With Microsoft BizTalk 2013 long out of mainstream support and with 2016 support ending in November 2022, many businesses are asking “What should I do next?”.
An upgrade to BizTalk 2020 or move to Azure?
Like many organizations who are successfully using BizTalk 2013 or 2016, the foremost question is whether to upgrade to BizTalk 2020 or make the leap to Azure. The answer lies in understanding the benefits and the needs of your organization.
Should I migrate to BizTalk 2020?
Migration to BizTalk 2020 has many benefits. Making the right migration choice depends on the needs of your organization. By understanding your company’s needs, you can better determine if the benefits of an upgrade align.
Benefits include:
- Maintaining Microsoft Support – BizTalk 2016 mainstream support is scheduled to end in November 2022. All other previous versions including 2013R2, 2013 or 2010, and so on, have long been out of mainstream support. By moving to BizTalk 2020, you maintain the security and benefits of ongoing BizTalk support when you need it.
- Upgrades to the latest software – A migration to BizTalk 2020 includes upgrades to the latest versions of OS, VS, and SQL.
- An enhanced BizTalk environment – The BizTalk 2020 environment also means better infrastructure, better performance, and better topology, resulting in enhanced high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) operations.
- Access to new features – BizTalk 2020 includes a lot of new features including Hybrid Integration, Improvised Security (TLS1.2, GDPR compliance), better monitoring, and much more.
- Feature packs – Get new features faster without waiting for new versions, including those for developers and administrators, moving to the Cloud, and the ability to run on Azure VM and IaaS.
Considerations for deciding whether to stay on premises
“I need to use BizTalk Server 2010 or older” – As mentioned, BizTalk Server 2013 is no longer supported, and BizTalk 2016 will not be supported after the end of 2022. BizTalk 2020 is currently supported in Azure. If an older version is required, keep it on premises.
“I require more than 99.95% uptime” – For all virtual machines that have two or more instances deployed in the same availability set, Microsoft guarantees connectivity to at least one instance at least 99.95% of the time. This could mean up to approximately 4.5 hours downtime each year. If this SLA is not acceptable, avoid running BizTalk in Azure.
“I just want to save money” – It is possible to save money by moving to the cloud, and remember, running BizTalk 24/7 is also not an inexpensive option.
Or should I migrate to Azure?
Once the benefits of a BizTalk upgrade are identified, you may still have questions about the benefits of migrating your integrations to Azure Logic Apps.
The benefits of migration to Azure include:
- Hosted Azure Servers (IaaS VMs) – A migration to Azure enables the ability to create Azure IaaS VMs and migrate/host BizTalk Server 2020. This is an easy option with minimal changes. It also has all of the benefits of IaaS without hosting on-premises VMs.
- Azure Integration Services – This option completely moves out of BizTalk and rewrites or redesigns integration using Azure Integration solutions such as Log App, Function App, Service Bus, and Event Hub.
Questions to ask when deciding whether to migrate to Azure
“I need separate Development, Test, and QA environments now.” – This is a common scenario and a good reason to run BizTalk in Azure. Creating new production environments takes only a few minutes, subscription costs are low, credits can be accrued, VMs can be accessed from anywhere, and running different versions of BizTalk can be useful when maintaining many different customers.
“I do not want to invest in expensive on-premises infrastructure or up-front licenses” – One of the many benefits of cloud computing is outsourcing the infrastructure, which can free up valuable time and resources.
“I have already paid for BizTalk and SQL Server licenses” – License Mobility through Software Assurance gives Microsoft Volume Licensing customers the flexibility to deploy eligible server applications with active Software Assurance on Azure.
“I have high throughput requirements and high CPU load” – High-end hardware only being available on premises is a myth. There are now multiple VM sizes and options available.
TwoConnect can help!
There are several factors that need to be considered before making the move to Azure. Although there are many compelling reasons for moving, it is important to take the possible showstoppers into account. All known factors must be considered first.
If an Azure migration is the answer, success of your business depends on how smoothly you can migrate your applications to Azure while empowering your employees and impressing your customers.
With Azure or a BizTalk upgrade, the possibilities are endless, and TwoConnect can help you realize them.
For more information on Why or Why Not to migrate and to learn more about your options, let the award-winning team of Microsoft Integration experts at TwoConnect help.
Learn more about the TwoConnect 3-day POC BizTalk Upgrade vs. Migrate to Azure.
