Infrastructure decision guide · Cloudpeakify
Before you move:
make the cloud decision defensible.
A VMware renewal is approaching. Your team is stretched. Google Cloud is an option—but which workloads belong there, and what will change operationally?
This is a practical scoping guide, not a customer case study or a promise of savings.
The problem is the decision, not the lack of a cloud diagram.
A price comparison of virtual machines leaves out dependencies, software constraints and the people who must support the service. Google’s migration guidance begins with workload inventory, dependencies and requirements before the migration plan. Google Cloud: assessment and discovery.
Our recommendation: select a bounded workload group first. Compare keeping it, moving it and changing the application. Record what you know, what is estimated and what still needs a test. “Do not migrate yet” is a useful result when the evidence supports it.
What to ask for
Four outputs you can use after the meeting.
01 · An agreed baseline
In-scope applications, owners, dependencies, observed demand and recovery needs. Attach a source and date to material inputs; list missing evidence.
02 · A target with decisions
Service choices, identity, connectivity, data location, recovery and operations. A landing zone includes identity, resource hierarchy, networking and security—not merely a new project. Google Cloud landing-zone guidance.
03 · A cost model with assumptions
Compare current and proposed operating costs, migration effort, parallel running and support. Make growth, utilisation and discount assumptions editable. Separate an estimate from an invoice or guaranteed saving.
04 · A decision and next stage
A keep, move or pilot recommendation; prioritised risks, named owners and a 90-day roadmap. For a pilot, state what must pass, who approves progression and when to stop.
What your team needs to provide.
Name a technical owner and a budget owner. Prepare a workload list, a representative utilisation period, relevant current bills and contracts, dependency information, recovery objectives and constraints on data location. Missing inputs must reduce confidence or narrow the scope—not disappear from the report.
Use approved read-only access or an agreed protected exchange for detailed evidence. An initial contact needs only the business problem, approximate scope and deadline. Do not submit passwords, cloud keys or customer exports.
Accept the decision pack—not just the presentation.
- Every in-scope workload has an owner, recommendation and recorded unknowns.
- The proposed design explains identity, dependencies and recovery responsibilities.
- The cost model exposes assumptions and distinguishes recurring from one-off costs.
- The next stage has acceptance criteria, an approval owner and a stop or rollback plan.
These are our recommended acceptance checks, to agree in the scope—not results from a claimed customer deployment.
Start with the existing engagement
Bring one real infrastructure decision.
The Cloudpeakify GCP Architecture & Cost Assessment connects a current-state baseline, reference architecture, cost model and 90-day delivery roadmap. We confirm scope and budget before work starts.
Next: define one controlled AI workflow or return to practical guides.