Data Migration: Moving to Azure
How do you get your existing data into Azure? From command-line tools like AzCopy to physical shipping with Data Box — here are your migration options.
Getting your data into Azure
Think of moving house.
AzCopy = you carry boxes yourself, one trip at a time. Fast, efficient, you control everything. Best for moving lots of files when you have good internet.
Storage Explorer = a moving app on your phone that shows you everything in your old house and new house, and lets you drag items between them visually.
Azure File Sync = keeping a copy in both houses. Files stay synchronised between your on-premises server and Azure. Change a file in one place, it updates in the other.
Azure Migrate = hiring a professional moving company. They assess what you have, plan the move, and help you relocate everything — servers, databases, applications.
Azure Data Box = when your internet isn’t fast enough, Microsoft ships you a physical storage device. You load your data onto it and ship it back. Like using a moving truck when there’s no highway.
File transfer tools
AzCopy — command-line power
AzCopy is a command-line tool for fast, scriptable data transfers:
- Copy data to, from, or between storage accounts
- Supports synchronisation (only copies changed files)
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- One-direction sync — can sync from source to destination but not bidirectionally
Azure Storage Explorer — visual management
Storage Explorer is a desktop application with a graphical interface:
- Browse and manage blobs, files, queues, and tables visually
- Upload and download files with drag-and-drop
- Works with Azure Storage, Cosmos DB, and Data Lake
- Uses AzCopy under the hood for transfers
Azure File Sync — hybrid file sharing
Azure File Sync keeps your on-premises Windows file servers in sync with Azure Files:
- Files are tiered — frequently accessed files stay local, others move to the cloud
- If someone accesses a cloud-tiered file, it’s seamlessly downloaded
- Supports multi-site sync — multiple offices can sync to the same Azure file share
- Provides a cloud backup of your file server
Summit Construction’s use case: Three construction offices share project documents through Azure File Sync. Files edited in the Auckland office appear in the Wellington and Hamilton offices within minutes.
Migration tools
Azure Migrate — the migration hub
Azure Migrate is a central hub for migrating to Azure:
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Discovery and assessment | Discovers on-premises VMs, databases, and apps. Assesses readiness for migration. |
| Server Migration | Migrates VMware, Hyper-V, and physical servers to Azure VMs |
| Database Migration | Migrates SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB to Azure |
| Web App Migration | Assesses and migrates .NET and Java web apps to App Service |
| Data Box integration | Orders Data Box for large offline data transfers |
Azure Data Box — physical data transfer
When you have too much data for your internet connection, Microsoft sends you a physical device:
| Data Box Product | Capacity | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Data Box Disk | Up to 35 TB (SSD disks) | Smaller migrations |
| Data Box | Up to 80 TB | Standard large migrations |
| Data Box Heavy | Up to 1 PB | Massive data sets |
How it works:
- You order a Data Box from the Azure portal
- Microsoft ships the device to you
- You copy your data onto the device
- You ship it back to Microsoft
- Microsoft uploads the data to your storage account
When to use Data Box vs network transfer
Rule of thumb: If transferring your data over the network would take more than a week, consider Data Box.
| Data Size | 100 Mbps Internet | 1 Gbps Internet | Data Box? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TB | ~1 day | ~2 hours | No |
| 10 TB | ~12 days | ~1 day | Maybe |
| 100 TB | ~4 months | ~12 days | Yes |
| 1 PB | ~3 years | ~4 months | Definitely |
| Feature | AzCopy | Storage Explorer | File Sync | Azure Migrate | Data Box |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI tool | GUI app | Sync service | Migration hub | Physical device |
| Direction | To/from/between storage | To/from storage | Bidirectional sync | On-prem to Azure | On-prem to Azure |
| Best for | Scripted bulk transfers | Visual management | Hybrid file sharing | Full workload migration | Massive offline transfers |
🎬 Video walkthrough
🎬 Video coming soon
Data Migration: Moving to Azure — AZ-900
Data Migration: Moving to Azure — AZ-900
~8 minFlashcards
Knowledge Check
Summit Construction has 80 TB of project files to migrate to Azure. Their internet connection is 100 Mbps. What is the MOST practical migration approach?
Which Azure tool provides a central hub for discovering, assessing, and migrating on-premises servers, databases, and web apps to Azure?
Next up: Microsoft Entra ID — Azure’s identity service and the foundation for all access control.