# Azure Lab Services Alternative: Migrate Your Lab VMs Before the Retirement

Azure Lab Services retires on June 28, 2027. We migrate your Azure VMs, disks, virtual networks and security rules to a new resource group, and never change the source.

For: Universities, colleges, bootcamps and training teams running lab VMs on Azure.

- Level: Intermediate
- Duration: Set per cohort
- Cost: Fixed price
- Technologies: Azure, Azure Lab Services, Azure VMs, Azure managed disks, Azure virtual networks

## What is included

- A copy of your VMs, disks, virtual networks and security rules in a new resource group
- Old or unused VMs kept as snapshots instead of running machines
- A source that is never changed, so you can check the copy before you switch
- A migration that is safe to re-run, with cleanup of only what we created

## Prerequisites

- An Azure resource group that holds your lab VMs
- A person who can approve access to that resource group

## How delivery works

1. Scope your labs: Tell us which resource group holds your lab VMs and how many classes depend on them.
2. We copy to a new resource group: VMs, disks, virtual networks and security rules are copied. Old or dead VMs are kept as snapshots.
3. You check the copy: The source stays as it was. Review the copy and switch when you are ready.
4. We clean up what we created: If you want to start over, we remove only the resources the migration created and run it again.

## FAQ

### When does Azure Lab Services retire?

Microsoft has announced June 28, 2027 as the retirement date. See Microsoft's Azure Lab Services retirement guide for the current details.

### Does the migration change our existing lab VMs?

No. The source is never changed. We copy to a new resource group so you can check the copy before you switch.

### What happens to old or unused VMs?

We keep them as snapshots, so you do not pay to run machines nobody uses.

### Is it safe to run the migration twice?

Yes. It is safe to re-run, and we clean up only the resources we created.

### Who is this for?

Universities, colleges, bootcamps and training teams that run lab VMs on Azure.

beCloudReady is not affiliated with Microsoft.

## Next steps

- Lab page: https://becloudready.com/labs/catalog/azure-lab-migration
- Custom labs for your product or course: https://becloudready.com/labs
- Corporate workshops: https://becloudready.com/workshops