Migrating on‑premises file servers to the cloud is a complex infrastructure transformation—not just a data move. Many organizations lack the visibility needed to decide whether to rehost or modernize file shares spread across Windows and Linux servers. Azure Migrate now extends its discovery and assessment capabilities  to SMB and NFS file shares, enabling a data‑driven approach to modernizing on‑premises file workloads with Azure Files, or alternatively rehosting to deployment within an Azure VM.

We are pleased to introduce the public preview of Azure Migrate’s new comprehensive discovery and assessment of on-premises SMB and NFS file shares for migration to Azure Files. This enhancement simplifies the migration process by integrating discovery and evaluation tools for SMB and NFS shares across both Windows and Linux platforms. Users can efficiently identify file shares, analyze their compatibility, and compare cost benefits for transitioning to Azure Files, all within an intuitive and streamlined interface.

Why does this matter

File shares remain a foundational service for most workloads - supporting applications, analytics, user home directories, and shared content. Planning such a vast amount of data for migration can be slow, manual, and fragmented. This new Azure Migrate capability is designed to help with:

• Reduce migration planning from months to weeks through automated discovery and assessment of SMB and NFS file shares.
• Perform holistic migration planning of your data and storage alongside servers, applications and data bases from within Azure Migrate experience.
• Modernize confidently to Azure Files with tailored SKU recommendations, readiness assessments, and comprehensive cost insights, enabling you to build a clear business case by comparing ongoing on-premises and Azure Files costs.

What’s available in public preview

1. Discover and view details of all on-premises SMB, NFS shares hosted on Windows and Linux servers
2. Group, tag, filter shares by Production, non-production, project, business group for better planning.
3. Create and review assessment for each share, its target Azure Files SKU based on region, redundancy, pricing options and media type.
4. Generate a business case for selected group of shares running on Azure Files against on-premises cost.

How do you get this feature? Install the latest Azure Migrate appliance, or enable the auto update feature for the appliance will receive this new capability. All existing SMB, NFS file shares will be reported in the Azure Migrate portal along with their Windows and Linux hosts. You do not need to perform any additional steps to discover the shares.

End-to-end experience

The experience is fully integrated into Azure Migrate and follows a familiar, guided workflow as below.

1.   Discover on‑premises file servers and file shares

You can start by creating an Azure Migrate project in the Azure portal and enabling discovery using the Azure Migrate appliance. The appliance can be deployed in connected or disconnected mode and runs on VMware, Hyper‑V, or physical servers. Once deployed, the appliance automatically discovers file servers and the file shares they host, including:

• Operating system (Windows or Linux)
• File share protocol (SMB or NFS)
• Associated volumes
• Estimated capacity
• Basic performance metrics such as IOPS and throughput (when performance collection is enabled)
  
  

Discovered file shares appear directly in Azure Migrate inventory views, where they are surfaced as inventory items under respective Windows or Linux systems. This makes it easy to filter, tag, and review all shares at scale.

2.   Build a business case

The next step is to create a business case. This offers a clear comparison of on-premises costs versus Azure, highlights long-term savings and operational benefits, and justifies modernizing to Azure Files rather than rehosting file servers on virtual machines. This allows IT leaders to make data-driven decisions confidently.

3.   Create and review an Azure Files assessment

Once you have finalised your business case and decided to move to Azure Files, you can initiate an Azure Files assessment right from the Azure Migrate platform. The assessments are adaptable, allowing you to focus solely on file shares, include their parent servers, or even expand to scenarios that cover VMs, databases, and file shares—reflecting real-world planning needs. Each assessment reviews readiness and provides recommendations based on inventory and performance metrics gathered. Furthermore, you can tailor assessment settings, including selecting a target Azure region, pricing and savings preferences, media type, redundancy options, and choosing either performance-based or as-is sizing. The assessment offers a detailed overview of migration readiness and economic factors, supporting well-informed decisions for subsequent actions.

Key insights include:

• Readiness states for each file share (Ready, Ready with conditions, or Not ready)
• Recommended Azure Files SKU based on performance and suitability. For example, Azure Files provisioned v2 premium SSD for a NFS 4.1 share as target.
• Monthly cost estimates for the recommended SKU.
• On‑premises vs Azure TCO comparison, helping customers understand long‑term cost implications
  
  

Azure Migrate also identifies potential warnings and provides necessary remediation guidance. For example, when a redundancy type is not available in an Azure region, it is flagged as ready with conditions and recommend choosing an alternative redundancy type and fallback to next available option.

Prepare for migration with appropriate tools

Once you are ready to migrate, Azure Migrate also highlights recommended migration tools as part of the assessment. Azure Storage Mover is the default recommended path for file share migrations—providing a first party, managed service to move data efficiently to Azure Files. To learn more about Microsoft’s recommendations to unstructured data migration using other tools, please visit: https://aka.ms/migratemydata.

Learn more about creation of assessment and review assessment to get started with understanding your on-premises file shares estate today. Write to us at migratemydata@microsoft.com for any questions or feedback - we look forward to hearing from you!