ANA: Fast UniFi Controller Deployment, Migration, and Light Operations

Client background

• In 2025Q1, ANA, acting in a foundation role, funded Azure VM hosting so WZZ could run a UniFi controller in public cloud.
• WalksCloud was brought in through trusted referrals to evaluate VM sizing and firewall posture, and to manage controller configuration and device onboarding (Azure account authority remained with ANA).
• There was no full maintenance contract; collaboration was based on controller usage fees plus on-demand support.

Azure deployment phase

1. Sizing and security planning

   • Assessed current device count and growth to define VM CPU, RAM, and storage capacity.
   • Recommended Azure Firewall and NSG controls to limit source IP and management access to approved WalksCloud/WZZ service ranges.

2. Controller deployment and handover

   • Installed UniFi Controller on ANA-provided Azure VM and imported existing WZZ devices.
   • Established account, site, and baseline monitoring settings; ongoing registration and update workflows were managed by WalksCloud.

Public-to-private migration workflow

• After subsidy ended, ANA needed to reduce Azure cost. WalksCloud migrated the controller to private cloud hosting.
• We used built-in UniFi export/import plus migration-target guidance: export old controller settings, import to private-cloud controller, and trigger reassociation.
• Because migration followed native UniFi workflows, no custom scripts or extended outage were required; transition completed in minutes.

Operations model

• Managed scope: WalksCloud continued managing controller platform, site, and device registration; Azure-layer governance remained with ANA.
• Update cadence: controller and firmware updates were provided as risk-assessed, situational support.
• Incident handling: with no fixed maintenance contract, the client chose when to escalate and WalksCloud responded on request.
• Fee model: controller usage fee plus issue-driven support.

Outcomes and practical note

• WalksCloud delivered rapid UniFi controller setup in a subsidy-backed model, then enabled flexible migration to private hosting when cost posture changed.
• For clients needing mostly platform access rather than full managed contracts, a lightweight advisory-plus-managed model can still keep operations stable.