Cloud Migration Services · Serving WA · OR · ID · MT
Cloud Migration Services
in Kent, Washington
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There is a moment in every cloud migration where someone in finance asks "wait, is this actually saving us money?" The honest answer is "it depends, and the people who told you it would save money out of the box were not telling you the whole story."
Cloud migration done badly costs more than the on-premise environment it replaced. Cloud migration done well lowers your total cost of ownership, makes your team more productive, and removes a list of operational risks. The difference is planning.
We are inTech Consulting, headquartered at 25725 101st Ave SE in Kent. Our cloud migration team has moved Kent-area manufacturers, professional services firms, and healthcare practices into Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and properly architected hybrid environments. We will tell you when the cloud is the right answer and when it is not.
What "cloud migration" actually means in 2026
The phrase is overused. We use it to mean four distinct things, and most Kent businesses need some mix of all four.
- Microsoft 365 migration. Email, file storage, and collaboration. Moving from on-premise Exchange or a competing platform to a properly configured M365 tenant.
- Azure infrastructure migration. Moving servers, applications, and data from on-premise hardware (or AWS, or Google Cloud) into Azure.
- File and collaboration modernization. Replacing aging file shares with SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams done right.
- Hybrid architecture. Most realistic for Kent manufacturers and CMMC-bound clients. Some workloads stay on-premise (often for regulatory or latency reasons), others move to the cloud, and the two talk to each other cleanly.
Most of our Kent migrations are hybrid, with a smaller share being full lift-and-shift to Azure or M365-only because the client's infrastructure was already in good shape.
Why Kent businesses are migrating now
Three patterns drive almost every Kent cloud migration we run:
- Hardware end-of-life. A 2018 Hyper-V cluster that needs to be replaced. The math on a hardware refresh, plus the labor to maintain it, plus the disaster recovery gap, finally tips toward Azure.
- Compliance pressure. CMMC, HIPAA, SOC 2. Cloud workloads in Azure Government or properly configured Azure Commercial are easier to defend in an audit than a server room in the back of a warehouse. See our CMMC compliance services in Kent for the compliance side.
- Remote and hybrid work. The pandemic-era VPN-into-the-office model is fragile and slow. Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and conditional access make remote work secure and fast at the same time.
If two or more of these apply to your Kent business, a migration is worth a real conversation.
Our cloud migration process
We run an 8-step process for every Kent cloud migration. It is not glamorous. It works.
- 1. Discovery. Every server, every application, every dependency, every line-of-business app. The discovery often surfaces things the client did not know existed.
- 2. Workload classification. What goes to the cloud, what stays on-premise, and what gets retired entirely. A portion of workloads we discover end up retired because nobody actually uses them.
- 3. Cost modeling. Real Azure or M365 cost projections, including reserved instance pricing, egress costs, and licensing. Not a salesperson's brochure number.
- 4. Target architecture design. What the environment looks like on day one and on day 365. Networking, identity, backup, and security are all designed in from the start.
- 5. Pilot migration. A small workload first, not the email server. Prove the process works.
- 6. Phased cutover. Most Kent clients run in phases over 60 to 120 days. Email is usually last because it is the highest-stakes change.
- 7. Post-migration optimization. Right-sizing virtual machines, cleaning up unused resources, and applying reserved instances. Most savings come in months 2 to 4.
- 8. Continuous management. Folded into our managed IT services in Kent and managed security services in Kent.
Pricing and timelines
Cloud migration is one of the most variable services we run because the scope swings hard with the size of the environment. Typical Kent ranges:
- Microsoft 365 migration alone (25 to 75 users, no Azure): $8,000 to $22,000 one-time, 30 to 60 days
- Azure infrastructure migration (lift-and-shift of on-premise servers): $25,000 to $80,000 one-time, 60 to 120 days, plus a monthly Azure run-rate of $1,500 to $8,000
- Hybrid migration with both M365 and selective Azure workloads: $40,000 to $120,000 one-time, 90 to 180 days
- Ongoing cloud management (post-migration): folded into managed IT pricing, $135 to $185 per user per month
The highest single cost is rarely the migration itself. It is the data cleanup that the migration forces you to do. We will tell you that on the first call, so the budget conversation is honest.
When cloud is not the right answer
We say this on every first call because it is true, and most providers will not say it: cloud is not always the right answer.
You should probably stay on-premise (or at least keep workloads on-premise in a hybrid model) if any of these apply:
- You have OT/manufacturing systems with hard latency requirements (most Kent manufacturers)
- You handle classified information that requires Azure Government or stricter
- Your internet connectivity in your specific Kent location is unreliable enough to make cloud-only risky
- Your line-of-business applications are licensed in ways that make Azure economically worse, not better
If we run discovery and the answer is "do not migrate yet," we will tell you. That has happened with several Kent clients.
Microsoft 365 the right way
Most Kent businesses already have Microsoft 365 in some form. Most of them have it configured badly. The migration we run most often these days is "fix the M365 you already have" rather than "move to M365."
What "configured badly" usually looks like:
- Shared mailboxes that should be Microsoft 365 Groups
- File shares migrated lift-and-shift into SharePoint, with no information architecture
- Conditional Access policies that are off entirely or so loose they do nothing
- MFA is enabled but not enforced for legacy authentication
- Audit logging was never turned on
- No data loss prevention rules
- No sensitivity labels for CUI or PHI
Fixing those takes 30 to 90 days and changes the security and productivity story dramatically. Often, we run that fix in parallel with our managed security services in Kent, so the security and the productivity gains land at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will our line-of-business application work in the cloud?
Probably yes, but the discovery phase tells us for sure. Some legacy apps need re-architecture or vendor support to migrate. We tell you which category yours is in within the first two weeks.
What about email downtime during migration?
For a properly run M365 migration, email downtime should be measured in single-digit minutes per user, scheduled for off-hours. Most Kent clients see zero perceived downtime because we cut over in waves overnight.
Are our backups still valid after migration?
Different question than people realize. Microsoft 365 has a shared responsibility model: Microsoft keeps the platform up, and you are responsible for your data. We deploy a third-party Microsoft 365 backup as part of every migration. See our backup and disaster recovery services in Kent for the full approach.
How do we handle CMMC and CUI in Azure?
For most Kent CMMC clients, the answer is Microsoft 365 GCC or GCC High plus Azure Government for sensitive workloads. The licensing is more expensive, and the configuration is stricter, but the audit story is much cleaner.
Can we migrate ourselves and just have you advise?
Yes. We offer advisory-only engagements for Kent clients who have technical staff capable of executing. The cost is lower, and the risk is higher. We will be honest about whether your team can pull it off.
What happens to our existing on-premise hardware?
Some clients sell, some clients keep as a backup or DR target, some clients donate. We help you make that call as part of the post-migration phase. Often, the right answer is "keep one server on-premise as a local cache" rather than "throw everything out."
Explore Our IT Services
Ready to talk through a real cloud roadmap?
If you are weighing a cloud migration and the proposals you have received feel like sales pitches, we will give you a 30-minute consultation that is mostly us asking questions. We will not quote you a number until we have run discovery. Honest scoping beats fast scoping every time.
Call (206) 397-8070 or book a free consultation at intechnw.com.
inTech Consulting, LLC. | 25725 101st Ave SE, Kent, WA 98030 | Certified Minority Business Enterprise (Washington OMWBE) | 90-day money-back guarantee on managed IT and managed security engagements
Book a Free Consultation Call (206) 397-8070