Project Stage

Action / Benefit

Before

In CloudCreator, add the Project code 'MigrateSystemX' to all vCloud Standard resources associated with system 'X'.

The next morning:

• CloudCreator will automatically cascade the Project code to any ancillary resources associated with the selected vCloud Standard resources, e.g. backups, extra storage.

• CloudCreator will apply the Project code to historic months billing for these resources.

• Running the report 'Billing Trend by Category' and filtering by Project code will show the historic 'onshore' spending associated with system 'X'.

During 

As new resources associated with the project are created in public Azure, add the Project code 'MigrateSystemX' to them. See How Each Service Applies Project Codes below.

The next morning:

• CloudCreator will import the Azure resource details, including the Project code, resource usage, and estimate of the billing value for the full current month.

• Running the same report and filtering by Project code will show you the combined onshore and offshore spending associated with the old and new 'X' systems.

After 

Post 'go-live' of the Azure system, and after you have decommissioned the vCloud Standard resources, running the same report will show just the ongoing Azure costs.

Filtering the CloudCreator dashboards by the Project Code 'MigrateSystemX' will show the system 'X' costs 'before', 'during' and 'after' the project, as shown here:

For New Zealand hosted services (excluding Azure Stack), each resource can be assigned a project code inside CloudCreator.

AWS provides a 'tag' feature that lets you store your own 'attribute' information against each resource. This is the best place to store project information.

Early each day CloudCreator loads resource tags with the key ‘Project’.

Note:

• The test on the tag key is case sensitive.

• If multiple tags are found for a resource, the first one is used.

• The loaded project is visible in the appropriate CloudCreator reports.

• The loaded project can be viewed but not edited in CloudCreator.

• AWS tag policies can be used to enforce tagging standards, eg. require each resource to have a tag named ‘Project’ with a value specified.

Azure (offshore)

Azure Stack 

Azure and Azure Stack provide a 'tag' feature that lets you store your own 'attribute' information against each resource. For public cloud services, this is the best place to store project information.

Currently CloudCreator only loads tags from Azure (offshore). Next, CloudCreator will load tags from Azure Stack.

Early each day CloudCreator loads resource tags with the key 'Project'.

Note: 

• The test on the tag key is case insensitive.

• If multiple tags are found for a resource, the first one is used.

• The loaded project is visible in the appropriate CloudCreator reports.

• The loaded project can be viewed but not edited in CloudCreator.

• Azure Tag Policies can be used to enforce tagging standards, e.g. require each resource to have a tag named 'Project' with a value specified. 

• Alternatively, Azure supports policies like 'Inherit a tag from a resource group', allowing a project tag, and the value defined on a resource group, to be inherited by all resources in that group.