Can anyone attest to the accuracy of an Azure Migrate Business Case?

hi Richard_Hartman​  The Azure Migrate Business Case tool is great for generating a quick, executive-level story about cloud ROI, but its accuracy varies based on the workload, the assumptions, and how deeply the inputs are customized.

Here’s what people typically see in real environments:

Where Azure Migrate Business Case works well

• Produces fast, high-level TCO comparisons
• Provides a starting point for leadership conversations
• Highlights potential savings from:
• Hardware refresh avoidance
• Power & cooling
• Datacenter footprint
• End-of-support systems
• Helps identify modernization opportunities (PaaS, Azure SQL, etc.)

Where it tends to be inaccurate

• Small environments (like your 5-server lab) — cost savings can look wildly inflated
• Uses generic datacenter cost assumptions unless overridden
• Assumes specific discounting models (RI/Savings Plans)
• Assumes ideal right-sizing based on CPU usage patterns
• May not reflect:
• Licensing nuances
• Storage growth
• Backup costs
• Network egress
• Operational overhead
• 3rd-party integrations
• Doesn’t include every Azure consumption service

Because of this, many consultants rely on:

Azure Migrate Assessment - (for actual sizing based on performance data)

Azure Pricing Calculator-(for exact cost modeling using customer inputs)

Azure Advisor + Cost Management-(for optimization after deployment)

Real-World Feedback From Others

People who have used it in production migrations generally say:

• “Useful for a PowerPoint slide, not for financial planning.”
• “Executive-friendly, not finance-friendly.”
• “Accurate directionally, inaccurate numerically.”
• “The more you customize assumptions, the closer it gets.”

In almost all cases, the final detailed design ends up using the Assessment + Pricing Calculator, not the Business Case.

Recommendation for you

Use Azure Migrate Business Case for:

• Initial conversations
• Vision/strategy discussions
• Executive buy-in

But for real forecast numbers, continue steering clients toward:

• Azure Migrate Assessments (performance-based sizing)
• Azure Pricing Calculator (actual service-level pricing)