Google Cloud Migration Center

Overview

Migration Center helps turn information about current infrastructure into decisions about what to move and where. It estimates future Google Cloud costs from resource size and configuration, assesses total cost of ownership, identifies application and network dependencies, and recommends destinations based on technical fit. Together, those capabilities can help teams prioritize a migration before committing to a design.

Planning guidance covers rehosting, replatforming, and refactoring. That makes the platform useful across different approaches to modernization, but the distinction between planning and execution matters: teams that need continuous replication or database migration will need a separate tool.

Key features

Discovery and assessment

Migration Center can inventory servers and Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases through automatic scanning or manual upload. Infrastructure data can be collected once, continuously, or imported manually, giving teams options for how to assemble an assessment. Documented discovery methods cover AWS assets, on-premises servers and virtual machines, and Azure virtual machines in preview. Azure coverage is therefore not on the same footing as the other documented sources.

Discovery client and privacy

The installed discovery client runs on Windows machines and scans Windows and Linux devices, but it does not support database asset discovery. That makes it a narrower fit for assessments centered on database estates. A separate discovery client CLI runs on Linux and Windows hosts and can produce offline assessment reports without uploading sensitive data to Google Cloud, which is useful when data-handling constraints rule out cloud upload.

For client communication with Google Cloud, Migration Center uses service-account authentication and SSL/TLS encryption. Collected PII, SPII, and secrets are encrypted at rest with AES128_GCM and Windows DPAPI. Migration Center also says it does not collect application or file-storage data and, apart from IP addresses, does not collect PII or data subject to PCI or HIPAA requirements. This limits the scope of collected information, though teams should still consider their own policies when choosing collection methods.

Quick TCO Estimator

The Gemini-powered Quick TCO Estimator is a preview feature for automated TCO estimates and is available in four listed Google Cloud regions. Its preview status and regional availability make it a limited option for teams that need this particular estimation workflow.

Pricing

Migration Center — 0.00 USD per free. Cost estimates and assessments are available at no extra cost. This suits teams that want to assess a potential Google Cloud move without paying for the planning platform itself. Other Google Cloud products may incur charges, so free assessments do not make the wider migration cost-free.

The plan includes discovery and assessment and dependency mapping, but not continuous replication or database migration. The tradeoff is clear: teams get cost and planning support without a charge for those capabilities, but must look elsewhere for execution functions that Migration Center does not provide.

Platforms

Migration Center lists API, Linux, self-hosted, web, and Windows platforms, and supports both deployment models. The discovery client itself runs only on Windows machines, while the separate CLI supports Linux and Windows hosts; those distinctions matter when choosing a collection setup.

Who it's for

Migration Center is a strong fit for organizations moving from on-premises infrastructure or another cloud to Google Cloud, especially when they need to estimate costs, map dependencies, and compare migration destinations before implementation. Its manual and automated collection options can accommodate different assessment workflows.

It is a poor fit as a standalone choice for teams whose immediate need is database migration or continuous replication. The client’s lack of database discovery also makes that installed scanning route less useful for database-focused inventories, even though the platform can inventory supported database types through other methods.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Cost estimates and assessments cost nothing. Teams can evaluate workloads and destinations without a platform charge.
• Pros: Broad planning coverage. Cost estimates, ownership assessments, dependency mapping, and destination recommendations support early migration decisions.
• Pros: Flexible collection choices. One-time and continuous automated collection, manual import, and offline CLI reports suit different assessment needs.
• Cons: No continuous replication or database migration. Migration Center cannot serve as the execution tool for those jobs.
• Cons: Discovery routes have limitations. Azure virtual machine discovery is in preview, and the installed client cannot discover database assets.
• Cons: Other Google Cloud products may cost extra. The free platform does not remove charges for services used in a migration.

Alternatives

AWS Transform MGN (formerly AWS Application Migration Service) is worth considering when a migration plan calls for source-server replication: its free period bills 2,160 hours (90 days when used continuously) per source server for the service charge, while AWS infrastructure used for replication is separate.

Tencent Cloud Cloud Migration Service is another free migration option; its migration resources and ongoing post-migration resources and services are paid separately.

Amazon Database Migration Service is the alternative to consider for database migration. Its AWS Free Tier offers $100 in credits, with up to an additional $100 for activating foundational AWS services; credits are valid for up to 12 months.

AWS Schema Conversion Tool is a free option for schema conversion on 64-bit Windows, Fedora Linux, or Ubuntu Linux.

Google Migrate to Containers is a free alternative for migrating workloads to Google Cloud; other Google Cloud services used may cost extra.

Ora2Pg is free software under GPL v3.

pgloader offers a Community plan at 0.00 EUR per free for evaluating or non-critical use, with best-effort support.

Striim is a freemium data-pipeline alternative with a free Developer plan of 25 million events per month and a Cloud plan for automated data pipelines.

For a broader shortlist, see Cloud Migration Tools.

Verdict

Choose Google Cloud Migration Center when the priority is to assess infrastructure, costs, dependencies, and destination fit before moving to Google Cloud. Its main advantage is putting substantial planning capability behind a free plan; its main limitation is that it stops short of replication and database migration. Teams needing either capability should pair it with a tool built for execution or choose another migration service.