CASE STUDY
Microsoft Australia’s Digital Marketing Infrastructure Migrates to Azure
OVERVIEW
Microsoft Australia’s digital marketing team needed a modern, flexible cloud platform to support rapid campaign deployment and respond quickly to changes in the consumer marketplace. Their existing terrestrial based applications required a more scalable environment, and the team needed the ability to self‑manage processes without relying on technical intervention.
Codify, a long‑term hosting and technology partner for Microsoft, was selected to migrate the organisation’s digital marketing application suite to Azure. As a Certified Gold Cloud Platform Partner with extensive Azure migration experience, Codify applied its Cloud Lift methodology to assess application suitability, reduce risk, and ensure only appropriate workloads were transitioned.
“We place unreserved faith and trust in Codify’s ability to meet our needs and solve business challenges if, and when they arise. We consider Codify an extension of Microsoft Australia’s digital marketing team.”
Jeff Flanagan, Team Leader – Digital Marketing, Microsoft Australia
CHALLENGES
Like many organisations managing complex environments, Microsoft’s digital marketing team needed to improve responsiveness and reduce operational overheads.
Their business unit was accountable for service delivery costs and required new efficiencies to support rapid market changes.
A key objective was to harness Azure’s flexibility so the marketing team could manage processes independently, without waiting for technical support. This required a migration approach that eliminated service interruption risks, even minor outages were unacceptable due to the potential impact on Microsoft’s brand equity.
Codify was engaged to assess the suitability of migrating applications to Microsoft’s newly completed Australian Azure App Service infrastructure. The goal was to streamline processes, reduce risk, and ensure the environment could scale instantly to meet unpredictable, social media driven traffic peaks.
SOLUTIONS
Cloud Lift Readiness Assessment
Codify applied its Cloud Lift methodology to review application workloads and determine suitability for Azure. Applications that met the criteria were selected for migration, those that were outdated or unsuitable were refreshed or replaced. This ensured a clean, reliable application set ready for cloud deployment.
Stress Testing and Validation
A test workload was established and subjected to three days of intensive stress testing. Synthetic HTTP transactions were used to simulate peak demand, validate server‑side behaviour, and ensure web requests were processed within required timeframes. This confirmed that existing workloads could be met and that sufficient headroom existed for unexpected spikes.
Staged Migration and DNS Transition
The migration was staged over two weeks following successful validation. The DNS transition posed the highest risk due to coordination requirements with Microsoft’s global DNS team and differing service level agreements across existing DNS services. Despite the complexity, the switchover was completed seamlessly and transparently for both users and the digital marketing team.
“Even a minor outage that could adversely affect Microsoft’s brand equity was completely unacceptable.”
RESULTS
The migration delivered a stable, high‑performance Azure environment that empowered Microsoft’s digital marketing team to operate with greater agility and independence.
Zero Service Interruption
Extensive planning and stakeholder consultation ensured the transition occurred without downtime, a critical requirement for Microsoft’s brand sensitive digital operations.
Reduced Risk and Improved Efficiency
Cloud Lift’s structured assessment reduced migration risk and lowered ownership costs by ensuring only suitable applications were transitioned.
Capacity for Unplanned Demand
Azure’s elasticity provided immediate scalability to handle social media driven traffic spikes, ensuring consistent performance during high demand periods.
Self‑Managed Campaign Deployment
The new Azure architecture enabled the marketing team to initiate campaigns instantly, without relying on technical resources.
High Performance Architecture
Azure’s optimised environment guaranteed fast, reliable delivery of Microsoft’s digital experiences.
“Ultimately it was the needs of Microsoft customers who were placed at the forefront of all design considerations.”