Server to Azure Migration Services in the UAE & USA
Skytech Enterprise moves physical servers, VMware and Hyper-V workloads and SQL databases into Microsoft Azure, so you can exit the data center before the next hardware refresh or lease renewal. We deliver assessment, business case and migration for organizations in Dubai, across the UAE and throughout the United States.
Server to Azure migration at a glance
Who this is for
IT Directors and CFOs weighing another hardware refresh against moving to Azure, and teams running Windows Server or SQL Server versions approaching end of support.
When you need this
Data center exit, hardware refresh or lease expiry, Windows Server 2016 reaching end of extended support in January 2027, a co-location contract renewal, or capacity that cannot grow fast enough.
Delivery model
Fixed-scope project delivered remotely, built on an Azure landing zone, with wave-based cutovers scheduled out of hours and optional managed Azure support afterwards.
What is included in our server to Azure migration service
Assessment through to decommissioning, with a business case you can take to finance:
- Discovery and assessment – Azure Migrate inventory, dependency mapping, right-sizing and readiness per server.
- Business case – total cost of ownership compared with a hardware refresh, including Azure Hybrid Benefit and reserved instance savings.
- Migration design – rehost, re-platform or retire decided per workload, with wave planning by dependency group.
- Landing zone – networking, identity, policy and security baseline in place before the first server moves.
- Replication and testing – Azure Migrate replication, test failovers and application validation with no impact on production.
- Database migration – SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance or IaaS, with compatibility assessment first.
- Resilience – Azure Backup, disaster recovery and ransomware recovery readiness configured on arrival.
- Security and monitoring – Defender for Cloud, Azure monitoring and alerting from day one.
- Cutover and decommissioning – scheduled waves, hypercare and a documented plan to retire the old hardware.
Our server to Azure migration process
- Assess – discovery agents or appliance deployed, dependencies mapped, each server classified as rehost, re-platform or retire.
- Build the business case – sized Azure costs against current hardware, licensing and hosting, with the savings levers named.
- Prepare – landing zone, connectivity, identity and backup ready; replication started for wave one.
- Test and migrate in waves – test failover, application validation, then out-of-hours cutover per dependency group.
- Optimize and decommission – right-size after real usage data, apply reservations, then retire the on-premises estate.
Why choose Skytech Enterprise for Azure migration
- Assessment-first approach: we tell you which servers should not move, and which should be retired instead.
- A finance-ready business case with Azure Hybrid Benefit and reservations modelled, not a list price estimate.
- Security and resilience built into the migration by a cybersecurity company, not added after go-live.
- Remote delivery across UAE and US time zones, with cutovers in your maintenance windows.
- One partner for landing zone, migration, modernization and ongoing Azure operations.
Related Azure and infrastructure services
Migrations are usually bundled with:
- Azure Landing Zone – the governed foundation workloads land on.
- Application Modernization – re-platform apps instead of lifting and shifting them.
- Azure Well-Architected Review – validate the estate once it is in Azure.
- Disaster Recovery – Azure Site Recovery for migrated workloads.
- Azure FinOps – keep post-migration spend under control.
- Cloud Security Assessment – check the migrated environment is secure.
- Azure Managed Support – run the environment after the move.
Server to Azure migration FAQs
Questions UAE and US IT and finance leaders ask before leaving the data center.
How long does a server to Azure migration take?
A typical estate of 20 to 50 servers migrates in 8 to 14 weeks, including assessment, landing zone, replication, testing and waved cutovers. The assessment alone takes 2 to 3 weeks and gives you the plan and business case before you commit to the full project.
Will there be downtime when servers move to Azure?
Very little. Replication runs continuously while servers stay in production, so cutover is a short, scheduled window per wave, usually out of hours. Test failovers prove the application works in Azure before the real cutover.
Is Azure cheaper than buying new servers?
It depends on the workload, and we model it honestly. Azure Hybrid Benefit, reserved instances and right-sizing often make Azure cheaper than a like-for-like refresh once hosting, power, hardware support and refresh cycles are included. Steady, predictable workloads can still favour on-premises, and we will say so.
Windows Server 2016 reaches end of support in January 2027. What should we do?
You can upgrade in place to a supported version, migrate the workload to Azure, or retire it. Migrating to Azure removes the hardware question entirely and is often the better option when a refresh is due anyway. Our assessment recommends per server.
Should we lift and shift, or modernize?
Both, in sequence. Rehosting gets you out of the data center quickly and stops the hardware spend; re-platforming to PaaS or containers then reduces running cost. We flag which workloads are worth modernizing during the assessment.
Can workloads stay in the UAE for data residency?
Yes. Workloads are deployed to UAE North or UAE Central, with Azure Policy restricting allowed regions so nothing is provisioned outside them. US clients use US regions on the same model.
What happens to backup and disaster recovery after migration?
Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery are configured as part of the migration, with retention and recovery objectives agreed up front, so you are not left relying on the backup system you decommissioned with the servers.
Do you migrate VMware and Hyper-V workloads?
Yes. VMware, Hyper-V and physical servers are all supported through Azure Migrate, along with SQL Server databases moving to Azure SQL Managed Instance or SQL on IaaS.
Ready to exit the data center?
Request a free Azure migration assessment from Skytech Enterprise. We will size your estate, model the cost against a hardware refresh and send a fixed-price plan within two business days.