- Organisation
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Predecessor
- VMware infrastructure across two on-premises data centres
- Destination
- Azure VMware Solution
- Workload
- application, database and server hosting plus infrastructure operations
- Stage
- Completed for the named migration
- Retirement status
- Primary data centre exited; second facility and 111 on-premises servers remain.
- Confidence
- High
- Next trigger
- A dated cutover, formal retirement statement or material later implementation milestone.
Programme context
Manchester Metropolitan University exited its primary data centre and moved 80% of servers to Azure VMware Solution within eight months, while retaining 111 servers on-premises and reducing the second facility from 25 to seven racks.
Why this matters: This record identifies a named Irish or UK organisation, a bounded predecessor state, a destination platform, an affected workload and a source-stated operational stage.
Migration timeline
| Date or stage | Milestone | What changed | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Predecessor state | Two data centres | The university operated VMware infrastructure across two purpose-built facilities. | Source stated |
| Eight-month programme | Server migration | Eighty percent of servers moved to Azure VMware Solution. | Source stated |
| Operational result | Primary exit and residual estate | The primary facility was exited; 111 servers remained on-premises and the second site reduced to seven racks. | Source stated |
| 1 August 2024 | Dated publication | Microsoft published the completed bounded case. | Source stated |
Workload migration matrix
| Workload | Predecessor | Destination | Status by 27 Jul 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| application, database and server hosting plus infrastructure operations | VMware infrastructure across two on-premises data centres | Azure VMware Solution | Completed for the named migration |
Implementation and architecture
- Azure VMware Solution preserved VMware operating patterns during the move.
- Azure Monitor supported monitoring and operational visibility.
- The second data centre was consolidated from 25 communications racks to seven.
Known unknowns and contradictions
- Exact production cutover date is not stated.
- The workload inventory of the 111 retained servers is not stated.
- Later cloud-native migration remains a roadmap rather than a completed claim.
No missing fact is inferred to broaden the source-supported platform-change claim.
PlatformTrace analysis
The source supports full exit from the primary data centre and an 80% server move. It explicitly preserves a 111-server residual on-premises estate and does not support estate-wide cloud completion.
Performance, cost, uptime and operational outcomes remain attributed source claims unless independently stated otherwise.
Evidence ledger
- Manchester Metropolitan University — Microsoft customer story, 1 August 2024
Dated first-party source stating the primary data-centre exit, 80% server migration, residual 111 servers and rack consolidation.
Approval: Issue #47 standing publication authority and the completed 27 July 2026 five-lane central filter.
Corrections and updates
27 July 2026 — Initial long-form Verified dossier published from the completed five-lane Ireland/UK intake and corrected central filter. Later milestones will be appended rather than silently replacing this state.