Agriculture & Regional Economic Development
Modernizing Critical Production Infrastructure
A staged migration to new OVHcloud bare-metal infrastructure, with zero downtime.
Client Profile
The Challenge
More Than Installing a New Operating System
The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance relied on a dedicated bare-metal server hosted within OVHcloud to support its ConnectON production environment. As the existing Windows Server platform aged, the organization needed to modernize the underlying infrastructure without disrupting the availability of its production application, database or public-facing services. Arcadion needed to account for:
Client Profile
Arcadion designed and executed a staged migration to a newly provisioned OVHcloud bare-metal server running Windows Server 2025.
Rather than performing a high-risk in-place operating system upgrade, Arcadion prepared the new server as a parallel production environment. This approach provided time to configure, secure and validate the new platform before directing production services to it.
The migration included discovery, infrastructure validation, Windows Server configuration, security hardening, storage preparation, application testing, data synchronization and a scheduled production cutover. The project plan also included post-migration monitoring to confirm that the new server remained stable after launch.
The Action
A Parallel Build, Then a Controlled Cutover
Arcadion began by reviewing the ConnectON application and database architecture, confirming OVHcloud access requirements and identifying the technical components that had to be moved.
The team documented the expected data volumes, backup approach, production cutover requirements and acceptance criteria. A rollback plan was also established so the previous environment could remain available if an unexpected issue occurred during the migration.
Once the new client-owned server was provisioned at OVHcloud, Arcadion validated that the infrastructure met the required specifications for:
Windows Server 2025 was then installed and configured as the new production operating system.
Security was incorporated into the deployment from the beginning rather than being treated as a separate post-migration activity.
Arcadion applied current Windows updates and security patches, restricted firewall access to required ports and tightened remote administrative access. Remote Desktop access was limited, and additional controls such as VPN or multifactor authentication were incorporated where supported by the environment. This created a more secure foundation for the application while reducing unnecessary exposure to the internet.
The new server was organized with a structured directory and storage layout for:
Separating these components improved manageability and created a clearer structure for future troubleshooting, backup operations and capacity planning.
Before production traffic was moved, Arcadion validated the operation of the new server and confirmed that required services were accessible.
Testing included firewall validation, external connectivity checks and confirmation that the production environment could operate correctly on the new infrastructure. Issues could therefore be addressed before the final cutover rather than during a live production outage.
Arcadion scheduled the migration during an agreed maintenance window to reduce the effect on users.
During the cutover, changes to the original environment were temporarily frozen while the final database and file changes were synchronized. Production endpoints were then redirected to the Windows Server 2025 environment through the appropriate DNS, public IP or OVHcloud routing changes.
Arcadion confirmed that the production platform was available and continued monitoring the server through the agreed stabilization period.
The Results
A Modernized, More Manageable Production Environment
Key business and technology outcomes for the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance.
The ConnectON environment was transitioned to Windows Server 2025, providing a stronger foundation for future application requirements, security updates and platform lifecycle planning.
The parallel-build approach avoided the risks associated with upgrading the production server directly. The original environment remained available during the preparation and validation stages.
Current patching, restricted firewall rules and stronger remote access controls reduced unnecessary exposure and improved the overall security of the hosted environment.
The migration was supported by a documented cutover process, final data synchronization, acceptance testing and rollback planning.
Application, database, backup and staging data were separated into a structured storage layout, simplifying ongoing management and support.
As the client's primary managed service provider, Arcadion remained responsible for coordinating the infrastructure, security, migration and ongoing support requirements. This eliminated the need for the client to coordinate multiple technology providers during a critical production change.
Ongoing Managed IT Services
The completion of the server migration did not mark the end of Arcadion's involvement. As the organization's primary managed service provider, Arcadion continues to support the ConnectON environment through ongoing infrastructure management, technical support and lifecycle planning. This relationship provides the client with a single technology partner for:
By combining project delivery with ongoing managed services, Arcadion can make infrastructure changes with a complete understanding of the client's environment, operational priorities and long-term technology requirements.
Why Arcadion
Infrastructure engineering, cybersecurity and managed IT under one accountable partner.
For the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance, this meant the Windows Server migration was not treated as an isolated technical project. It was planned as part of a broader strategy to improve platform security, supportability, recoverability and long-term operational stability.
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