Does a Stage-0 readiness baseline replace cloud provider assessment tools?

No. Stage-0 prepares cloud assessments by providing clean inventories, readiness flags, and shortlisted cohorts so sizing and TCO runs are faster and more focused.

What carries forward from Stage-0 into cloud assessments?

Deduped counts, OS/role mix, backup posture, uptime class, and cohort selection—plus thresholds and rules—carry forward as inputs to right-sizing and cost models.

Why start with Stage-0 instead of going straight to a cloud assessment?

Starting with Stage-0 gives vendor-neutral signal quickly and limits assessment scope to the systems that matter, improving accuracy and reducing onboarding effort.

VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) vs. Cloud Provider Assessment Tools

Stage-0 baseline (vCenter + backup CSVs, local) and Stage-1 cloud assessments: how they fit together.

TL;DR

Purpose: Stage-0 = fast, local readiness baseline; cloud provider assessments = sizing, TCO, and migration planning on a target platform.
Inputs: Stage-0 uses vCenter + backup CSVs; cloud assessments typically use discovery appliances/agents or connectors (and sometimes import of inventories).
Outputs: Stage-0 delivers per-VM readiness with reasons + exec rollups; cloud tools produce right-sizing, cost/TCO, and landing-zone recommendations.

Looking for the page where you can download the VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) — Stage-0 readiness baseline? Click here.

What each does

Stage-0 Readiness Baseline (this tool)

Inputs: vCenter inventory CSV + backup job inventory CSV.
Runs locally: Google Sheets (and an Excel version) — no agents, no SaaS ingest.
Normalization: deduped VM names, OS family, any-tag production/critical/compliance, uptime class.
Backup posture: missing/stale, short retention, irregular frequency, no offsite.
Output: Per-VM readiness with reasons (only causes that apply) and exec-ready rollups by Cluster / OS family / Uptime / Backup posture.
Why first: quickly surfaces move-sooner vs stabilize/leave-for-now cohorts before heavier discovery or cloud onboarding.

Cloud provider assessment tools (class)

Goal: estimate target sizing (vCPU/RAM/storage), provide right-sizing guidance, and model cost/TCO on a specific cloud.
How: collect performance/usage via appliance/agent/connector (options vary by provider) or import structured inventories; enrich with pricing and HA/DR patterns.
Output: TCO reports, sizing recommendations, modernization options, and inputs to migration planning on that provider.

When to use each

Use Stage-0 when you need a triage baseline in hours to brief stakeholders and narrow options without access changes or data egress.
Use cloud assessments when you’re ready to evaluate specific target footprints and costs, compare instance families/storage classes, and plan landing-zone details.

How they work together (handoff 1-2-3)

Stage-0 shortlist: Identify cohorts by cluster/OS/role with readiness + reasons and backup posture.
Focused assessment: Feed those cohorts into the cloud assessment to right-size and price only what matters; validate modernization paths where appropriate.
Planning: Use assessment output to inform TCO scenarios, timelines, and landing-zone choices, while keeping Stage-0 assumptions and flags as your audit trail.

What carries forward from Stage-0 (not throwaway)

Deduped VM inventory with normalized names and OS family.
Any-tag normalization for production / critical (DB/AD/DNS) / compliance.
Backup posture flags (missing/stale/retention/offsite) that influence RPO/RTO decisions.
Uptime class for change-averse candidates that may need extra testing or maintenance windows.
Cohort shortlist (move-sooner vs stabilize/leave-for-now) to limit assessment scope.
Assumptions register (thresholds) and readiness rules table for governance.
Optional CSV bundle ready for import or mapping into assessment scopes.

Can we continue guiding beyond Stage-0?

Yes. If deeper assessment is useful, we’ll help scope the right next step, ensure Stage-0 artifacts are reused (so you don’t re-key data), and keep assumptions consistent across sizing, TCO, and planning. Vendor-neutral.

What this page is not

A vendor comparison or endorsement. “Cloud provider assessment tools” refers to a class of solutions offered by major clouds to estimate sizing and cost and assist with migration planning.

FAQ

Stage-0 vs. Cloud provider mapping tools

No. Stage-0 prepares them by delivering clean inventories, risk flags, and shortlisted cohorts, so cloud sizing/TCO runs are faster and more focused.
Deduped counts, OS/role mix, backup posture, uptime class, and cohort selection (plus thresholds and rules), become inputs to right-sizing and cost models.
Lower friction and vendor-neutral signal first; you avoid onboarding the entire estate and focus assessments where they will change decisions.

Legal note

All product names are trademarks of their respective owners. This page describes how a Stage-0 baseline complements a class of tools; it is not an evaluation of any specific vendor.