Replace Windows File Servers with Azure File Sync

Here’s a concise summary of the article “Replace or extend Windows file servers with Azure Files and Azure File Sync.”

Overview

• Azure Files is a cloud-native file service that originated from the Windows file server role, making it well suited for migrating or extending on-premises Windows file servers.

• Two common deployment approaches:

  • Cloud-only: move on-premises file servers to managed SMB Azure file shares.

  • Hybrid: use Azure File Sync to synchronize on-premises Windows file servers with SMB Azure file shares; optional cloud tiering lets you keep hot files locally while storing colder data in the cloud.

Key benefits and capabilities

• Reduce total cost of ownership (TCO)

  • Better storage utilization (no over-provisioning) and easy resizing without downtime.

  • Removes hardware procurement/maintenance and server patching/upgrade overhead.

  • Centralize a single full copy in Azure and use Azure File Sync caches to replace expensive full-share replication (e.g., DFS-R).

  • Differential snapshots and integration with Azure Backup for economical protection.

  • Multiple storage tiers (SSD to HDD) and Azure Files Reservations for discounts.

  • See billing details: Understand Azure Files billing (link kept).

• Broad compatibility with Windows file servers

  • Supports core SMB/NTFS features such as Windows ACLs, Active Directory integration, SMB encryption, transparent failover, file locks, and SMB multichannel.

  • Some SMB/NTFS features are not supported (see linked limitations).

• Flexible deployment and hybrid access

  • Connect to Azure file shares from clients, VMs, or containers over encrypted SMB 3.x (internet or VPN/ExpressRoute).

  • Zero-downtime migration using Azure File Sync; keep existing file paths via DFS Namespaces.

  • Azure File Sync can cache shares on-premises, in data centers, on VMs (including third-party clouds), and in multiple regions for regional caches.

  • Tutorial: Extend Windows file servers with Azure File Sync (link kept).

• Simplified data protection and access control

  • Multi-layered security from Microsoft, multiple redundancy options (local/regional/global).

  • Differential snapshots, Azure Backup, and Azure File Sync disaster recovery options.

  • Soft delete to protect against accidental deletion.

  • Identity-based authentication and integration with on-premises Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID; supports share- and directory/file-level access control.

Additional links

• Migrate to SMB Azure file shares

• Azure Files networking considerations

Metadata

• Last updated: 07/31/2025

If you’d like, I can: produce a one-paragraph elevator pitch, extract the “Applies to” table as a compact table for GitBook, or convert deployment steps into a stepper for documentation. Which would you prefer?