The key question

A modernisation decision should not be based on one monthly infrastructure figure. Migration effort, parallel operation, testing, support and ongoing operations all belong in the comparison.

What to inventory

  • Capture edition, options and relevant technical installations.
  • Map existing contracts and licence assumptions confirmed by the organisation.
  • Include production, test, development and recovery environments.

Design the target deliberately

Separate technical inventory, contractual licence assessment and future-state scenario. Usage detection can provide evidence, but it does not determine contractual rights or obligations. Compare target scenarios over the same period with explicit price and usage assumptions.

A concrete validation step

Avoid blanket savings percentages

A technical assessment can structure the inventory and change effort. Actual savings depend on the associated contract, cost and implementation scenario.

Evidence required before sign-off

  • Assign an owner and evidence source to every assumption.
  • Separate one-off and recurring costs.
  • Model different project durations and parallel operation as scenarios.
  • Confirm current contractual and provider terms before approval.

Primary sources & further reading

These recommendations are engineering guidance. Specific options depend on source and target versions, privileges and operating model.