What is the best way to transfer a system setup on Azure to a client account?

Question

What is the best way to transfer a system setup on Azure to a client account?

Xristoforos Papas 40

Hi there,

I wanted to know what is the best way to transfer a system that has been implemented on Azure, to a client? The client has an azure account. The system developed has some complicated networking parts and consists of multiple instances. What I care about is that the client can run the system and everything will work exactly like how I had it and that the monthly subscription billing will be paid by the client.

One of the ideas I had was to create an account under my AAD, set it to owner and ask the client to update the payment information. That way everything should work like before. I am not sure if it is the best solution but it definitely is straightforward.

The other idea is to somehow transfer my system/subscription under their AAD. I am not sure how that works, if it will impact the software setup and whether it needs Azure's involvement to happen.

Any information on this would greatly be appreciated or other suggestions. Ideally we want something that does not involve too much client interaction to transfer if possible.

Thank you,

brendo Vinícius 0 Reputation points

2023-07-04T17:56:54.37+00:00

er sim

Accepted answer

1 additional answer

Your answer

brendo Vinícius 0 Reputation points

2023-07-04T17:56:54.37+00:00

er sim

Answer 1

Hello @Xristoforos Papas !

Welcome to Microsoft QnA!

As i understand there is a System ( collection of services ) running already on an Azure Subscription and you want to move it to a Customer Tenant.

You need Access on Both Directories for the Move to complete

For the Move Operation of resources it is supported and here are some details

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/move-resources-overview

BUT

My approach is already on your mind

Transfer the Subscription into the Client Tenant

It is a common practice , it is safe and you wont have to make System changes

Of course if anything is connected to Azure AD has to be carefully planned for the new Azure AD , as Identities and Role Based Access Controls

Of course if the System has parts that are supported by the Move Operation it is also a consideration , with higher risk since the items are Moved not Copied!!!

Below is the Screenshot of the Subscription Change Directory operation, which has solved similar issues for me!

User's image

Just select the Link and the Directory and wait for a few minutes!

I hope this helps!

Kindly mark the answer as Accepted and Upvote in case it helped!

Regards

Xristoforos Papas 40 Reputation points

2023-07-04T17:10:46.1166667+00:00

Thank you Konstantine!

Very detailed response, I greatly appreciate that!
Unfortunately though, it is safe to assume that I probably won't get access to the client's AAD so that complicates things.
I also have some application based roles that will need to be tied to a user under the client's AAD. I guess it is what it is.

So if I transfer (either using the MOVE operation or CHANGE DIRECTORY) my entire setup, everything will be exactly the same under the new AAD?

Thank you for your input once again!

Answer 2

Konstantinos Passadis 19,591 MVP

Hello @Xristoforos Papas !

The option to Change the Directory will transfer the Subscription as a whole , so yes exactly everything will be the same , except any Identity Controls bound to the Source AD ( You can always re create the relationships with External Users and so on )

The option to Move the Resources , for example start moving Resource Groups :

User's image

has its limitations

First of all the Subscription must be under the Same Tenant - Directory !

Also some resources Do Not Support a Move Operation

Another possibility is the Azure Site Recovery , which supports Replication for Azure VMs to another Subscription

If you could possibly list the resource types and a few words on the Integration i could also help with more details and assumptions

I hope this helps!

Kindly mark the answer as Accepted and Upvote in case it helped!

Regards

Xristoforos Papas 40 Reputation points

2023-07-04T17:53:21.3866667+00:00

Thank you once again Kostantine!

It is honestly a bunch of VMs. I think the directory change would be ideal. Although highly unlikely that I will personally gain access to my clients Azure account. I greatly appreciate you effort.
Konstantinos Passadis 19,591 Reputation points MVP

2023-07-04T17:55:10.11+00:00
Hello @Xristoforos Papas !

I am glad i could be of some help !

Kindly mark as Accepted any answer that helped !

Accept an answer

Accepting an answer helps other community members to know the answer helped you. It's also a way to thank and recognize the person who helped you.

Go to a question you asked AND that has answers.

Review the answers and select the "Accept answer" button underneath the answer.

The answer is accepted and moved up after the question. The accepted answer has a green frame to visually indicate that it's the accepted answer and the "Accepted answer" label.

Regards !
Xristoforos Papas 40 Reputation points

2023-07-04T18:57:28.69+00:00

@Konstantinos Passadis Sorry one last question. Wouldn't the option "Transfer billing ownership" achieve the same result? They would pay for the subscription as well get all the resources?
Xristoforos Papas 40 Reputation points

2023-07-04T18:59:09.8766667+00:00

Sorry last question. Wouldn't the option "Transfer billing ownership" achieve the same result? They would pay for the subscription as well get all the resources?
Konstantinos Passadis 19,591 Reputation points MVP

2023-07-04T21:37:50.4733333+00:00

Hello @Xristoforos Papas !

Yes you can transfer Billing Ownership and the receiving party will get full access to the Subscription and the Billing as well

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/billing-subscription-transfer

In fact the "complete" way to transfer a Subscription to the Client is to transfer billing and then follow a Directory Change

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/role-based-access-control/transfer-subscription

The Client can recreate Custom Roles and System-assigned managed identities etc.

There is a list from the link above that provides info on the impact

Understand the impact of transferring a subscription

Several Azure resources have a dependency on a subscription or a directory. Depending on your situation, the following table lists the known impact of transferring a subscription. By performing the steps in this article, you can re-create some of the resources that existed prior to the subscription transfer.

Important

This section lists the known Azure services or resources that depend on your subscription. Because resource types in Azure are constantly evolving, there might be additional dependencies not listed here that can cause a breaking change to your environment.

I hope this helps!

Kindly mark the answer as Accepted and Upvote in case it helped!

Regards
Xristoforos Papas 40 Reputation points

2023-07-11T19:35:20.13+00:00

Thank you so much for your help Kostantine! You helped me understand better what I was looking for!

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What is the best way to transfer a system setup on Azure to a client account?

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