Migration information system. The world's largest migration systems: general trends and differences

Migration in Russian history. Migration problems today cause a very mixed reaction in Russian society. Meanwhile, territorial population movement is truly a worldwide phenomenon. Labor migration is a critical component of the global labor market. According to the UN, in 2015 there were 244 million migrants in the world, accounting for approximately 3% of the world's population.

Meanwhile, the real scale of global migration flows may turn out to be much larger, since the above estimate does not take into account many illegal, or more precisely, illegal or irregular migrants - both international and internal. It should be noted that the popular term “illegal” today is technically incorrect, since we are talking mainly about persons crossing the border or taking other steps in violation of existing legislation with the ultimate goal of getting a job, and not engaging in criminal activity as such. In addition, migrants often become “illegal immigrants” not of their own free will, but as a result of both deliberate or ill-considered actions of government bodies in receiving countries, and the use of corruption schemes by local employers and officials at lower levels of government.

In general, in order to remain “in status”, a migrant must fulfill three main conditions: legally cross the border of the host country, stay in it and obtain the necessary registration, and get a job in accordance with the requirements of local legislation. Meanwhile, migrants often lose their legal status against their will as a result of discriminatory legislation, contradictions in local laws, or the actions of corrupt representatives of migration and law enforcement agencies. Suffice it to say that in China alone there are more than 229 million internal migrants, including about 200 million who changed their place of residence without obtaining appropriate permission from government authorities and, in fact, found themselves without regular legal status in their own country.

And in this sense, Russian problems in the migration sphere are not too different from those faced by other major migrant-receiving countries. A distinctive feature of the Russian Federation has been the rapid change in its role in the global migration chain in recent decades, although in this regard there are interesting and very instructive parallels in world practice, primarily in a number of developing countries. Similar trends in the dynamics of migration flows and the multiplicity of functional roles are observed, for example, in other BRICS countries, which are playing an increasingly prominent role in the migration sphere. Suffice it to say that in the period 2000–2010. Russia ranked 3rd in the world in terms of annual immigration (389 thousand people), while South Africa was in 6th place (247 thousand). India and China ranked 3rd and 4th among states with a negative migration balance with annual absolute losses of 490 thousand and 418 thousand people, respectively. , simultaneously acting as host countries. It is no secret that for centuries Russia has been characterized by closed borders and strict government control over migration, primarily external. At the same time, there was also a very intensive movement of the population, especially ethnic Russians, from the central regions to the ethnic periphery of the country, and the most important part of this migration flow was made up of professional elites. These processes intensified even more during the Soviet period and took place under strict government control. As a result, by the time of the collapse of the USSR, a significant part of Soviet citizens lived outside their titular republics - out of the total population of the USSR, which in 1989 exceeded 289 million people, more than 54 million only among the titular population of the fifteen union republics.

In particular, more than 25 million Russians and 9 million representatives of the titular nations of the Russian regions lived outside of Russia [National composition..., 1991]. Bloody ethnic conflicts, discrimination in a number of newly formed states, the desire in the current new conditions to return to their historical homeland, as well as the fear of losing the citizenship of “their” countries led in the first post-Soviet years to the formation of significant flows of return migration, including to Russia. Thus, the situation in the post-Soviet space has changed radically, Russia has become the center of the second largest immigration system in the world after the United States: 12.3 million residents of the country were born outside its borders. The United States, which leads in this indicator, is home to 42.4 million people born in other countries. In the case of Russia, the absolute majority of immigrants (that is, people born outside of Russia) came to it from other post-Soviet countries (“new foreign countries”). However, there are also migration flows from other states. Labor migration from China is of particular importance in this regard, although its real scale is much smaller than the sensational figures quoted by politicians and the press. In general, at this stage we can talk about the complete dominance of Russia within the Eurasian migration system, although other visible flows are also emerging - for example, labor migration to Kazakhstan. The relatively small flows of highly skilled migrants in the post-Soviet space are also important. At the same time, for the first time since the Civil War, impressive legal emigration arose: since 1991, about 1.3 million Russian citizens received permission to leave for permanent residence outside the former USSR [Population of Russia, 2006]. This process was accompanied by a large-scale emigration of labor migrants, including highly qualified ones, to the West.

In addition, the removal of the Iron Curtain led to a flow of people seeking to get to the West heading to Russia. Thus, it began to play three fundamentally different roles in the global migration chain: a country receiving immigrants, a country of emigration (mainly to the countries of the “old abroad”), as well as a transit country for those trying to get through its territory to the West. This phenomenon required the rapid creation of a legislative framework for migration policy and the re-formation of migration service structures, since in Soviet times external migration had a limited scale and was strictly controlled by the state. Not only emigration, but also the phenomena of immigration and mass admission of refugees were rare phenomena. Article 38 of the 1977 USSR Constitution declared that “The USSR provides asylum to foreigners persecuted for defending the interests of workers and the cause of peace, for participation in the revolutionary and national liberation movement, for progressive socio-political, scientific and other creative activities” [Constitution of the USSR, 1977].

In other words, only political and ideological motives for immigration were recognized, which could serve as a basis for granting asylum. In the period after the collapse of the USSR, significant structural and legislative changes were carried out in the migration sphere, including the formation of the Federal Migration Service in 1992. However, serious problems remain, including endless systemic reorganizations and the regular adoption of legislation that contradicts each other. Due to the difficulty of establishing a foothold and getting a job legally, immigrants coming to the country rarely effectively use their potential. Meanwhile, more than 43% of migrants who arrived in 2009 from the CIS and Georgia had a professional education, including 18.3% - higher and incomplete higher education, and 24.8% - secondary vocational education [Population of Russia, 2011]. Among temporary migrants with higher education, 36.3% are ready to stay in Russia on a permanent basis, compared to the average of 27.1% among all migrants [Mukomel, 2013]. Thus, many migrants have both qualification potential and a desire to integrate into Russian society.

In addition, immigration is also important as a factor in mitigating Russia’s demographic problems: the country’s population has decreased from 148.3 million in 1991 to 146.5 million currently and will continue to decline in the long term [Population of Russia, 2011; Demographic forecast..., 2016]. The situation is complicated by the fact that although migration is increasingly acquiring the nature of temporary and labor, replacing permanent ethnically or politically determined ones in the early post-Soviet years, a significant proportion of labor migrants are illegal, or more precisely, irregular migrants. Estimates of their numbers vary significantly – from 2.1 million [Romodanovsky, 2012] to 3–5 million people. [Concept of state…, 2012; Mukomel, 2005]. The expert consensus estimate is 2.4 million people. [Consensus assessment..., 2010], and the total number of labor migrants, including those working legally, varies from 3.8 to 6.7 million people. . Moreover, contrary to existing stereotypes, the demographic and labor resources of post-Soviet countries - the main suppliers of labor migrants to Russia - are by no means infinite. Their total number does not exceed 9–10 million people. [Population of Russia, 2011, p. 282]. In addition, a number of post-Soviet states, primarily Kazakhstan 1 and Belarus, are beginning to compete with Russia for certain categories of labor, including skilled migrants. The irony here is that, in the relatively near future, Russia may be faced with the need to find alternative sources of labor, accepting migrants from countries with a much greater cultural distance from the host population than migrants from post-Soviet states.

Already today, for example, China is the largest supplier of labor migrants to Russia outside the post-Soviet space and the third overall after Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 2001–2009 The number of legally employed Chinese workers increased 7 times. In 2011, the share of Chinese in the migration flow to Russia from the countries of the “old foreign” was 18.3% [Population of Russia, 2013, p. 481]. The largest number of Chinese in Russia was recorded in 2008 – 281.7 thousand. Their total number is now estimated at 200–600 thousand [Population of Russia, 2006, p. 346; Population of Russia, 2011, p. 278–279; Are we needed..., 2006]. The problem is that a significant number of migrations, especially labor migrations, are irregular and therefore end up in a legal “gray zone”; Migrants themselves have no opportunity to obtain legitimate documents or effectively protect their rights. Irregular migration is a phenomenon that goes far beyond Russia. The main attention in immigration is usually paid to ethnic aspects, the danger of “erosion” of national culture, the influx of illegal migrants, the growing burden on the labor market and social protection mechanisms, the growth of crime and corruption. With regard to emigration, the strongest emotions are caused, first of all, by the loss of intellectual and professional elites 2 - and in this regard, Russia is by no means an exception.

The modern world is characterized by a shocking asymmetry in the flows of intellectual and educational migration between the countries of the global South and the global North 3. Suffice it to say that in 2011, 102 thousand Indian and 179 thousand Chinese students studied in the United States, while in India and China - 1243, respectively and less than 1 thousand Americans. This shocking imbalance is giving rise to proposals to stop, or at least slow down, brain drain using a number of methods. Among them are the introduction of restrictions on the departure of elite migrants from their countries, the requirement that they return state expenses for their education and professional training, and in cases of temporary educational migration - the payment of a deposit (apartment or other forms of real estate) when individuals receive state educational grants until their returning home. The adoption of similar measures has been repeatedly proposed by a number of politicians and public figures in Russia. Migration on a global scale. The fact that the current migration situation is relatively new for Russia makes it very useful to study the experience of foreign countries that have faced similar problems in recent decades. These countries can be grouped into six main groups. Firstly, these are countries of traditional immigration, including, in addition to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, as well as South Africa, which itself is now faced with a massive outflow of elite migrants and a large-scale influx of low-skilled irregular migrants from neighboring African countries.

Of particular interest to Russia is Israel's experience in attracting and adapting migrants, including those belonging to elite categories. Secondly, these are countries that were previously the cores of multinational imperial formations (for example, Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, etc.), which after their collapse received significant flows of migrants of two main types. Initially, this was a return migration of representatives of the metropolis returning to their ethnic homeland (British, French, Turks, etc.), and then - the migration of representatives of third world countries, and primarily those who speak the languages ​​of the metropolis, are familiar with their culture and have the opportunity to rely to support long-established ethnic diasporas of citizens of their former colonies. Thirdly, these are the countries of Central-Eastern and Southern Europe, as well as Russia, which are faced with a rapid change in their position in the global migration chain and the need for the urgent formation of new migration structures, the adoption of legislation regulating migration and the formulation of migration policy goals.

Most of them simultaneously border both much more and much less developed countries. This feature of the geographical location culminates in the massive flow of refugees from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), now passing through the territory of these countries and directed, first of all, to Germany and other most developed countries of Western Europe. Fourthly, these are states that have experienced large-scale elite emigration in recent decades and are actively working to attract representatives of their foreign diaspora back to the country or other forms of cooperation with it. Among them are China, the Republic of Korea, India, and Taiwan. India, for example, today ranks first in the world in the number of emigrants who went abroad, and their number for 1990–2013 was. doubled 1. By the beginning of the current XXI century. In the USA alone, 35 thousand doctors and more than 300 thousand computer scientists and specialists in the field of high technology of Indian origin worked. In the case of China, more than 2.6 million students received higher education abroad 2, but 1.1 million (41.9%) returned to their homeland. Both India and China are actively working with members of their elite diasporas in hopes of encouraging homecoming or fostering engagement. India, in particular, has introduced the so-called “overseas Indian citizenship” - an official document for those Indians and their descendants who permanently reside abroad. This document allows non-resident Indians to enter the country without visas, work as skilled professionals and have certain property rights. China, in turn, began offering job guarantees and significant financial benefits to returning highly skilled professionals and Chinese students studying abroad after 2010. Fifthly, these are states that have faced explosive economic growth in recent decades and have been forced to stimulate large-scale labor immigration - both elite and low-skilled.

Typical representatives are the countries of the Persian Gulf (however, Singapore and a number of other countries in Southeast Asia can also be mentioned), for many of which the consequence of such policies was the formation of deep splits in society between local citizens and powerless and often without legal status immigrants, often also different from the host population in language and religion. Such situations are characterized in classical political science as “mutually reinforcing cleavages” - parallel and mutually reinforcing fault lines in society. Belonging to one racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, gender or social group implies in such a situation belonging to a number of others, which sharply increases social tension and the likelihood of conflict in society, turning areas with a high concentration of migrants into social “time bombs” " Events in recent years in Bahrain and several European countries, including France, highlight the dangers of segregating migrants and ignoring the need for their integration into host societies. In most of these countries, the situation is complicated by the authoritarian nature of political systems and the extreme weakness of civil society.

Meanwhile, in many of them, migrants have long constituted the majority of the population (in particular, in the UAE their share of the population is 84%, in Qatar - 74%, in Kuwait - 60%, and in Bahrain - 55%). Let us also note that similar dynamics of the migration situation and multiple roles in the global migration network are also characteristic of the BRICS states. Finally, sixthly, it is important to study the experience of those countries that, experiencing serious demographic problems, continue, for political and other reasons, to restrain immigration flows even at the cost of serious demographic and socio-economic losses - for example, Japan, and until recently the Republic of Korea.

Note that other factors can cause similar consequences: in China, for example, similar problems arose as a result of the long-term implementation of the “one family, one child” policy. Studying the social consequences of such policies is especially important in light of the widespread anti-immigrant campaigns unfolding in all three regions under consideration. European migration realities. With the end of the Cold War, attitudes towards the problems of migrants in general and refugees in particular began to change rapidly in the European West. Freedom of immigration from communist countries was one of the main Western slogans in the context of the bloc confrontation: both entering the West and obtaining refugee status were relatively easy. When, with the collapse of the communist bloc and then the USSR, this issue lost its political significance and the doors to departure opened, the West quickly lost interest in this problem, and in the fate of the majority of migrants.

Now he often views them as a burden. The liberalization of the emigration regime is accompanied by a “tightening of the screws” in the West, which has made it difficult to enter the most attractive countries. In addition to the end of the bloc confrontation, internal difficulties in the EU countries also played a significant role - both economic (slowdown in economic growth and the increasing perception of migrants as competitors in the labor market in the field of social benefits) and political (increasing interethnic tensions and a series of conflicts in a number of countries). host countries, and then the unfolding terrorist campaign, which led, in particular, to the rapid growth of influence of right-wing nationalist parties). Meanwhile, the absolute number of migrants and their share in the population of EU member states continued to increase. As of January 1, 2015, there were 19.8 million non-EU citizens living here (3.9% of the total population), and the number of EU residents born outside the EU was 34.4 million (6.8 %). 15.3 million citizens of EU member states lived in other states of the Union. The largest number of non-citizens are found (million people) in Germany (7.5), Great Britain (5.4), Italy (5.0), Spain (4.5) and France (4.4). These five countries are home to 76% of non-EU citizens, while their share of the entire EU population is 63%. In terms of relative indicators, the EU leader is Luxembourg, where immigrants make up 46% of the population. In another six countries (Cyprus, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, Ireland and Belgium) the share of non-citizens exceeds 10% 1. Their share in the population of Switzerland (27.4%) and Liechtenstein (63.7%) is high, not members of the EU. With increasing economic difficulties and growing ethnic tensions in many European countries, demands for strict restrictions on immigration and a reorientation of migration policy to prioritize the admission of highly qualified specialists to the detriment of all other categories of migrants, including refugees, are intensifying. In particular, former French President N. Sarkozy spoke about the need to move from “suffering” to “chosen” immigration. European experts distinguish between desirable (highly skilled labor) and unwanted migration. The first distinguishes between “inevitable” 2 and “forced” migrants – both those who enjoy the right to family reunification 3 and those who seek asylum.

The implementation of plans to sharply increase the proportion of “desirable” migrants could lead to serious structural changes in migration flows, negatively affecting the situation of low-skilled migrants and refugees. With the beginning of the formation of the Schengen zone in 1990, the adoption of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 and the proclamation in Tampere in 1999 of the goal of creating a zone of “freedom, security and justice,” the EU is increasingly focused on the parallel formation of two strictly defined European migration regimes. Firstly, guaranteeing freedom of movement and creating a single labor market within the EU 4. Secondly, building high barriers around the European Union, cutting off migrants of undesirable categories or, at least, complicating their entry into the EU. These regimes are often described as focused on guaranteeing rights (intra-European) and ensuring security (external, prohibitive). They are also characterized as, respectively, "Europe without borders" and "Fortress Europe".

Radical changes of the last two years, including the formation of a powerful flow of refugees from MENA countries 1, along with a series of terrorist attacks, have significantly complicated the European migration situation, sharply increasing popular support for far-right political parties that actively use anti-immigrant rhetoric. In addition to a radical shift of public opinion in many European countries to the right, the changing situation could lead to a serious deterioration in interethnic relations and an expansion of the powers of the executive branch even in the leading democratic countries of Europe 2. Specifics of the North American situation. The American experience of migration policy is especially relevant and interesting, since the United States is the center of the world’s largest migration system: according to the US Census Bureau, in 2014 the number of immigrants in this country reached 42.4 million, or 13.3% of the population at that time 318.9 million 3 Only for 2013–2014 the number of immigrants increased by 1 million people. or by 2.5%. The number of immigrants and their children born in the country today is 81 million people, which is 26% of the population. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics, there were 11.4 million irregular (illegal) migrants in the country in January 2012, 71% of whom came from Mexico and Central America. Also important are the centuries-old history of American immigration, and the fact that the incoming flow today is dominated by representatives of one ethnic and religious group - Spanish-speaking Latino Catholics, which increases fears about the erosion of the ethno-religious identity of the US population. This circumstance shows how the American migration situation is generally more favorable than in Russia and most other countries receiving immigrants, since the cultural distance between the local population and the majority of Christian immigrants who speak one of the main European languages ​​is the smallest in the United States.

Immigration is the most important factor not only in quantitative growth, but also in qualitative changes in the composition of the US population. Today, its population continues to increase at a very high rate and, according to forecasts, by 2050 it will reach 438 million people. . Immigration provides approximately 1/3 of total population growth and is considered as a stimulator of economic activity, providing replenishment of both low-paid labor and highly qualified specialists, which also means significant savings on their training. Over 24 million immigrants are involved in economically active activities. Interestingly, however, US immigration policy has long placed little emphasis on the qualifications of migrants, focusing primarily on their ethnic origin and countries of origin in order to maintain a high proportion of Western Europeans in the population, primarily based on discriminatory regional quotas. introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century.

It was only after 1965, with the passage of the groundbreaking Immigration Reform Act and a series of civil rights acts, that the United States radically overhauled its immigration policies, opening its borders to Third World immigrants and skilled workers. Today, American immigration policy is aimed at achieving the following main goals: 1) ensuring stable demographic support for the US population; 2) maintaining its ethnic diversity; 3) provision of labor of various categories 1; 4) admission of refugees for political, religious, ethnic and other humanitarian reasons; 5) stimulating the influx of highly qualified specialists, which reduces the burden on the US educational system, reduces the cost of training professional elites and brings significant income to American universities and the national budget (which, in particular, can be used to finance scientific research and subsidize the education of students - American citizens) 2 ; 6) large-scale training of foreign students in American universities makes it possible to select the best personnel to provide them with work and residence in the United States and stimulate the formation of pro-American groups - bearers of a new political culture and ideology from those who subsequently return home.

Today, foreign students and immigrant employees make up about ½ of the academic staff in the natural sciences in the United States 1. US migration policy, aimed at solving internal socio-economic and political problems, is at the same time the most important foreign policy mechanism of “soft power”. Recall that J. Nye characterizes it as “the ability to get what you want based on (your) attractiveness, rather than through pressure or (monetary) payments.” However, today immigration policy within the United States is subject to severe criticism. The issue of illegal immigration is at the center of the debate. The range of proposed solutions is extremely wide - from a complete amnesty of 11.4 million illegal migrants to their large-scale deportation. As a result of deep differences between supporters of opposing approaches in the field of migration, the United States has not carried out deep structural reforms since 1986,3 and all presidents since R. Reagan have “broken their teeth” trying to propose their own concepts of immigration reform to Congress. Today, even the term “immigration amnesty” has become a dirty word in the American political lexicon. Carrying out a deep structural reform of immigration policy was one of Barack Obama’s most important election promises in 2008, which provided him with impressive support from Hispanic voters (about 10% of the electorate). The total number of so-called “Hispanics” in the United States – people with Spanish-speaking roots – reached 55.3 million people in 2014. (17.3% of the country's population) 3. Nowadays they make up 46% of emigrants in the USA (19.4 million people). During the 2012 presidential election, B. Obama received 71% of the votes of Hispanic voters (the best figure for a Democratic candidate since 1996), while Republican M. Romney received only 27%. This situation is forcing the Republican leadership to feverishly seek compromise solutions, supporting some aspects of immigration reform in the hope of returning at least part of the “Hispanic” electorate. However, the fact that, contrary to his campaign promises, Barack Obama never proposed a comprehensive immigration reform project to Congress during his presidency led to a sharp decline in Hispanic voter turnout in the 2014 elections, becoming one of the most important reasons for the crushing defeats for the Democratic Party.

B. Obama's immigration concept includes both liberal provisions and rather strict restrictive elements 1. From the point of view of stimulating intellectual migration, the so-called “Dream Act” 2 is of particular importance, the adoption of which would ensure easier and faster acquisition of citizenship for children of illegal migrants studying in universities or military personnel. The immigration reform concept also includes visa liberalization for highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs willing to invest in the American economy. The Democrats' defeat in the 2014 elections further weakened the chances of Congress passing new immigration legislation, which could lead to the president preparing executive actions that would complicate his relationship with the legislature. H. Clinton generally supports the concept of Barack Obama's immigration reform, proposing an even greater expansion of opportunities for the legalization of certain groups of illegal migrants, primarily young people and people with a high level of education. The priorities of migration policy cause serious controversy even among supporters of the liberal approach. Thus, there are tensions between those who support a general lifting of restrictions on immigration and mass legalization of illegal migrants, and those who propose a radical increase in the quota of highly qualified specialists while simultaneously sharply reducing the number of people arriving through family reunification.

In particular, opponents of the presidential approach warn that large-scale legalization of illegal immigrants could create an unfavorable precedent, stimulating further irregular migration, including “reproductive tourism” of pregnant women 3. In their opinion, such a situation is unfair to those who came to the United States legally , but is sometimes forced to wait for decades to obtain permanent residence or citizenship. The progressive decline in Republican support among Hispanic voters is forcing the party leadership to seek compromise in order to support certain aspects of immigration reform in order to win the support of at least some Hispanic voters. Such attempts meet with fierce resistance from conservative party activists, leading to deep divisions within the party. Trump's candidacy as the official Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election, with his openly anti-immigrant populist rhetoric, including promises to build a wall along the entire border with Mexico, deport all illegal migrants, and temporarily block Muslim immigration, serves as evidence of this intra-party split. and the similarity of public opinion trends in the USA and Western Europe. They are very representative of the growing uncertainty of the white majority in maintaining their positions in American society and fears for their future, especially during the years of Barack Obama’s presidency. Indeed, in this presidential cycle, the American electorate appears fractured along ethnic, racial, gender, religious, and sexual orientation lines. At the same time, D. Trump is supported primarily by representatives of the traditional white middle class, especially men, while H. Clinton is supported by a broad coalition of minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, feminists and women in general, as well as sexual minorities). Before the 2016 elections, more than 90% of African Americans supported H. Clinton, and D. Trump - only 2–6%. In July 2016, H. Clinton was supported by 66% of Hispanic citizens, D. Trump – by 24%. In such a situation, any outcome of the elections could have very serious consequences for the internal stability of the United States: the losing side this time may perceive an unfavorable result as an open attack on its interests. And yet, unlike Europe, the American electorate did not perceive the issue of immigration as one of the most important for the country before the start of the current election campaign. The emergence of this issue at the center of the political agenda and presidential debates turned out to be directly related to the emergence of Donald Trump’s candidacy and his aggressive campaign, which seriously reshaped voters’ priorities. This fact highlights the destructive potential of both populist political leaders and sensational and ideologically charged media sources in terms of radicalizing public opinion and deteriorating interethnic and interfaith relations in the country.

In particular, the ten-point migration program, announced by D. Trump on August 31, 2016, proposes a significant tightening of US migration policy, which could have very serious consequences both for American and for interracial and other intergroup relations in this country. Its implementation could lead to a sharp increase in government control over the sphere of public relations and the personal lives of American citizens, while D. Trump’s policy towards the Hispanic and Muslim communities could lead to a deterioration in relations with a number of intergovernmental organizations and foreign countries, including Mexico and Latin America in general, as well as many Muslim countries. At least for the time being, Donald Trump is prepared to accept only highly skilled migrants, while blocking the immigration of representatives of almost all other groups. Unfortunately, in this sense, modern trends in the US migration sphere, including the orientation of public opinion, since D. Trump’s position reflects the views of a significant part of American voters, are increasingly beginning to resemble the situation developing in the EU. Many today are calling for the United States to switch to the Canadian points system as a basic principle for shaping migration flows and assessing the “quality” of potential immigrants. 1 Adopted in 1967, it gives significant advantages to applicants under 35 years of age and with advanced degrees or high-level professional qualifications: 62% Permanent residence permits are issued on the basis of qualifications (in the USA - only 13%). Meanwhile, in Canada, this system is also criticized - both because it often ignores the humanitarian aspects of immigration, and because it does not effectively take into account the needs of the labor market.

In particular, the governments of a number of Canadian provinces emphasize that the professions in the middle category of complexity are currently the most in short supply, including, for example, paramedical and junior medical personnel, while the point system gives preference to the most qualified and expensive personnel. Perhaps the optimal solution lies somewhere halfway between Canadian and American immigration policies. In general, the experience of both the United States and Canada speaks of the significant benefits of immigration and the ability of the state and society to integrate large numbers of migrants without jeopardizing the foundations of democracy. Instead of a conclusion - foreign migration experience and Russia.

The migration situation in Russia is characterized by the presence of noticeable parallels with other leading countries of immigration, and therefore the study of foreign practice in this area and the application of its positive aspects to Russian reality would be very useful. Despite numerous problems, all world experience testifies to the ability of the state and society to accept and integrate significant masses of migrants without jeopardizing the foundations of democratic power. However, the same experience simultaneously shows that the policy of segregation of migrants, creating ethnic enclaves and driving them into legal “gray zones”, can have negative consequences. The specificity of the Russian situation is associated primarily with the relative novelty of the problem of large-scale immigration, as well as the institutional and psychological unpreparedness of the state and society for the influx of a large number of foreign migrants. Moreover, the current situation in Russia is complicated by a number of issues. First, not only by the presence of millions of disenfranchised migrants who differ ethnically, religiously and culturally from the local population, but also by the weakness and ineffectiveness of the government structures that are supposed to deal with them. Second, Russia today stands out for its lack of large-scale anti-immigrant parties and movements and charismatic populist leaders. However, this feature of the modern Russian political situation is largely due to the fact that the Russian state itself consistently discriminates against certain groups of migrants, preventing the legalization of irregular migrants.

Thirdly, the introduction in recent years of certain restrictions on the activities of foreign and international non-governmental organizations, which all over the world play a vital role in providing assistance to migrants and refugees. This not only reduces the range of services provided to migrants, but also creates an additional burden on the budget and government agencies. Fourthly, the relatively modest role of church organizations is noticeable. Meanwhile, in the United States, for example, churches play a vital role in helping migrants and refugees, seeing them as potential parishioners. In Russia, both the state and the population are very skeptical about the problems of migrants in general and refugees in particular. This circumstance, along with the weakness of civil society, xenophobic sentiments widespread among the population, in the government apparatus and in the press, prevents a proper understanding of the seriousness and importance of migration issues, overshadows both the strategic and human components of migration problems, reducing the effectiveness of policies in this area . Meanwhile, an effective migration policy could help solve many pressing Russian problems in the socio-economic and demographic spheres. External aspects of migration policy are no less important: immigration from neighboring countries is the most important mechanism for stabilizing the socio-economic and political situation in border regions based on factors such as migrant transfers 1, reducing the demographic burden and easing pressure on social services and labor markets in countries of emigration, providing migrants with educational services and immersing them in Russian culture. The use of these mechanisms could significantly expand the potential of Russia's “soft power”.

This text is for those who are afraid to touch something that seems to work, so as not to break it. And also for those who do not believe spoken words (especially if they are spoken by the seller) if they are not recorded on paper. And even for those who came here by accident, but got hooked on reading interesting materials.

And it is also for all those who want to understand what is hidden behind the mysterious phrase “migration to the cloud” and how it all happens.

Where to begin?

When a fresh person begins to understand a new issue, he often encounters a problem that is formulated in two words: “Everything is unclear.” This could be mastering a new language (human or software), getting to know a non-standard device or technology, or anything where a vicious circle arises: in order to get an answer to a question, you must first ask a question, but it is not clear what exactly to ask.

Cloud technology is one of those new things that is very difficult to understand all the nuances of on your own, so people turn to specialists who solve their problems. We are not just specialists, but responsible specialists, so in addition to solving problems, we explain in detail (on the blog or in person) what and why we do. Today we will talk about migration to the cloud, what it is, how it happens, how it ends and what happens after. We will be glad if you have any questions, because this will mean that for someone else the world of cloud technologies will become a little clearer. Go!

What is migration?

From the point of view of a network administrator, migration is the transfer of data and settings from a physical server, which is located somewhere in the company and ensures the operation of the office network, to a virtual one, which is launched in the data center of the cloud provider.

From the user’s point of view, migration is: “The admin came in the morning and said that now the server is not in his closet, but in Europe. And so - everything is as usual. Except that he’s become kinder and quicker.”

From the customer’s point of view, migration is: “For everything to work, I pay money for it!”

We fully agree with all of these definitions. In addition, the customer does not pay specifically for migration. We (unlike the vast majority of providers) provide this service for free, since our goal is to ensure that everything works perfectly for the client in our cloud! Moreover, we always recommend that we carry out the migration ourselves, even if the customer has its own IT specialists (and this is not always the case), since clouds are a separate area of ​​​​knowledge and an otherwise outstanding specialist who is not constantly involved in clouds can make mistakes during migration that will affect the final impression.

Accordingly, based on our own experience, we have formed algorithms for how migration should be done - partial or complete.

Full migration provides the following. At the initial stages, when the client has decided which elements of its infrastructure will be transferred to the cloud, we closely communicate with future users to understand what they are working with and what is most critical. After talking with the customer, we determine the sequence in which the data, connections between them, and management tools need to be transferred. Then we agree on the work plan with the customer, and he can make his own adjustments to the algorithm. And then we act on the basis of this plan. Typically, both partial and complete migration occurs very quickly. You can start using our resources immediately, if necessary - on the day you contact us. An office of 20 people is completely transferred to the cloud in an average of 5 working days.

Partial (gradual) migration- this is the path that larger companies take. It involves a more complex migration of a fairly extensive IT infrastructure, which cannot be transferred in 1-2 days. And in this case, we are drawing up not just a plan, but a migration roadmap. We have ready-made standard migration templates and, if required, atypical solutions developed for a specific customer in close cooperation with him.

Migration to server

When concluding a contract, we always stipulate what the result should be (continuity of work processes, connection of peripheral devices or flash keys, certain performance, ensuring mobility, information security, quick access to resources, economic benefits, etc.). This is important because, having learned about these goals, we can offer those solutions that we already have (the best). In addition, in our partner network there are companies that specialize in a variety of tasks: for example, the implementation of 1C-based solutions, the development and implementation of electronic document management systems, etc. And in cases where we understand the task well, we can not only create some kind of configuration, but also recommend the best established practices for optimizing migration to the cloud and resource use. And the experience - ours and our partners' - is very useful in this case. Knowing the task at hand, we understand how the migration will proceed in order to get the maximum effect from it for the company.

So, the next stage is choosing a solution. We offer the customer several options to choose from, honestly telling the pros and cons of each solution, choosing the optimal one based on capabilities and resources. And when the client is identified, we consolidate the relationship with an agreement and allocate resources. After this, debugging and testing of the system occurs. This means that the customer company deploys the software that will work there on the resources we have allocated and debugs its operation. Debugging the system is an important process before starting migration. Migration should begin when the customer company is convinced that everything is completely ready and the system can be used in combat mode.

At the stage of testing and debugging the system, the client, who “feels” the cloud system with his own hands, engages us to clarify all the questions that arise. We do not let the process take its course, giving away resources and access details, since we understand perfectly well that working in a cloud infrastructure is something new for many, and during the debugging process the client will ask questions. And in this case, we are always ready to assist in setting up the system as needed.

And then the most interesting part begins - the migration of the IT environment. First, the data is transferred to the cloud environment, and the data itself is always available during this process, because neither the customer’s users nor his clients should experience any inconvenience in their work. If the migration is not carried out overnight, which happens quite often, then for some time the infrastructure will work partly in the cloud, and partly in its current implementation. Therefore, we must ensure that this data is simultaneously accessible from both the cloud and the client’s legacy infrastructure. Moreover, there are often hybrid configurations in which some of the data remains on the customer’s premises, and some goes to the cloud.

Therefore, it is necessary not only to transfer the data, but also to save all the bindings, since the data must be accessible without reconfiguring workstations. This process requires accuracy and special knowledge, so we also often perform it, using our experience and skills in redirecting traffic flows, proxying, etc. This is interesting and we like it, but we will not talk about it in detail here, firstly, because the story will immediately become technical, and secondly, because users do not see this, they already get the end result - the environment, running in the cloud.

The fate of a migrant

What happens next? And then “life after life” happens: you have successfully migrated, got into the cloud, and then you need to manage it all. And here you can either manage it yourself (we have many convenient tools that require basic IT knowledge), or entrust the necessary infrastructure work to our technical support, and then we will make the necessary changes ourselves.

If the customer does not have a system administrator and requires us to not only ensure the operation of his infrastructure “outside” (virtual servers, data backup, network operation, etc.), but also perform maintenance work “inside” the virtual machines ( application software, libraries, etc.), then we do an excellent job of this as part of the additional TuchaExpert service package, which provides that we are also responsible for maintaining the software level of the infrastructure. If the company already has a system administrator, this is also great, since the “local” administrator knows the internal workings of the company well and can be involved in the further IT development of the company. And we are always ready to help and support with this.

Do you have any questions or interesting tasks for us? Don't put them off for a long time. and get competent support now!

Quite often, many users have a question related to how to transfer Windows 10 from HDD to SSD, since solid-state drives are much faster. Now we will look at why this is necessary, as well as some basic methods that allow this operation to be carried out without much effort and time.

Why is transfer to SSD necessary, and what benefits does the user receive?

First, let's decide why we should try to do such operations at all. The whole point is that, as mentioned above, SSD-type hard drives have faster data reading speeds compared to regular HDD drives.

This suggests the simplest conclusion: after Windows 10 is transferred to an SSD drive, the system will work much faster, as they say, “fly”. It is supposed to copy only the operating system to the new hard drive, without any third-party garbage. With all this, if you give preference to some specific software products for or intended for transferring a system from HDD to SSD, in some cases you can copy only the system itself, clone Windows with all programs and user files installed in it, even create images with all user settings . Here, as is already clear, the main condition is the choice of the appropriate program depending on what you need to get in the end. But first things first.

General principles of transferring a system to an SSD drive

Let’s make a reservation right away: all those users who believe that a quick transfer of Windows 10 to an SSD can be done by simply copying all files and folders, even hidden ones, are deeply mistaken. Nothing good will come of this, and the system itself simply will not boot. Here you need to use a different technique. In this case, it is possible to use both Windows 10 and third-party software products specifically designed for this. Transferring Windows 10 to an SSD in both the first and second cases is quite simple and does not require much effort or special knowledge.

Using the Winaero WEI tool utility, you can calculate the performance of the operating system. After the Windows 10 port, the “Primary Hard Drive” indicator was increased from 5.6 to 7.95.

It turns out that Windows performance has increased. The software started to launch faster, and the time for rebooting and copying files was reduced. Overall, the system's responsiveness has increased significantly.

And then restore them in a clean installation of Windows. However, I'm sure there will be people who will want to move a carefully configured system from one drive to another. Initially, I did not plan this post, but having received another question by mail, I decided to highlight this simple process on the blog.

There are special programs for disk cloning (for example, Acronis or Paragon). In them, the marketing focus is often on transferring the system from HDD to SSD, as in the title of this guide :) However, you can solve this problem using free Microsoft tools, without unpleasant surprises, and my instructions apply to any disk types.

I want to emphasize that this guide describes the process of cloning a system and moving it to another drive within the same PC. Transferring the system to another PC (even with the same hardware configuration) is only supported for images generalized using the sysprep utility. Formally, Microsoft does not support cloning without sysprep at all (even with third-party software). There are several technical limitations that hinder support in my proposed method, but I do not consider them significant for home PCs.

Today on the program

You will need...

First, let's define the terminology. Where you see the phrases “installation disk”, “Windows PE disk”, “recovery disk”, you can equally well use either an optical disk (CD/DVD) or a removable USB disk (flash drive).

So, you need:

1. Environment in any form. It could be:

• Windows installation disk
• recovery environment on the recovery disk that matches your operating system (see instructions for Windows 7 or Windows 8 and later)
• Windows PE 3.1 or 4.0 disk you created

An external or internal disk with enough free space to save a compressed image of the system partition.

Ability to boot into Windows PE and determine drive letters.

Utility imagex the same bit depth as Windows PE. The utility can be located anywhere except the partition you are cloning.

Why imagex and where to get the utility

Hello, friends! I often had the opportunity to transfer from a simple HDD hard drive to an SSD. I mainly used the following programs: Paragon Migrate OS to SSD, Paragon Home Expert 12 and AOMEI Partition Assistant Home Edition. The longest, but most interesting, way to transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using the tools built into Windows.

1. If you are interested in the process of transferring the Paragon Home Expert 12 program, follow the link and read the article.
2. You will also be interested in our new articles
3. If you are interested in the article, visit the special section where you can find from one storage device to another.

The easiest and surprisingly fast way transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSDusing the program Paragon Migrate OS to SSD , with the help of this program I suggest that you today transfer the system to an SSD.

The program is paid, it costs a fortune 390 rubles. If you have Windows 8, then only the latest version of the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD 3.0 program is suitable for migration.

Website http://www.paragon.ru/home/migrate-OS-to-SSD

Important note: If you have Paragon Home Expert 12 installed, then the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD utility is included in the package of this program.

If you want to transfer Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using Paragon Home Expert 12, go to the end of this article, there are short instructions there.

After transferring the operating system from the HDD to the SSD, you need to check the correct alignment of the disk partitions relative to the SSD architecture. Aligned partitions ensure maximum performance, speed and longevity of your SSD, believe me, this is very important. We will check the correctness of partition alignment using the free utility AS SSD Benchmark.

How to migrate Windows 7 from HDD to SSD using Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program

So, pay attention to the Disk Management window of my computer, there is a 250 GB hard drive, divided into two partitions, on one of them - drive (C:) there is a Windows 7 operating system, we will transfer it to a 120 GB SSD solid state drive, representing unallocated space.

Launch the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program. Next.

The program automatically found my SSD drive and is ready to transfer the operating system. Pay attention to the item “Use all available space for the partition with OS”, be sure to check the box here and all the space on the solid-state drive will be allocated to create one new disk (C:) with the transferred Windows. After all, solid-state drives are used mainly only for installing the operating system.
If you click on “Please select what folders should be copied”, then you can select the folders you need to copy. I need the whole Windows, so I'll leave everything as is.

Click on the Copy button.

A suspiciously short migration process occurs without any reboots.

I couldn’t help but remember the good old Acronis True Image, where you had to create an image of the operating system, then deploy it to an SSD, although Acronis works flawlessly, it takes several times longer.

While we were talking about Acronis, the Paragon Migrate OS to SSD program had already transferred our Windows 7 to an SSD. The final window in which we are offered to boot from the SSD. Let's reboot.

Now you need to enter the BIOS and set it to boot from the SSD. Select Boot Menu (F8).

Using the arrows on the keyboard, select our solid-state drive and press Enter. The computer is booting from the SSD.

Note: What I like about UEFI BIOS is that it has its own bootloader, which accommodates all existing bootloaders and will never get confused in them. The UEFI BIOS remembers the last operating system you loaded and will load it exactly next time. Switching between operating systems (no matter how many of them you have installed) is simple, fast and error-free.

If you have a regular BIOS, then the transfer should also occur without problems. The only thing you need to do is to find in it the parameter responsible for the primacy of Hard Disk Drives (AMI BIOS) or Hard Disk Boot Priority (AWARD BIOS) and set your SSD as the first device. You can find out how to find these parameters in.

Computer requirements

Before you perform any OS migration steps, make sure that your device meets all the minimum requirements that allow the utility to interact with the SSD and transfer large amounts of data. The minimum requirements are shown in the following table:

You can compare your computer's settings with the specifications listed above using the About window. It displays correct data about the main hardware and software components of the device:

Fig. 2 – window for viewing Windows and computer parameters

We use the built-in capabilities of Windows

Follow the instructions to transfer the operating system to a flash device:

• Open the Disk Management window. To do this, enter the command diskmgmt.msc in the Run window and confirm the action;

Fig.3 - launching disk management tool

• Now you need to reduce the size of the OS on the disk. You can perform this action using the “Shrink Volume” function. All data will remain in the same state, only the space occupied on the HDD will decrease. Right-click on the “System” section and then on “Shrink Volume”;

Fig.4 - Volume compression

• After successfully reducing the size of the OS, a free partition will appear in the disk layout. This means that everything was done correctly;
• Connect the drive to your computer and restart the Disk Management window;
• Now click on the “Wizard” tab and select “OS SSD Transfer” from the list;

Fig.5 - “Master” tab

• A standard utility for cloning the operating system will open. Click on the “Next” button to go to the settings;
• Click on the “Unallocated space” item and go to the next window;

Fig.6 – disk space selection

• Now you can independently change the size of the future disk or leave all parameters unchanged;

Fig.7 - changing the disk partition size

• After clicking the “Next” button, the wizard will begin moving the system. After completing the action, you can turn off the computer and the next time you boot, select the OS that is located on the SSD.

Windows will also remain on the hard drive. You can delete it or use it as a backup copy when you need to restore the system.

Fig. 8 - the result of a successful Windows move

Don't forget to click on the "Apply" button in the upper left part of the "Disk Management" window, otherwise all changes made will not be saved. If you encounter error windows or freezes during the transfer, you should reset the settings, restart your PC, and try the transfer again.

Fig.9 - applying changes

Instructions forSSD fromSamsung

We have released an official utility that allows you to quickly move the OS from your hard drive to a purchased flash drive. The utility is called Samsung Data Migration. You can download it for free from the company’s official website (section “Memory” - “SSD”) or using the disk that comes with the device.

The initial program window looks like this:

Fig. 10 – Samsung Data Migration utility window

Immediately after launching the utility, connect the SSD to your computer using the appropriate adapter. Click on the “Start” button. Next, the application will automatically scan the HDD in use and display information about the remaining free space and disk partitions.

Fig. 11 – analysis of a disk with an installed copy of Windows

After analysis, the program will automatically detect the SSD connected to the computer and display it on the screen:

Fig. 12 – reconciliation of the source and destination disk

If the space occupied by Windows on the HDD does not exceed the available space on the SSD, you can immediately begin the transfer by clicking on the “Start” button. The automatic movement of all components will begin. The procedure can take from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the version of Windows used.

Fig. 13 - successful system transfer

As a result, you will receive a notification that the operating system has been successfully cloned to the flash drive. Close the window and delete all Windows data from the HDD.

The advantage of using Samsung Data Migration is its simple interface. The program will do all the work for you and minimize the likelihood of errors or bugs appearing after transferring the OS.

What to do if during the analysis stage you find that there is not enough space for the OS on the SSD? In this case, you need to clean Windows of unused data and applications. You can do this directly in the Samsung Data Migration utility window.

Fig. 14 - Error. Not enough SSD space

After the error text appears (highlighted in red), click on the “Next” button and in a new window, delete all library files that are cluttering the system. Clean the OS until the text “Ready to clone to SSD” appears in the main utility window.

Fig. 15 - successful cleaning of unnecessary files

Acronis True Image utility

Fig. 16 – main window of the Acroins application

To move the system, connect the removable drive to the computer and in the program window, click on the “Disk cloning” - “Copy partitions” tile. In the window that opens, select automatic movement mode. It is suitable for all tasks and copies data quickly.

Fig.17 - selection of cloning mode

All partitions will be copied to the flash drive. All data that was on the SSD before cloning will be deleted. The disk itself will become bootable and can only be used to run operating systems installed on it.

Fig. 18 – copying process

Seagate DiscWizard utility

The utility completely replicates the Acronis interface. It must be used if your PC has at least one hard drive from the manufacturer Seagate. To clone, you should follow the same steps as described in the previous paragraph of the article.

Fig. 19 – Seagate Disc Wizard main window

Changing bootloader configuration

After cloning the system, a copy of the OS will remain on the computer, and every time you boot, a window will appear with a boot selection. After the transfer, we recommend that you perform a number of actions:

• Without deleting the original copy from the HDD, test the operation of Windows on the HDD. There are times when the system starts to slow down and performance deteriorates. This happens extremely rarely and depends solely on the selected SSD. As long as the first copy is not deleted, you will always have the opportunity to return to using it and remove the OS from the SSD;
• Change your system bootloader settings.

The boot manager is a built-in component that helps your computer determine which installed operating system to run. You can also configure the startup order of hardware components.

Immediately after cloning, the manager will show two systems with identical names - the original and the copied one. If Windows runs normally on an SSD, you need to remove the version that remains on the computer’s hard drive. Follow the instructions:

• Restart your PC and run the version that was moved to the flash drive;
• Open Windows Command Prompt;
• Enter the command shown in the figure below, giving the OS copies on the SSD a unique name;

Any business strives to spend as little as possible, including on IT. One way to save money is to move information systems to the cloud. When transferring data to a virtualized environment, it is necessary to take into account the legal requirements on the storage and processing of personal data. These requirements apply to any organization.

Vladimir Lebedev, director of business development at Stack Group, told us about the intricacies of the migration process.

Legal requirements

In 2006 it was adopted 152-FZ “On Personal Data”, which is designed to protect individuals during automated processing of personal data. Last year, a package of amendments on the localization of personal data on the territory of Russia came into force, which, according to the authors, should increase the level of information security within the state and stimulate the Russian market of technological solutions and the information security market.

By law, businesses are required to collect, store and process personal data on the territory of the Russian Federation. All requirements are exactly the same for both Russian and foreign companies if their activities are aimed at Russian territory. At the same time, it is possible to transfer personal data outside the country, but it must be immutable, and its volume should not exceed the volume in Russian databases.

For whom is the law?

Each organization acts as an operator of personal data, for example, its employees, clients, partners, therefore all companies in all industries are covered by the law. However, potential inspections primarily threaten companies whose commercial activities are based on the processing of personal data: banks, insurance companies, companies providing medical services, and the like.

Roskomnadzor’s inspection plan for 2016 included: the largest software companies, international banks, network trading companies and online stores.

Difficulties in transferring personal data for international companies

Often, global international players, in order to comply with legal requirements, are forced to transfer to Russia not only the data itself, but also all related systems: companies with centralized IT systems find it extremely difficult to change the architecture of the information system to comply with one local legislation, because initially it did not have separate information processing centers. Rebuilding information systems requires significant investment.

Virtualization

Moving to the cloud is less expensive than buying and installing hardware. At the end of 2014, prices for Russian clouds were on average 15–30% higher than for European ones, and at the end of 2015, on the contrary, our prices became 20–30% lower: the exchange rate and the relative cost of placement in Russian dates changed -centers.

Operators began to offer a more mature product, and foreign companies were able to choose among virtualization systems, price segments, and opportunities appeared for the connectivity of Russian and Western infrastructures.

For foreign companies, virtual infrastructure is a reliable and understandable solution. Many companies transfer information exclusively to a virtualized environment, which can also accommodate the necessary means of protecting personal data. When moving, foreign companies, of course, expect the operator to comply with regulatory requirements for information protection.

Risks arising when migrating data storage systems

The migration processes themselves from one system to another carry risks. First of all, the established level of customer service may be violated. Communication may also be interrupted and the work of departments whose activities are tied to automated systems may be suspended; conditions may arise when it is impossible to comply with information security requirements, and other technical problems. Therefore, it is important that providers are prepared to ensure business continuity by using reliable and time-tested solutions for migrating information systems.

Stages of cloud migration

We will consider the general principles of service migration, that is, transferring the operating systems responsible for the operation of this service to a virtualized environment using the example of the solution VMware vSphere.

It is advisable to divide the architecture of a company’s information systems into services that perform specific tasks. Usually everything is moved to the cloud, except for services that are incompatible with cloud technology for technical reasons (RISC architecture) and those that cannot be moved due to a license.

Next you need information systems audit. At this stage, the composition of services is determined (which operating systems belong to a particular service), as well as their connectivity. The main difficulty lies in the variety of source operating systems and the physical architecture of the servers on which they run. Based on this information, a migration plan is drawn up taking into account current business processes: requirements for the connectivity of physical and virtual infrastructures, the migration order are determined, and acceptable “migration windows” are set. It is important to remember that you cannot update versions of software products or operating systems during migration. Simultaneously with migration, only a revision of computing resources (CPU, RAM, HDD) is allowed.

As a rule, the utility is used for migration VMware converter, which works effectively when migrating Microsoft Windows operating systems (but migrating services running on these operating systems has its own nuances). But due to the peculiarities of Linux file systems, in approximately 40% of cases, after finishing VMware converter, the virtual machine may not start. If LVM is used on Linux, then you need to deploy a new OS instance from the provider template in a virtual environment and then transfer data, software products and internal services.

For any type of OS, there are general conditions that make migration difficult: firstly, the method of storing data, due to which direct migration is impossible, is dynamic disks in Windows or LVM in Linux, and secondly, difficulties due to the use of software and hardware RAID arrays. Thus, even accurate data transfer does not in itself guarantee that the virtual machine will start successfully. On a physical server, the operation of virtual machines is ensured by a hypervisor - an OS that divides the physical server into several virtual machines that can work simultaneously and use the same physical resources. Naturally, the set of virtual hardware in the hypervisor does not coincide with the hardware of the physical server on which the OS was running before migration. Accordingly, due to the difference in drivers, there are many differences in access to this equipment.

Migration of ADDS and MS SQL without stopping services

Almost always, a business needs to keep a number of services available during migration. At the same time, it is often migration without stopping the service recommended as the most reliable. Therefore, we will consider the features of migration without stopping the most popular Microsoft OS services: Active Directory Domain Services (ADDS or AD) and Microsoft SQL (MS SQL). To migrate Active Directory without stopping the service, the following algorithm is used:

• Network connectivity is formed between the physical equipment and the virtualized environment. Typically, this is a site-to-site VPN - it creates a logical network on top of another network. In this case, traffic can be protected by encryption using IPsec protocols.
• In the cloud, we deploy new virtual machines from a template, where we configure AD domain controllers and add them to the forest.
• We replicate the Active Directory database over the network via VPN from running controllers on the physical equipment side to the cloud ones.
• After data replication, we reassign the operation role masters to cloud controllers and remove the domain controller roles from the servers.
• Then we check the operation of the services and disable the accounts of the old controllers and physical equipment.

Algorithm MS SQL migrations more complex, since MS SQL is usually used in a multi-level service as a backend. DNS records in applications that use databases (MS SQL clients) must be manually specified to the new database location. Therefore, downtime cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be minimized. There are mechanisms for non-stop migration of MS SQL, these include Mirroring And Always On, but their use is not always justified. AlwaysOn is available only in expensive Enterprise editions, and Mirroring must be supported by MS SQL clients. In addition, to use the Mirroring mechanisms, additional configuration of all MS SQL clients is required.
Let's consider the most common option for migrating MS SQL to the cloud:

• Network connectivity between the cloud and physical equipment is configured.
• We make sure that the MS SQL database recovery model is complete, then you can make and transfer a full backup, and then synchronize both databases, transferring copies of transaction logs.
• In the cloud, we deploy a virtual machine from a template, in which we install and configure a new MS SQL server.
• We create a full backup of the MS SQL server database running on a physical server, then restore it in the cloud, while the method of transferring the backup copy depends on the file size and network bandwidth - we move it on a physical medium or copy it over the network.
• After restoring the database in the cloud, we make a copy of the transaction logs and also restore them in the cloud.
• During the “migration window,” we stop the MS SQL server running on physical hardware, create and restore the last minimum-sized copy of transaction logs in the cloud, launch the MS SQL server in the cloud and switch clients to the new database location.
• We check the operation of services, turn off physical equipment.

For each service and service, there are many migration methods depending on the conditions. A service provider will help you avoid difficulties that may arise during migration.

Information Security

Companies must not only transfer data to Russia, but also ensure an appropriate level of information security for their storage.

In the list of documents defining the requirements and describing the measures necessary to protect information systems, the first place is, of course, the law itself, which establishes general requirements. Specific actions are regulated by decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation and regulatory documents of FSTEC (Federal Service for Technical and Export Control) and FSB (Federal Security Service).

Requirements for storing personal data

The requirements for the technical protection of confidential information and the provision of information protection services are quite clearly formulated. The tools for their implementation are diverse. In particular, these could be firewalls, intrusion detection systems, security analysis tools, anti-virus protection, and virtualization environment protection tools. The market offers a wide range of information security tools from both Russian and foreign vendors. There is already law enforcement practice, since the law has been in force since 2007. In general, the approach to regulation in Russia differs from, for example, the European approach. Thus, in Russia, failure to comply with prescribed information security requirements leads to liability. But in the West, a company can independently determine how to comply with requirements, and liability occurs only if unlawful actions are committed with personal data.

Infrastructure requirements

Regulators also impose certain requirements on infrastructure. For example, there is certification of built automated systems that ensure information security. The certificate is issued by an independent laboratory, which confirms that the infrastructure is ready and meets all requirements for the security of information systems. This certificate is not mandatory for commercial organizations, but it makes it possible to understand that the data center has the necessary protection and is able to ensure the security of company data.

There are also international ISO standards that regulate the construction of an information security management system ( set of ISO 2700x standards). Many foreign companies meet these standards.

In addition, an outsourcing model for data protection is used. Companies providing such services must have the necessary licenses and competencies.

INFO

In China, a complete copy of personal data must be stored within the country, and any banking data is generally prohibited from being transferred outside of the country.

Forecast for transfer

It is quite difficult to calculate exactly how much data needs to be transferred to Russia, but based on the occupancy of the data center market, we can say that the capacity is quite sufficient to localize data in accordance with the law. For example, in the market of the Moscow region there is an oversupply of capacity: the total capacity is about 27 thousand racks, and almost 40% of them are free. Many data centers have high availability areas. It is also necessary to take into account that the data density in one rack may vary depending on the equipment. Today, one server rack unit processes significantly more information than it did a few years ago.

At the same time, demand is uneven: a year ago there was a fairly serious increase, now the number of requests from foreign companies has decreased. Some companies have already moved and meet the requirements, while others are waiting, for example, for the results of regulatory checks (they will affect the formation of the second wave).

A lot has changed in the world of information technology in the last 32 years since Microsoft released Windows 1.0. The only thing that remains the same is the complexity of the migration process, or the transition to a new version of the operating system, and the deployment of updates. If you ask users what they want from a migration, the answer you'll get is a smooth transition with minimal downtime and a familiar desktop experience. Some will say that they are against migration in general, but these are usually few in number.

Why migration is needed

There are many reasons to favor desktop migration. The two main ones are safety and cost of operation. Microsoft developers have steadily improved the security of desktop operating systems; The list of security technologies that were not present in older versions is impressive. The threats are becoming more sophisticated, and Microsoft has had to add features such as launching the ELAM anti-malware solution at the first stage of boot (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/early-launch-antimalware ) and controlled folder access (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/threat-protection/windows-defender-exploit-guard/controlled-folders-exploit-guard), an excellent way to protect against malware. blackmailers, in itself is a sufficient reason to think about migration. Security is a particularly serious issue for companies still running versions of the Windows 7 (and even Windows XP) operating system, as threats have changed significantly since then, and the improvements made in Windows 10 are in some ways the most basic and not always sufficient security level.

Operating costs are another important factor; Migration is often tied to hardware and Microsoft Office suite update cycles, so more companies are considering virtualization to break their dependence on hardware and desktop operating system updates. Even companies looking to retain physical hardware can benefit from the potential savings of running a current-generation version of Windows on modern hardware.

Migration process

The figure below shows a simple diagram of the main steps in the migration process.

Drawing. Main stages of the migration process

There are many different approaches to how to carry out each stage; Entire books have been written on how to carry out, for example, pilot IT projects. Let's briefly consider each stage from the perspective of migration.

Environment Inventory

Many companies have sophisticated inventory and management systems that can answer questions like “how many actively used desktops are running Windows 8.1 SP2?” or “how many Dell XPS 13 laptops are in stock?” Management systems such as System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Microsoft Intune can be used for inventory if you have sufficient tools and have deployed them. Otherwise, you may have to resort to less efficient methods, such as asking for user feedback, preparing an inventory tool and promoting it through Group Policy, or manually inventorying and configuring systems settings. The key condition at this stage is to obtain an accurate model of existing systems in order to correctly plan the desired state.

Desired State Design

The term “desired state design” refers to the search for the form we want our environment to take in the future. Moreover, at this stage, a long-term plan is being built to realize your intentions. The plan to achieve the desired migration state should include the following information.

• What do you carry over from the starting point (environmental inventory required).
• What do you carry to your destination? There are numerous questions to answer, including: What version of Windows are you upgrading to? Are you staying on physical desktops, moving to an on-premises virtual environment, or moving to the cloud? How will the target environment be configured? What should I do if migration fails or systems cannot be migrated?
• Your schedule. Most companies have to migrate over an extended period rather than in one giant leap. When should certain users be transferred? What does the schedule look like overall, and how does it reflect external events (such as the start of the school year, the end of the fiscal year, or sales season)?
• Your business. Are you migrating to achieve specific goals? There may be business applications that need to be migrated, or special regulatory or compliance requirements to the new environment.

The purpose of this stage is to help you understand what the capabilities of the completed environment should be and how to move from your current situation to where you want to be. It is impossible to spend too much time or pay too much attention to detail here. The old proverb - measure twice, cut once - is the best guide to action. At this stage, you usually do not need to make any changes to the environment.

Let's start creating a prototype

You now begin to build the environment described in the required state design phase. Imagine that you are building a house: you start on an empty plot of land, remove the soil, pour concrete for the foundation and begin to build the walls. There is a certain minimum amount of work that must be completed to move into a home, but you can live in an unfinished home. The same applies to migration: before performing a pilot project, at least part of the new environment must be designed, built and tested. For example, internal VDI deployments will require an appropriately sized hypervisor environment, obtaining the necessary licenses, etc., before a single desktop can be piloted. But it is not necessary to completely build the entire required state environment. This phase is often scheduled to coordinate the deployment of various components with the actual migration.

One of the benefits of the construction phase is the convenient opportunity to build additional safety precautions into the schedule. The point is that, depending on the nature of the migration, a small number of users in a pilot project can usually be migrated to the new platform at the outset. This allows you to proactively monitor your environment and troubleshoot any issues that arise, as well as experiment with tools and settings before everyone in the pilot gets them.

Additionally, the prototype construction phase is a good time to address shortcomings in the existing environment that should be addressed before deployment.

Pilot stage

When designing a new aircraft or rocket, engineers plan an extensive test flight program. Each test flight has a specific purpose, which can be simple (test landing gear extension and raise at different speeds) or complex (maneuvering 2v2 fighters). Test pilots do not improvise during flights; they strictly follow the instructions for each flight, achieving their goals. Your pilot should work the same way: specify what needs to be proven, tested, or verified, and then ensure that all activities in the pilot are focused on achieving the stated goal. Too often a pilot program really means "pick a few random users and see what goes bad." A good pilot program starts with structured testing of a set of basic functionality - migrating a single user, migrating a group of users, testing the resulting environment with everyday tasks, and then moving on to more complex scenarios. Structured testing is especially important if you are moving from a traditional desktop environment to the cloud or virtual elements. It will take time to learn how to manage the cloud environment or hypervisor, including obtaining vendor support in case of problems during the pilot phase.

Although this activity is not considered a separate step, it is the best time to introduce users to the new environment. It would be great if you could roll out a new desktop environment without training users, but in reality, you need to take the time to familiarize users with the features of the environment. With a stable pilot program, you can conduct demonstrations, record training videos, or provide users with a sandbox with limited access to a new environment while learning. Don't forget that support technicians will likely need training as well. It is possible that additional staff will be needed to cope with the increased volume of service requests: “I can’t find feature X” is a common complaint in the early stages of a migration.

Deployment

Major events occur during the full-scale deployment phase. This migration phase is not much different from any other complex technical project: you define a schedule for migrating different groups of users, and then follow the planned steps, solving problems as they arise. If the prototype and pilot phases are done correctly, you shouldn't have any major new problems. In general, it is best to exercise caution when designing this phase; if you plan to migrate 100 desktops a week and actually end up migrating 150, that's better than planning for 150 and doing 100. Don't forget about holidays, vacations, and other staffing restrictions. To successfully deploy, you must be aware that you are migrating an environment that your users depend on, so you need to do it in a way that minimizes inconvenience to them.

By the time the production release begins, the support team must be staffed, trained, and ready to handle the number of users being migrated each week; your new environment should be stable and performant, and pilot users should be able to work seamlessly in the new environment. If any of these conditions are not met, this should serve as a warning: stop and resolve the issues before committing to a full-scale migration.

Exploitation

The operations phase is a bit boring because it forces you to go back to where you started: normal support and management operations in a stable environment. This phase involves the day-to-day maintenance of the new environment, including fixing issues encountered by users, testing, and applying regular security updates from the vendor. The pilot stage is like an access road to the migration process, and this stage is a highway; you'll have no problem moving at a constant speed (at least until Microsoft's next major update).

Simplify the process

The right choice of tools will significantly simplify the pilot stage and release into production. Users need to be able to experience the experience with minimal disruption, and the best way to meet this need is through thoughtful design, profile migration, and managed cross-company solutions. For example, Liquidware offers a Workspace Environment Management package that can help you complete every step of a Windows migration, including assessment and design using Stratusphere, and migration using ProfileUnity User Management. Stratusphere discovers installed and used applications and helps you evaluate and prepare your hardware for Windows 10. With ProfileUnity, you can seamlessly migrate user profiles between any version of Windows and significantly reduce migration effort. The Profile Bridge technology used in ProfileUnity allows you to place user profiles in containers and work with them seamlessly across different versions of Windows, both backward and forward compatible. ProfileUnity's functionality reduces movement and synchronization time, and you can deploy to desktops, laptops, virtual systems, and cloud systems to provide users with a familiar experience across all devices simultaneously.