Make Cloud-to-Cloud Migration Simple with Azure Storage Mover

What Is Azure Storage Mover?

Azure Storage Mover is Microsoft’s fully managed migration service, built for enterprises needing to transition data between cloud environments. While it was originally focused on moving files from on-premises storage, Storage Mover now supports agentless migration and high-speed cloud-to-cloud migrations from Amazon S3 straight into Azure Blob Storage.​​

This service stands out for its simplicity: it removes the need for client-side scripts, custom agents or bridge VMs. By leveraging Azure Arc multicloud connectors, Storage Mover seamlessly integrates AWS authentication and resource discovery, keeping migration secure and streamlined.​​

Key Capabilities & Benefits

• Agentless, Server-to-Server Transfers: No need for extra infrastructure or client VMs – data moves directly between clouds, minimizing setup time and complexity.​
• Centralized Orchestration: Define migration jobs, track progress and troubleshoot issues entirely in the Azure portal.
• Performance and Scale: Up to 500 million objects per job and 10 concurrent migrations per subscription, with support for parallel transfers to optimize throughput.​​
• Metadata Preservation: Ensures files retain essential properties, permissions and timestamps throughout the migration process.​
• Incremental Synchronization: After your bulk transfer, sync only the changes, keeping source and destination up to date until final cutover.​​
• Deep Observability: All operations are tracked through Azure Monitor and Log Analytics for real-time telemetry, auditing and compliance.​
• Security: All transfers are encrypted, with RBAC and Azure Active Directory integration, plus public IP range controls for safe AWS S3 access.​​

How the Migration Works

The process is straightforward:

1. Set Up Azure Resources: Deploy Storage Mover and ensure you have an Azure subscription, a destination storage account and permissions for Azure Arc.​
2. Connect to AWS: Use Azure Arc multicloud connectors to securely register your AWS S3 buckets with Azure, handling authentication and permissions.​​
3. Define Migration Endpoints: Set your S3 source bucket and Azure Blob container as endpoints within Storage Mover.​​
4. Create and Run Jobs: Organize migration projects and launch jobs, whether one-time or incremental. Storage Mover executes parallel, high-speed server-to-server copies, optimizing bandwidth use and minimizing disruption.​​
5. Monitor and Validate: Observe migration progress in the Azure portal, review logs for troubleshooting and validate results with post-migration integrity checks.​​
6. Cut Over and Clean Up: Once migration is verified, enable client access on Azure, keep incremental sync running if needed, then retire the source S3 environment when ready.​​

AWS to Azure migration steps in Storage Mover using multicloud connectors.

Azure migration best practices

• Inventory & Plan: Catalog source bucket sizes, count objects and identify archived data before starting.
• Validate Limits: Make sure your migration fits within the per-job and per-subscription constraints.
• Test Incremental Syncs: Run incremental jobs before final cutover for minimal downtime.
• Leverage Azure Monitor: Use built-in observability for compliance and auditing.​

Why Enterprises Choose Azure Storage Mover

For hybrid companies, multicloud adopters and those consolidating data, Azure Storage Mover transforms migration from a painful manual process into a seamless, automated experience. It’s all about fewer headaches, faster ROI and more confidence every step of the way.​​

Azure Migration Insights

Migrating data between clouds doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Azure Storage Mover transforms what was once a complex, resource-heavy process into a streamlined, secure and high-performance experience. By eliminating the need for agents and manual scripts, offering incremental synchronization and integrating deeply with Azure services, it empowers organizations to confidently move large datasets from AWS S3 to Azure Blob Storage with minimal disruption. For businesses embracing multicloud strategies, this solution not only reduces operational complexity but also accelerates ROI and strengthens data governance.

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