture, migration, and security work, from initial design through long-term governance.
Architected production Azure environments from the ground up, including App Services, SQL Managed Instances, Application Gateway with WAF, Key Vault, Sentinel, and the rest of the Microsoft cloud stack.
Ready to talk?
Tell me what you need to understand or decide. I'll let you know what a realistic assessment looks like and what it would deliver.
Start a Conversation