Server-to-cloud migration
Azure & SharePoint for Small Business
Move off the old server in the closet: files to SharePoint and Teams, apps that need a server to Azure, backups kept somewhere other than your office.
Azure & SharePoint Cloud
Retire the Server in the Closet
A lot of Surrey offices still have a server that was bought years ago. It holds the shared drive, maybe an accounting database, maybe the printers. It works, until the warranty runs out, the fan gets loud, or someone needs their files from home. Then the choice arrives: buy another server, or move to the cloud.
For most small businesses, files belong in SharePoint and Teams, which come with Microsoft 365. Staff open them from the office, home or a job site, and permissions follow the person, not the computer. Software that really needs a server, like some accounting and industry applications, can run on a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure instead of a box in your office. Some businesses keep a small local server for one job and move everything else.
We plan the move, run it over a weekend so Monday is normal, and look after it afterwards. Call 604-359-5284 to talk about your server.
What’s included
What Azure & SharePoint Cloud Covers
Cloud readiness review
What’s on the server, who uses it, which apps depend on it, and what it would cost to keep it versus move it.
SharePoint and Teams file migration
Shared drives moved with their permissions mapped, old folders cleaned out first, and staff shown where everything went.
Azure virtual machines
For apps that need a server: sized properly, backed up and kept in a Canadian Azure region.
Backup and recovery
Microsoft 365 and Azure data backed up separately from Microsoft’s own copies, with restores tested.
Security and access
Multi-factor sign-in, sharing rules for outside clients, and alerts for unusual downloads.
Cost control
Azure bills reviewed monthly, idle resources switched off, and no surprises on the invoice.
In detail
Keep the Server, or Move?
A quick comparison. The review gives you real numbers for your office.
| Keep a server | Files to SharePoint | Apps to Azure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Heavy local files, poor internet, special hardware | Shared documents, remote and hybrid staff | Software that needs a Windows server |
| Upfront cost | New hardware every 5–7 years | Mostly migration time | Migration time |
| Ongoing cost | Power, warranty, backups, maintenance | Included with most Microsoft 365 plans | Monthly Azure bill based on size |
| Works from home | Needs a VPN | Yes, from any device | Yes, with secure remote access |
| Who replaces hardware | You | Microsoft | Microsoft |
How it works
Four Steps to Get Started
- 01
Inventory
Every share, app and user on the server listed, with what’s still used and what can go.
- 02
Plan and pilot
Folder structure and permissions designed; a small group tries it first.
- 03
Weekend migration
Data moved Friday evening to Sunday, checked, and ready for Monday morning.
- 04
Clean up and retire
Staff shown where things live, the old server backed up and wiped, then retired.
What it costs
Pricing for Azure & SharePoint Cloud
Azure & SharePoint Cloud is included in every outsourced IT department plan, which typically costs $100–$250 per user per month in Surrey. Businesses that manage their own IT can add it on its own or as part of co-managed IT, quoted after a free review.
Is it right for you?
Who It Suits
Offices whose server is approaching the end of its warranty, businesses with staff working between home, the office and job sites, and firms opening a second location in Langley or Delta who don’t want a second server.
It also suits businesses that share files with outside clients and are tired of emailing attachments back and forth. SharePoint sharing links can expire, require a code and be revoked later.
Not every server should move. If your business runs large design files over a slow connection, or relies on equipment that needs a local server, we’ll say so.
Talk it through
Not sure which service fits? Describe your setup and we’ll tell you honestly.
Book a Free IT ReviewQuestions
Azure & SharePoint Cloud: Common Questions
Is the cloud more expensive than a server?
Sometimes the monthly cost is higher, but the server’s true cost includes replacement hardware, power, warranty, backups and maintenance. For most small offices, moving files to SharePoint costs less overall because it’s already part of Microsoft 365.
Will our accounting software work in the cloud?
Many accounting and industry applications run well on an Azure virtual machine, and some vendors now offer their own cloud version. We check with the vendor and test before anything moves.
Where is our data stored?
Azure has Canadian regions in Toronto and Quebec City, and we keep your Azure resources there. Microsoft 365 tenants set up in Canada store their core data, including mailboxes and SharePoint files, in Canadian datacentres.
How long does a migration take?
A small office’s shared drive usually moves over one weekend after one to two weeks of planning. Apps on Azure take longer because they’re tested with the vendor first.
Areas
Azure & SharePoint Cloud Across Surrey
More services
Other Ways We Help
- Outsourced IT DepartmentWe become your IT team: help desk, troubleshooting, onsite visits, installs, security and planning.
- Co-Managed ITKeep your in-house IT person and give them a help desk, tools, security and cover.
- IT Monitoring, Patching & Endpoint SecurityUpdates applied after hours, backups and disks watched, security alerts reviewed by people.
- Device & User ManagementLaptops and phones enrolled and secured with Intune, new staff ready on day one, leavers locked out.
- vCIO & IT PlanningA technology roadmap, an IT budget and quarterly reviews with a senior IT advisor.
Free IT review
Ready for IT You Don’t Have to Think About?
Book a free, no-obligation IT review. We’ll look at what you have, tell you what we’d change, and give you a monthly price.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm · Business IT only