Google Cloud Migration Center

Google Cloud Migration Center is a planning platform for organizations considering a move to Google Cloud. It suits teams that need to inventory infrastructure, estimate costs, and plan workload destinations before migration. Its value is in bringing discovery and assessment together at no extra cost; it is not a migration engine for databases or continuous replication.

Overview

Migration Center turns information about existing servers, databases, and infrastructure into a basis for migration decisions. It can estimate future Google Cloud costs from the size and configuration of current resources, assess total cost of ownership, map application and network dependencies, and recommend destinations based on technical fit. That is useful when a team needs to decide what to move and how before committing to a migration path.

Planning support spans rehosting, replatforming, and refactoring, with guidance on migration practices and sequencing. The boundary is important: Migration Center helps prepare a move, but does not provide database migration or continuous replication. Teams that need execution or ongoing synchronization should choose a separate tool for that work.

Key features

Discovery and assessment

Assets can be inventoried through automatic scanning or manual upload, including servers and Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL databases. Infrastructure data can be collected once, continuously, or imported manually. Documented discovery methods cover AWS assets, on-premises servers and virtual machines, and Azure virtual machines in preview. That makes the platform useful for mixed environments, though Azure coverage is still a preview rather than a settled option.

The discovery client has a narrower role than the overall platform: it runs on Windows machines, scans Windows and Linux devices, and does not discover database assets. Its CLI can also produce offline assessment reports on Linux and Windows hosts without uploading sensitive data to Google Cloud, a practical option for organizations that need local reporting.

Privacy and security

Discovery client traffic is authenticated with a service account and encrypted using SSL/TLS. Collected PII, SPII, and secrets are encrypted at rest with AES128_GCM and Windows DPAPI. Migration Center says it does not collect application or file-storage data and, aside from IP addresses, does not collect PII or data subject to PCI or HIPAA requirements. These boundaries help teams evaluate collection risk, but they do not remove the need to review their own security and compliance requirements.

Quick TCO Estimator

Quick TCO Estimator uses Gemini to produce automated total-cost-of-ownership estimates. It is a preview feature available in four listed Google Cloud regions, so it may be useful for an early estimate but should not be the sole basis for a firm migration budget.

Pricing

Migration Center: free. Cost estimates and assessments are included at no extra cost, making it a low-friction choice for teams evaluating a Google Cloud move. Other Google Cloud products may incur charges, so free planning does not mean the broader migration is free. There are no listed seat or usage caps to weigh against a cheaper tier; the main limitation is scope, not a paid-plan feature gap.

Platforms

Migration Center is available through web and API, with Linux and Windows support and a self-hosted deployment option. The discovery client itself has a more specific requirement: it runs on Windows, even though it can scan both Windows and Linux devices. The offline assessment CLI runs on Linux and Windows hosts.

Who it's for

Migration Center is a strong fit for infrastructure teams preparing a move to Google Cloud, especially those managing on-premises and multi-cloud assets who need cost estimates, dependency visibility, and destination recommendations in one planning workflow. It is also suitable for teams that want an offline assessment path for sensitive environments.

It is not the right standalone choice for teams whose immediate need is to move databases, replicate servers continuously, or execute migrations. Those jobs call for a tool built around migration or replication rather than assessment.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Cost estimates and assessments cost nothing. Teams can model a move before buying into migration services, though other Google Cloud products may charge.
• Pros: Broad planning coverage. Cost, dependency, technical-fit, and migration-strategy guidance supports decisions beyond a simple inventory.
• Pros: Flexible collection and offline reporting. One-time, continuous, manual, and offline options accommodate different infrastructure and data-handling needs.
• Cons: It stops short of migration execution. Database migration and continuous replication are not included, so teams need other tools to complete those tasks.
• Cons: Some discovery paths have constraints. Azure virtual-machine discovery is in preview, while the installed discovery client runs only on Windows and cannot discover databases.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, start with Cloud Migration Tools.

• AWS Transform MGN (formerly AWS Application Migration Service) is worth considering for source-server replication: its free period covers 2,160 hours (90 days when used continuously) per source server, with AWS infrastructure for replication charged separately.
• pgloader fits Linux and self-hosted database evaluation or non-critical use; its Community plan is free in EUR and offers best-effort support.
• Amazon Database Migration Service is an alternative for teams seeking a database migration service; its AWS Free Tier provides $100 in credits, with up to another $100 for activating foundational AWS services, 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, though the other Google Cloud services used can still incur charges.
• Ora2Pg is free software under GPL v3.
• Striim may suit teams evaluating a freemium data-pipeline product; Striim Developer includes 25 million events per month.
• Tencent Cloud Cloud Migration Service is a free option for moves to Tencent Cloud, with migration resources and ongoing post-migration services charged separately.

Verdict

Choose Google Cloud Migration Center if your priority is a no-extra-cost assessment and migration plan for workloads headed to Google Cloud. Its strongest reason to choose it is the combination of cost, dependency, and destination analysis; look elsewhere when you need database migration, continuous replication, or the migration itself carried out.