How to lay the foundations for a successful Axeda migration

Some time ago, a colleague launched an appeal on the intranet: "Your tips: Moving company wanted". There were a number of comments on the post - not only were specific moving companies mentioned with which other colleagues had already had positive experiences, but also a number of others Tips for a successful and stress-free move given.

Anyone who has ever made a major move - for example, moving to another city or even another country with the whole family - knows that this is a project that can be done well and with a lot of effort. Sufficient lead time planned must be. There are many things to consider:

Who must know everything about the move be informed?
What everything must be moved become?
Who takes care of which tasks?
When should the move take place?
Which removal company is the most suitable?

But what does all this have to do with an Axeda migration?

Axeda migration: IoT platform to be replaced by ThingWorx

As a partner of the technology company PTC we are constantly implementing projects in which customers migrate the current Axeda solution to ThingWorx. Both IoT solutions were acquired by PTC: ThingWorx in 2013, Axeda in 2014. It has been known for some time that PTC bundles all business-relevant functionalities in the ThingWorx solution and Axeda as a brand disappears from the market in the long term. This date is now approaching: Axeda customers will receive support for the existing solution until December 31, 2020.

It therefore makes sense for Axeda customers to Migration already now plan. Due to the Technological proximity is a Migration from Axeda to ThingWorx certainly a very good option. Regardless of whether the application is to be migrated to ThingWorx or another solution, planning should begin as soon as possible.

Why should you plan your Axeda migration now?

Elicit requirements - plan now which solution suits you best

Similar to a relocation, you also want to ensure that you are using the "right solution" when migrating software. But what does "right" mean? You can either use Axeda newly developed customized components or the Further use of Axeda-specific modules e.g. by using the "ThingWorx eMessage Connector" adapter.

The new solution you rely on should best fit your requirements. These may go beyond the classic use cases that you have already mapped with Axeda.

Tip: Create a List of functional and non-functional requirements, which gives you a better overview of what you expect from the new solution. Think about your house move: you would certainly think very early on about which new apartment or city best suits your needs.
Reduce your business risks

You can assume that in future only the most important bugs be remedied in Axeda - both from Feature- as well as Security perspective. So the sooner you ensure that Axeda is migrated to a future-proof solution, the lower the Risk for employees and customersthat certain Functionalities in Axeda no longer work properly or are no longer available. Fixing bugs is not only time-consuming, but also difficult to justify in view of the remaining life cycle of the software.

The closer we get to December 31, 2020, the greater the chance that certain components will no longer function 100%. The Plan and implement migration earlier is therefore worthwhile. Think about your house move: eight weeks before you move out, you probably wouldn't invest a lot of money in a defective blind.
Take the opportunity to tidy up

As with a house move, it may now be time to clear out your old clutter. Take the opportunity of a "move" to Dispose of use cases that are no longer used and streamline components and processes. Don't see the move as an obstacle, but as a Opportunity to further improve your IoT solution. Think about what data you really need in the future to represent your business processes. One leaner solution is usually both better performing as well as less expensive to maintain. Here, too, it's worth comparing it to moving house: before you move unused or old things from A to B, you would certainly sort them out again.
Look for a suitable partner promptly

The situation with IT service providers is similar to that of removal companies: Not everyone will suit you. Apart from the professional and technological accuracy of fitwhich must be present without any doubt, there are also Further criteriathat you should consider when making your choice:

On which Locations is the IT service provider represented? You should make sure that he Fast and flexible on site when it is necessary.
Is the IT service provider technology-independent? You should make sure that the company doesn't just offer you two out of ten possible solutions, as it is not possible on the downstream market. revenue from the licenses.
How is the project team consistent? You should make sure that the staffing of the team remains constant throughout the entire duration of the project.

If you want to work with a professional IT service provider, you should look for a suitable partner at an early stage. You would certainly do the same for your house move.

Conclusion

Even if a Software migration - Although moving house may not sound like an attractive and entertaining task, it should be planned early and in detail. These three Recommendations for action can help you to keep a clear head:

Make a "Stakeholder inventory": Think now about who will be responsible for the later migration. directly or indirectly affects and involve these people in the project work in good time. Who uses the software internally? Who uses the software at your customers? Who is responsible for operating the software? Who is financing the migration from Axeda?
Make a "Inventory of the use cases": Document all Use cases that you currently map with Axeda. In addition, record all use cases that you in future additionally to the existing ones.
Make a first project plan: Make a note of the most important project phases and plan enough time for this. You can then use it internally (with the project sponsor) or externally (e.g. with the IT service provider). Obtain feedbackwhether relevant points are missing from the plan and whether the time horizon is realistic.

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Are you planning an Axeda migration and want to find out more? We are happy to share our "lessons learned" from our projects with you. Simply fill in the Contact form and write "Axeda Migration" in the message fieldthen we will send you our Learnings for a successful migration free of charge by e-mail to.

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