Google Cloud Migration Center: AI-Optimized Reference

Core Functionality

What it does: Assessment and planning tool for infrastructure migration to Google Cloud. Does NOT perform actual migrations.

Four primary functions:

1. Discovery - Automated infrastructure scanning
2. Cost Estimation - TCO analysis with optimization recommendations
3. Assessment & Planning - Dependency mapping and migration wave planning
4. Integration Hub - Coordinates with actual migration services

Configuration Requirements

Discovery Client Setup

• Deployment: VM or container deployment in target environment
• Supported Environments: VMware vSphere, AWS EC2, Azure VMs, physical servers
• Network Requirements: Encrypted channels to Google Cloud
• Air-gapped Support: Offline export capability for restricted environments
• Alternative Methods: RVTools exports, CSV imports for security-restricted environments

Cost Estimation Parameters

• Automatic Optimizations: Sustained use discounts, committed use pricing applied by default
• Specialized Calculators: SAP workloads, data warehousing environments
• Rightsizing Engine: Based on actual utilization metrics

Critical Failure Modes

Discovery Limitations

Will miss:

• Custom applications on non-standard ports
• Services behind complex load balancers/proxies
• Legacy databases with unusual connection strings
• Time-window-specific applications
• Mainframe-integrated systems

Impact: 15-25% of environment typically requires manual discovery

Cost Estimation Accuracy

Consistent underestimation by 25-40%:

• Network egress costs underestimated by 60%
• Excludes learning curve operational overhead
• Missing migration tooling/consulting costs ($50K+ typical)
• Assumes perfect implementation of optimization recommendations

Real-world example: $47K estimate → $70K+ monthly actual costs for first 6 months

Dependency Mapping Gaps

Automated discovery finds: Standard network connections, obvious application dependencies
Automated discovery misses:

• Monthly/periodic batch jobs
• Proxy-mediated connections
• Custom protocol communications
• Cross-system configuration dependencies

Consequence: Critical dependency failures discovered during migration execution

Resource Requirements

Time Investment

• Simple lift-and-shift: 3-6 months minimum
• Complex environments: 12-18 months
• Assessment completion: 24-48 hours (basic), weeks (comprehensive)
• Rule: Triple initial timeline estimates

Expertise Requirements

• Migration Center operation: Standard cloud admin skills
• Successful migration: Specialized knowledge per workload type (SAP, databases, custom apps)
• Training costs: $50K+ typically required for team upskilling

Scale Limitations

• Technical capacity: Handles 1000+ servers effectively
• Organizational bottleneck: Human process management fails at enterprise scale
• Discovery performance: Batch processing supported across multiple data centers

Integration Architecture

Handoff Services

Migration Type	Target Service	Success Rate
Databases	Database Migration Service	High for standard configs
Virtual Machines	VM Migration Service	Good for standard workloads
Containers	Application Migration	Variable by complexity

Integration weakness: Multi-service troubleshooting complexity when migrations fail

Competitive Analysis

Capability	Google Migration Center	AWS Migration Hub	Azure Migrate
Discovery accuracy	75-85% coverage	80-90% AWS-focused	80-85% Windows-optimized
Cost estimation	Underestimates 25-40%	Variable accuracy	Moderate accuracy
Multi-cloud support	Google Cloud only	AWS-centric	Azure-optimized
Database migration	Standard databases only	Solid tooling	SQL Server specialized

Critical Warnings

Security Discovery Impact

• Unintended exposure: Discovers undocumented legacy systems
• Compliance gaps: Reveals expired certificates, weak credentials
• Network exposure: Maps unintended internet-accessible services
• Preparation required: Brief security team on discovery scope

Production Implementation Gotchas

• Default settings will fail: Tool assumes optimal configurations
• Breaking changes frequent: Migration service updates introduce incompatibilities
• Support quality variable: Google support effectiveness varies by complexity
• Rollback planning mandatory: Something always breaks during execution

Decision Criteria

Use Migration Center when:

• Committed to Google Cloud ecosystem
• Need centralized migration coordination
• Large environment requiring systematic approach
• Standard workloads (VMs, common databases)

Alternative approaches when:

• Multi-cloud migration requirements
• Heavy mainframe integration
• Custom application predominance
• Tight cost control requirements

Resource Cost Structure

• Migration Center: Free assessment/planning tool
• Actual migration services: Standard Google Cloud pricing
• Hidden costs: Training, consulting, over-provisioning buffers
• Total cost multiplier: 1.4-1.6x of initial estimates typical

Essential Technical References

• Migration Center Console - Primary interface
• Discovery Client Architecture - Agent deployment
• Cost Estimation Algorithm - Calculation methodology
• Database Migration Service - Database execution service
• VM Migration Service - VM execution service