Every successful cloud migration starts with one critical step: knowing what you already have. Without a clear picture of your infrastructure, you risk under-estimating costs, missing dependencies, or overlooking workloads that can derail your plans.
That’s where Cloudamize DISCOVER comes in. As the foundation of the Cloudamize platform, DISCOVER gives IT and cloud teams the visibility, insights, and control they need to prepare for a smooth migration and optimize their environments from day one.
What Is Cloudamize DISCOVER?
DISCOVER is the Cloudamize module designed for data collection, inventory, and infrastructure visibility. It captures detailed metrics, configuration data, and workload dependencies across on-premises, Cloud and hybrid environments. With this foundation, the downstream stages of the platform — ANALYZE, PLAN, and MIGRATE — can deliver accurate recommendations and cost modeling.
Cloudamize supports multiple ways to gather this data:
- Agent-based collection (high-resolution performance data)
- Agentless data collection (ADC) via WMI/SSH
- Hypervisor data collection from vCenter or Hyper-V
- Optional imports and toolkits like RVTools and SQL telemetry to further enhance data collected by Cloudamize Discover
And if you’re preparing for migration, the Cloudamize Agent can automatically install CSP migration agents — like AWS MGN — directly from within the platform.
Fine-Tuning with Inventory Settings
Once data collection begins, Inventory Settings allow you to refine how assets are grouped, tagged, and scoped. This ensures your assessment reflects the reality of your environment.
Key features include:
RVTools Import
Already using RVTools for VMware? Import that data into Cloudamize to enrich your inventory. It’s a supplement, not a replacement — servers discovered only via RVTools won’t generate results without agent or collector data.
CSV Upload for Asset Groups
Download your inventory as a CSV, edit asset names, adjust scope (included/excluded), and re-upload to tailor your groupings. This must be done before an assessment starts, since groupings lock once data collection is underway.
SQL Server Telemetry
Go beyond the basics with the SQL Telemetry CLI. This tool captures deeper SQL Server insights — like I/O patterns and licensing details — by running a lightweight scan and uploading the telemetry JSON file into Cloudamize. It’s particularly useful where agents or collectors can’t access advanced SQL data.
Starting an Assessment
When you’re ready, launch your assessment directly in the DISCOVER console. You’ll review purchased vs. consumed nodes, confirm agent installations, and then initiate data collection. If your environment exceeds your purchased licenses, you’ll need to adjust before starting.
Agent vs. Agentless: Choosing the Right Fit
Cloudamize provides flexibility in how you collect data:
- Agent-based collection offers fine-grained, real-time performance metrics and deeper insights but requires software deployment on each host.
- Agentless collection via ADC reduces operational overhead and is ideal for controlled environments but provides lower resolution data and may miss transient workloads.
- Many organizations opt for a hybrid approach, using both methods depending on workload sensitivity, criticality, and security requirements.
Why the DISCOVER Phase Matters
Spending the time to thoroughly map and enrich your infrastructure pays off in several ways:
- Accurate Inventory: No surprises, no blind spots.
- Enriched Data: Deeper SQL and performance insights for smarter planning.
- Governance & Control: Explicitly scope in/out workloads before migration.
- Migration Readiness: Smooth handoff into Analyze, Plan, and Migrate.
- Licensing Insights: Avoid over-spending with precise SQL Server licensing reports.
- Reduced Risk: Identify dependencies and underutilized assets early.
Ultimately, DISCOVER ensures your migration is data-driven, cost-efficient, and far less risky.
Best Practices for Getting Started
- Begin with a network discovery scan to understand your environment.
- Deploy agents and/or ADCs strategically to balance detail with ease of deployment.
- Use the CSV upload tool to finalize groupings before you start.
- Monitor node licenses to avoid bottlenecks.
- Let DISCOVER run long enough to capture peak and seasonal workloads.
Take the First Step with Cloudamize
The cloud unlocks agility, scalability, and cost optimization — but only if you start with a complete and accurate map of your infrastructure. Cloudamize DISCOVER provides the clarity you need to assess, plan, and migrate with confidence.
Learn more about DISCOVER or contact the Cloudamize team to schedule a demo and start building your data-driven migration plan today.
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