Forum Discussion
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)