Replacing System Center with Azure Services Takes Planning

• Azure services can fill System Center roles but vary in their completeness and Microsoft investment.
• Organizations will have to use multiple Azure services to fulfill their requirements.
• There is no simple migration path from System Center to Azure management services.

System Center customers building Azure systems or hoping to move System Center functions to the Azure cloud should be aware that Azure data management services are not drop-in replacements for System Center components, and they require different approaches and skill sets compared to tools for managing resources in conventional data centers. Customers should evaluate Azure data center management services on technical completeness, Microsoft investment, and how they meet the needs previously met using System Center. The accompanying chart summarizes which Azure services can be used to replicate System Center capabilities, with Directions on Microsoft’s assessment of how complete the Azure services are and how much Microsoft is investing in developing and improving those services.