Hey everyone! We're planning to transition two of our large on-prem Windows Server file servers (over 10 TB each) from two different remote offices to Azure Files. These servers primarily support less than 100 Windows clients at each site, and we don't have any Macs in the mix. I'm reaching out to see if anyone has experience with this type of migration and could share their insights, particularly regarding performance and costs. We're considering a Reserved Instance, but I've heard that transactions and modifications to the data could lead to separate charges. Is that true? Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Before you migrate, consider re-permissioning your files, as doing that on Azure Files can be very slow. Also, keep in mind the restrictions on share names. You might want to use DFS-N if you'd like to maintain the same server names after the transition.
You really need to dig into whether this migration makes sense for you. Ask yourself some crucial questions: Have you looked into your current on-prem data transfer rates? From my experience, moving large file servers to the cloud often leads to higher costs. Also, what types of files are you using? Some workflows just don’t adapt well to working over a WAN, and your users might have a frustrating experience if you move to the cloud.
Money-wise, don't stress too much about costs at the start. You can find a balance between premium options and transaction fees without getting a nasty surprise. Going for Reserved Capacity could help lower your expenses a bit. However, keep in mind that performance can take a hit because of latency. Using SMB over significant latency can be a real drag, so if your clients aren't close to Azure, you'll likely notice a difference. If possible, think about sticking with your on-prem setup and using Azure File Sync alongside Azure Files for better results, unless you're considering a strong dedicated connection like ExpressRoute for faster speeds.
Thanks for the insight! I’m aware the cloud latency is around 40-50 ms, which definitely won't match the local iSCSI experience. I've also got other smaller VMs on our VMware nodes, not just the large file share. Another thought is to do a lift-and-shift to a big VMware server on-prem with ample local storage and have a backup node, while retiring the SAN.
Exactly! Make sure to analyze your needs before making the leap.
I get what you're saying. My boss sees cloud solutions as the future, but with my engineering team, we have to ensure we make smart decisions without driving ourselves crazy trying to fix things. Right now, these offices are really stable with minimal maintenance needed (just two VMware nodes and an iSCSI SAN), and we primarily deal with Office documents, images, and PDFs.