Database replication to the Azure testing environment is complete as of June 10. End-to-end testing begins in July — with a full production release targeted for September, or sooner if testing resolves cleanly.
The migration is complete in the testing environment. Attention now shifts to comprehensive end-to-end validation before promoting to production.
PAD Admin and all supporting APIs are running in Azure. The cloud application tier is fully operational and consuming Azure-hosted data.
PAD databases successfully replicated from on-prem SQL Server environments to Azure SQL Managed Instance across DEV, TEST, and STAGE.
Comprehensive validation across application and database layers — ensuring full system integrity before the production release. Any adjustments identified during testing are resolved before PROD promotion.
Two parallel test tracks — application layer and database layer — run concurrently to validate full system integrity before the production release.
Full functional verification of the Azure-hosted admin application — all screens, workflows, and user roles against live Azure-connected data.
Verify all supporting APIs return correct responses with Azure SQL MI as the data source. Validate request/response contracts, error handling, and timeout behavior.
Confirm document generation, retrieval, and operational workflows function correctly against Azure-hosted data across all environments.
Full automated regression covering all critical PAD user journeys. No regressions accepted before PROD promotion.
Row-count validation and schema comparison between on-prem source and Azure SQL MI across DEV, TEST, and STAGE. Zero data loss tolerance.
Verify continuity of the transaction log chain post-migration. Confirm no gaps or corruption exist before promoting to PROD.
Run representative query workloads against Azure SQL MI and compare execution plans and latency against on-prem baseline. Address any regressions before release.
Validate Azure SQL MI high-availability and failover behavior. Confirm RTO/RPO targets are met and backup/restore procedures are documented and tested.
The full migration path is complete through the testing environment. All four stages are operational; PROD promotion follows successful end-to-end testing.
Where we stand: Application and database replication are both complete in the testing environment. E2E testing in July clears the path to full production parity — on-prem dependency retired.
PAD migration is the near-term priority. In parallel, a discovery and assessment phase is underway to determine APEI's long-term cloud direction.
The current Azure footprint is overly complex and piecemeal, with significant automation gaps and no foundational strategy. Before further build-out, APEI is evaluating cloud partners against cost, automation, and long-term fit.
APEI's current cloud environment. The PAD migration is completing here, but the broader Azure footprint lacks architectural coherence. Under review before any further workload investment.
The market leader in cloud infrastructure. AWS offers the broadest service catalog, the most mature automation tooling, and consistently competitive unit economics — making it the strongest candidate for a long-term platform.
Google Cloud brings competitive pricing, strong data and analytics capabilities, and the most native AI integration of any platform — particularly compelling given APEI's growing AI strategy.