Infrastructure modernization is often presented as a technology initiative. But for organizations with significant Microsoft estates, the financial implications can be just as important as the technical ones. Windows Server and SQL Server licensing represent a substantial portion of the cost of running enterprise workloads. Modernization creates an opportunity to rethink not only where workloads run, but what they run on.

In this session, Evolve Cloud Services will examine the economics of moving Microsoft workloads toward open-source & license-free infrastructure and databases, and container-based architectures on AWS. We’ll discuss how to establish a baseline for current infrastructure and licensing costs, identify modernization opportunities, evaluate the trade-offs of different target architectures, and build a defensible TCO and ROI case for modernization. The session will also explore how assessment and modernization automation like AWS Transform can help organizations prioritize the workloads where the financial and technical benefits are greatest.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand how infrastructure modernization can reduce both cloud infrastructure and Microsoft licensing costs by moving appropriate workloads from Windows and SQL Server to Linux, PostgreSQL, and cloud-native AWS services.

• Learn how to identify and prioritize the workloads with the strongest modernization business case based on cost savings, technical feasibility, licensing exposure, and expected ROI.

• See how modernization options such as containers, Aurora PostgreSQL, and Linux can change the long-term economics of running Microsoft workloads on AWS.

• Learn how assessment and automation can help organizations build a practical, data-driven roadmap that balances modernization benefits with effort, risk, and business priorities.