Our company runs its development infrastructure on premises, and management is considering moving all DevOps teams from self-managed GitLab Enterprise to Azure DevOps Server. We currently host the GitLab platform and runners on Kubernetes, so we're trying to understand what the migration would involve. Has anyone made a similar move, and what technical, operational, or maintenance challenges should we plan for?
2 Answers
Before planning the migration, make sure there’s a clear reason for it. If the main goal is reducing friction for teams that already work heavily with the Microsoft and .NET ecosystem, that may be valid, but the benefits should be weighed against the migration effort and changes to existing workflows.
Be careful with Azure DevOps Server for an on-premises deployment. Some teams feel the product has fallen behind the cloud service, and updates to tasks, agents, and newer development tools may arrive late or require workarounds. One example raised was compatibility trouble with MSBuild tasks after a newer .NET release. Keeping the platform current can be noticeably more difficult on premises, so check support for your required SDKs, build tasks, agents, and integrations before committing.
Even organizations that are deeply invested in the Microsoft and .NET ecosystem have chosen to move away from Azure DevOps Server, so being a .NET-focused shop alone may not justify the change.