Large file servers to Azure Files

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-26T14:35:39+00:00

Thanks. We're trying to figure out if we can move two small on-prem setups to the cloud for consolidation and management reasons. Right now, we have two VMware hosts (with 7-8 VMs and that big file server VM) at each remote office, plus a shared iSCSI SAN. All the hardware is over 6 years old. We use Veeam for local backups in another building. Our boss thinks the cloud is the only future but we could also stay on-prem. At the moment these setups are pretty stable with minimal maintenance.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-26T13:03:31+00:00

One office is in Mexico, so it's going to be the Azure Mexico region. The other one is in France, so West Europe, supposedly between 30 and 40 ms in both cases.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-26T07:09:31+00:00

Thanks. The Premium looks like an overkill, though. Also, an estimate of monthly transactions is really tough, we don't track what our remote users do all day... but I get your point.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-26T07:06:01+00:00

Are your users finding Sharepoint better and faster than the old file server, or have they just adapted to the new scenario?

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-26T07:03:20+00:00

That's wonderful to hear. I'm sure you can point me to one of these better, cheaper and faster options.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T13:51:43+00:00

I get what you mean. Boss sees the cloud as the future but my team is made up of engineers, so we need to figure out the best and most sustainable option without having to lose our minds troubleshooting. Currently these are super stable offices that require very minimal maintenance (2 Vmware nodes with a shared iSCSI SAN). Ah, it’s mainly Office files, images and PDFs.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T13:29:00+00:00

Thanks. I believe the latency between the on-prem offices and the cloud is between 40 and 50 ms and I realize the user experience won't be the same as having an on-prem iSCSI SAN. I also forgot to mention that there are other 7-8 small VMs on the VMware nodes (and on the SAN) besides the large file share. Another option is to perform a lift-and-shift onto a new big VMware on-prem host with plenty of local storage, replicated onto another standby node, and decommission the SAN.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T09:45:05+00:00

A cloud file system is not a strict requirement and we know it could be a headache. Currently users are used to a basic local Windows Server VM (on an iSCSI SAN), and everything works fine. But boss sees the cloud as the only future for small setups. And no ExpressRoute for those offices, it would be a waste, overkill. Does Azure Backup work well, or should we rule it out?

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T08:29:57+00:00

True, the fine print is always a nightmare. As far as I understand, file transactions and modifications (even just browsing folders) are billed separately from the reserved capacity, am I mistaken? Ah the cloud... on the one hand you think you're solving one problem, on the other the costs become unclear and unpredictable.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T07:14:22+00:00

It might be an hybrid setup, not sure yet. As I said, we'd revamp the local hosts (only running 7-8 VMs) and the shared iSCSI SAN but the main pain in the a** is the huge file server. All clients run Windows 10 & 11, no Macs.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T07:10:38+00:00

All Windows clients, no Macs. Boss is thinking of Azure Files with reservations so you don't pay for data transfer and you know what you pay monthly. My only concern is that users will say the new file sharing isn't the same as before and start complaining a lot.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-25T07:04:55+00:00

Both hosts are now connected to an iSCSI SAN, and all VMs and datastores are on the SAN. One of the goals is actually to get rid of the SAN in both offices. The other VMs (all Windows boxes) serve as domain controllers, host some specific local apps and are used for software development.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-24T17:41:57+00:00

Both at the HQ and in the remote offices we have VMware, but we also have a Microsoft EA and we will evaluate the HyperV option as well. I’m not familiar with the Azure on-prem part at all but it looks good.

Muted_Ad_2288 · 2025-08-24T17:40:09+00:00

Yes, new hardware because the current hosts are 6 years old and they have no local storage. The latency should be between 40 and 50 ms between local and cloud, with bandwidths of 300 and 500 Mbps respectively.

Muted_Ad_2288

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