The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) aimed to modernize its aging technical ecosystem, which was primarily composed of on-premises datacenters. The agency recognized the need to improve efficiency, enhance customer experiences, and bolster cybersecurity, especially after the Washington State legislature encouraged the use of cloud services. Additionally, L&I wanted to avoid disruptions to its daily operations while transitioning to a more modern infrastructure.

L&I completed its migration to Microsoft Azure in just nine months. The agency utilized a phased approach, migrating entire server environments in carefully planned waves to ensure minimal disruption to its daily operations. This strategy allowed L&I to transition more than 300 servers efficiently.

Since migrating to Azure, L&I has realized several benefits, including measurable cost savings on operational expenses, improved predictability for long-term computing needs, and enhanced infrastructure stability. The agency also anticipates a reduction in carbon emissions, contributing to Washington State's sustainability initiatives. Furthermore, the migration has fostered a more inclusive and collaborative workplace culture among its employees.