Azure Migration Services and Tools
Key Takeaways
- Azure Migrate is the central hub for discovering, assessing, and migrating on-premises servers, databases, web apps, and virtual desktops to Azure.
- Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) enables seamless migration of databases to Azure with minimal downtime.
- Azure Data Box family provides offline data transfer for large datasets using physical devices shipped by Microsoft.
- The migration process follows four phases: Assess, Migrate, Optimize, and Secure.
- Azure Migrate supports VMware, Hyper-V, physical servers, and other cloud environments.
Azure Migration Services and Tools
Quick Answer: Azure Migrate is the central hub for discovering, assessing, and migrating workloads to Azure. Azure Database Migration Service handles database migrations. Azure Data Box handles large offline data transfers. The process follows four phases: Assess, Migrate, Optimize, Secure.
Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate provides a centralized hub for managing your migration journey to Azure. It includes both Microsoft and third-party tools for assessment and migration.
Azure Migrate Capabilities
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Discovery and Assessment | Discover and assess on-premises servers for migration readiness |
| Server Migration | Migrate VMware VMs, Hyper-V VMs, physical servers, and cloud VMs to Azure |
| Database Migration | Assess and migrate databases to Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance |
| Web App Migration | Assess and migrate on-premises web apps to Azure App Service |
| Desktop Virtualization | Assess and plan Azure Virtual Desktop deployments |
Supported Sources
Azure Migrate supports migration from:
- VMware — Virtual machines on VMware vSphere
- Hyper-V — Virtual machines on Microsoft Hyper-V
- Physical servers — Bare-metal Windows and Linux servers
- AWS — EC2 instances from Amazon Web Services
- GCP — Compute Engine instances from Google Cloud
- Other clouds — Any server accessible over the network
Azure Database Migration Service (DMS)
Azure DMS is a fully managed service for migrating databases to Azure with minimal downtime:
| Source Database | Target in Azure |
|---|---|
| SQL Server | Azure SQL Database, SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure VM |
| MySQL | Azure Database for MySQL |
| PostgreSQL | Azure Database for PostgreSQL |
| MongoDB | Azure Cosmos DB (MongoDB API) |
| Oracle | Azure Database for PostgreSQL |
Migration Modes
| Mode | Description | Downtime |
|---|---|---|
| Offline migration | Complete backup → Restore in Azure → Cutover | Hours to days |
| Online migration | Continuous sync → Cutover when ready | Minutes (minimal) |
The Four-Phase Migration Methodology
Phase 1: Assess
- Discover and inventory all on-premises workloads
- Assess migration readiness and compatibility
- Estimate Azure costs using the TCO Calculator
- Identify dependencies between workloads
- Determine right-sizing recommendations
Phase 2: Migrate
- Choose the migration approach:
- Rehost (Lift and Shift) — Move to Azure VMs as-is (IaaS)
- Refactor — Make minimal changes to run on Azure PaaS
- Rearchitect — Modify application architecture for cloud-native features
- Rebuild — Start fresh with cloud-native development
- Execute the migration using Azure Migrate or third-party tools
- Validate that migrated workloads function correctly
Phase 3: Optimize
- Right-size VMs based on actual usage
- Implement Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for steady workloads
- Configure auto-scaling for variable workloads
- Apply Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows and SQL Server licenses
- Move infrequently accessed data to Cool or Archive storage tiers
Phase 4: Secure
- Implement Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- Configure Azure Policy for governance
- Enable MFA and Conditional Access
- Set up Azure Monitor and alerts
- Implement backup and disaster recovery
Azure Data Box Family
| Product | Capacity | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Data Box Disk | Up to 40 TB (5 × 8 TB SSDs) | Small to medium offline transfers |
| Azure Data Box | Up to 80 TB per device | Large offline data transfers |
| Azure Data Box Heavy | Up to 1 PB per device | Very large offline data transfers |
How it works:
- Order Data Box through the Azure portal
- Microsoft ships the device to your location
- Connect it to your network and copy data
- Ship the device back to Microsoft
- Data is uploaded to your Azure storage account
- Data is securely wiped from the device
On the Exam: Azure Data Box is the answer when a scenario involves transferring a large amount of data (tens of TB or more) to Azure with limited internet bandwidth. It is a physical transfer solution.
Which Azure service is the central hub for discovering, assessing, and migrating on-premises workloads to Azure?
Which migration approach moves on-premises applications to Azure VMs without any code changes?
Which Azure Data Box product supports up to 1 PB of data?