From VMware Uncertainty to Azure Agility
About This Project
Medical Teams International
Client
1979
Established in
Tigard, OR
Location
Partner Technologies Used
Microsoft, Microsoft Azure
Project Highlight
Medical Teams International migrated from VMware to Microsoft Azure with eGroup, simplifying infrastructure management, accelerating IT operations, and generating tens of thousands of dollars in annual savings.
Supporting Life-Saving Work Around the World
Medical Teams International exists to provide life-saving medical care to people affected by disaster, conflict, poverty, and displacement. From refugee camps to crisis zones, the organization delivers healthcare services where they are often needed most.
Supporting that mission is a small technology team responsible for keeping staff connected across continents, supporting remote operations, and ensuring critical systems remain available to teams working in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
As Infrastructure Manager Jeff Simmons explained, “We are a small team with a lot of responsibility.” To augment their team, MTI has been partnering with eGroup Enabling Technologies, the 24×7 Microsoft Managed Services provider.
For Jeremy Smith and rest of the technology team, infrastructure decisions directly impact the future ability to serve patients, coordinate operations, protect donor information, and support field teams around the world. “We were trying to figure out where we wanted to be three, five, ten years from now,” envisioned Smith.
When VMware Changed the Equation
Like many organizations, Medical Teams International invested heavily in VMware over the years. The environment was stable, familiar, and serving the organization’s needs.
Then, VMware’s licensing changes created uncertainty.
What had been a predictable infrastructure strategy suddenly became a significant financial and operational concern.
“The VMware licensing changes forced everybody to evaluate what they were doing,” recalled Mr. Smith. “It accelerated a conversation we would have had eventually.”
The team found itself asking difficult questions:
- Should they absorb potentially higher costs?
- Should they refresh aging infrastructure?
- Should they move to an entirely different platform?
- How could they reduce risk without disrupting mission-critical operations?
At the same time, the organization wanted to modernize its environment, simplify management, and avoid future dependency on aging hardware.
Jeremy described it simply. "We had to decide whether we wanted to continue down that path or look at alternatives."
So they worked with their partner, eGroup Enabling Technologies, to do just that.
“The VMware licensing changes forced everybody to evaluate what they were doing … it accelerated a conversation we would have had eventually.”
Jeremy Smith (Global Support Analyst, Medical Teams International)
Evaluating the Alternatives
MTI and eGroup looked beyond simple infrastructure replacement, looking to create a more resilient, flexible, and sustainable platform for the future.
Azure emerged as a strong candidate because it offered:
- Reduced dependence on physical hardware
- Improved scalability
- Faster provisioning
- Simplified infrastructure management
“Azure just made sense,” stated Mr. Smith. “It aligned with where we were already heading and gave us flexibility."
But moving a mature production environment into Azure required careful planning. The organization needed an experienced partner that understood the technology and the realities of a nonprofit with limited resources. They found that experience within eGroup.
Building the Migration Plan
According to both Jeff and Jeremy, one of eGroup’s strengths was preparation.
Rather than presenting Azure as simply another technology platform, eGroup helped Medical Teams International evaluate the environment, understand the migration path, identify risks, and build an implementation strategy.
Jeremy noted that “eGroup really had a handle on the information."
The migration effort included:
- Assessing existing VMware-hosted workloads
- Designing the target Azure architecture
- Establishing migration priorities and workload cutovers
- Preparing rollback and contingency plans
- Coordinating timelines around operational requirements
Because the organization supports global operations, minimizing downtime was critical.
Executing the Migration
Once planning was complete, Medical Teams International and eGroup moved into execution. Despite the demanding timeline and complexity involved in migrating production workloads, Jeff repeatedly emphasized how smoothly the project progressed.
“We were able to get it all done under the deadline,” Mr. Simmons stated. He attributed much of that success to communication, preparation, and having access to Azure expertise when challenges arose. “Any problems that we came across, eGroup had the expertise to bring us through. It was a really good process and a really good result.”
“Any problems that we came across, eGroup had the expertise to bring us through. It was a really good process and a really good result.”
Jeff Simmons (Infrastructure Manager, Medical Teams International)
Results
Once the Azure migration was complete, the benefits became apparent almost immediately. The organization gained a cleaner, more centralized infrastructure environment.
Jeff appreciates that "All of our resources are in one spot," and that "Doing things like server patches is much faster." At the same time, "The network architecture is easier to maintain."
That really helps a small team spend more time supporting users, enabling field operations, or advancing strategic initiatives.
Azure helped change that equation.
The move to Azure also improved organizational agility. “Something that can be done in hours versus weeks if you go in a cloud architecture,“ stated Jeremy. That flexibility is particularly important for nonprofits, where changing operational requirements and funding realities often require the ability to adapt quickly.
“Something that can be done in hours versus weeks if you go in a cloud architecture,“
Jeremy Smith (Global Support Analyst, Medical Teams International)
Financial Impact
The migration also delivered measurable financial benefits.
According to Jeff, "We're saving tens of thousands of dollars per year."
For a mission-driven nonprofit, every dollar that can be redirected from infrastructure maintenance can potentially support programs, services, and operational capabilities that further the organization’s humanitarian mission.
Lessons Learned
Looking back, several lessons emerge from the organization’s experience.
First, planning can’t be overestimated. The success of the migration was rooted in assessment, design, and preparation long before workloads moved.
In addition, “There was lots of good communication,” recalled Mr. Simmons.
Second, the value of using cloud can compound. Prior to the migration, hardware lifecycle concerns represented an ongoing operational challenge.
As Jeremy described it, "Eliminating the risk of old hardware has been... a keep you awake at night item that's off the list."
Last, and most importantly, MTI demonstrated that organizations do not need large internal engineering teams to successfully modernize critical infrastructure. With the right strategy and the right partner, even lean IT organizations can execute large-scale initiatives.
Outcome
Medical Teams International set out to solve a VMware challenge. It gained far more.
The organization modernized its infrastructure, reduced operational complexity, eliminated hardware-related risks, accelerated routine IT operations, lowered costs, and positioned itself for future growth.
Most importantly, Azure allows the technology team to spend less time maintaining infrastructure and more time supporting the people delivering life-saving care around the world.
As Jeff summarized, "It just couldn't have gone smoother."
Tens of thousands saved per year
Less time spent on routine maintenance
Less reliance on aging infrastructure
Modernize Your Infrastructure. Focus on Your Mission.
Like Medical Teams International, your organization can overcome infrastructure challenges without overextending your IT team. eGroup helps organizations plan and execute Azure migrations that reduce complexity, control costs, and support long-term growth.
