Azure migration services for Canadian businesses
Moving workloads to Microsoft Azure reduces your on-premises hardware costs, improves resilience, and unlocks productivity tools that are difficult to run on local servers. But a poorly planned migration can result in higher costs, performance problems, or data loss. North Star plans and executes Azure migrations for BC and AB businesses with a fixed-scope approach: we agree on what moves, when it moves, and what it will cost before anything is touched.
Moving workloads to Microsoft Azure can reduce your on-premises hardware costs, improve resilience, and give your team access to productivity and security tools that are difficult to operate on local servers. But a migration planned around the cheapest lift possible tends to produce Azure environments that cost more than expected, perform worse than on-premises, and leave security gaps that take years to identify.
North Star, based in Prince George, BC, approaches Azure migrations by scoping the project before work begins, documenting an architecture for review, and including security-baseline decisions in the migration plan. The resulting security posture depends on the approved design, configuration and operating responsibilities.
We serve SMBs across British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon with fixed-scope Azure migration projects and optional ongoing managed services after cutover.
What Is Involved in an Azure Migration?
An Azure migration starts with a discovery and assessment phase: North Star documents your current environment, servers, applications, data volumes, dependencies, and network configuration, and produces a target Azure architecture based on your actual workloads and business requirements.
The target design covers virtual machine sizing based on actual utilisation, storage account configuration, networking (virtual networks, subnets, NSGs, peering), identity integration with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), and licensing optimisation through Azure Hybrid Benefit where applicable.
The migration can be executed in phases with feasible rollback or recovery steps documented where available. Parallel running may reduce disruption but does not keep every source environment continuously operational; the cutover is scheduled, communicated and monitored according to the agreed plan. Post-cutover monitoring and cost reviews can be scoped around the selected environment, access, tools and written agreement.
Security is integrated throughout: Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Entra ID Conditional Access policies, and appropriate resource locks are configured as part of the migration, not proposed as follow-on work.
What North Star Delivers
Assessment
Discovery and readiness assessment before a dollar is committed. We document what you have, what it costs to run on-premises, and what equivalent Azure resources will cost. You see the business case before committing to the migration.
Architecture Design
A documented Azure landing zone: virtual machines, storage, networking, identity, and licensing. Built to Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework standards, sized to your actual workloads, and reviewed with you before provisioning begins.
Migration Execution
Phased migration with parallel running where the source environment and dependencies allow it. Lower-risk workloads can be reviewed before critical workloads. Document feasible rollback or recovery steps, agree cutover windows in advance, and define North Star support coverage in the written plan.
Identity Integration
Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) integration, Conditional Access policies, and hybrid identity configuration (Azure AD Connect or cloud-only, depending on your environment). MFA enforced by default. Security defaults or named policies, documented and tested.
Security Configuration
Microsoft Defender for Cloud enabled and configured, resource group locks applied, audit logging configured, and an initial Secure Score review completed. You leave the migration with security controls you can demonstrate, not just describe.
Post-Migration Support
30-day post-cutover monitoring and right-sizing review included. Transition to ongoing Azure managed service available.
How It Works
Step 1, Discover
Environment documentation: every server, application, dependency, and configuration audited. Current costs can be modelled and Azure target costs estimated from available inputs; assumptions, exclusions and unknowns are documented.
Step 2, Design
Azure architecture documented. Migration plan produced with sequenced workloads, rollback procedures, cutover schedule, and security baseline specifications.
Step 3, Migrate
Phased execution. Parallel running throughout. Monitoring on both environments. Cutover in an agreed window.
Step 4, Stabilise
30 days of post-cutover monitoring, right-sizing, and security remediation. Transition to managed service or handoff with full documentation.
Who This Is For
- BC, Alberta, or Yukon businesses running on ageing on-premises Windows Server infrastructure facing a hardware refresh decision
- Organisations already using Microsoft 365 that want their identity and infrastructure in the same Microsoft ecosystem
- Businesses inheriting an Azure environment without proper security baselines, tagging, or cost controls
- Companies evaluating Azure versus AWS and wanting an honest assessment before committing to either
Why North Star
North Star is a Prince George, BC-based MSP with deep Azure expertise and a fixed-fee project model. We are not an Azure reseller that hands the technical work to a third-party subcontractor, our team does the work and stays accountable for the outcome.
Security is applied during the migration, not proposed afterward. Costs are modelled before you commit, not discovered after. And we do not disappear at go-live, post-migration support is included, not an add-on.
What buyers ask before they sign.
How long does an Azure migration take?
A multi-week migration window may fit some small environments, but actual timing depends on servers, applications, data, access, dependencies, testing and scope. Confirm preparation, assessment, cutover, verification and support milestones in the written plan.
How much does an Azure migration cost?
Migration project fees depend on scope: number of servers, applications, and complexity. A straightforward SMB migration is typically $5,000 to $20,000 in professional services. Azure running costs depend on workloads, architecture, usage, licensing, support and governance; a lower cost than on-premises hardware is not automatic and should be validated with an approved estimate.
Will there be downtime during the migration?
Some workloads may fit a short cutover window, while others require longer or staged work. Actual downtime depends on dependencies, source limitations, testing, access and the approved plan; document expected windows and fallback decisions during assessment.
Can we keep some workloads on-premises and move others to Azure?
Yes. Hybrid cloud is a valid and common outcome - some workloads stay on-premises (often for latency or regulatory reasons) and others move to Azure. North Star designs the connectivity between your on-premises environment and Azure as part of the migration.
Does North Star manage our Azure environment after the migration?
Yes. North Star offers ongoing Azure managed services covering monitoring, patching, backup management, cost optimisation, and security. This is separate from the migration project and priced as a monthly retainer.
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Ready to plan your Azure migration?
Tell us about your environment and we will confirm the next scoping step and any proposal timing after reviewing the available information. No obligation, no pressure.
Start Your Free Assessment Back to CloudFrequently asked questions
What are the main benefits of Azure cloud migration services Canada?
Azure can provide scalable services and security controls, but the outcome depends on workload design, configuration, operations and provider terms. Data location must be confirmed for each selected service and plan against the client's requirements; this is not a blanket Canadian-residency guarantee. North Star can scope assessment and migration work around those decisions.
How long does a typical Microsoft Azure migration take?
The timeline for a Microsoft Azure migration varies with workload complexity, data volume, access, dependencies, testing and approved scope. A plan may include discovery, strategy, transfer and post-migration testing. Some environments take weeks and others take months; the work is planned to manage disruption, not to guarantee a particular downtime outcome.
Does North Star provide post-migration support for Azure?
Post-migration support can be scoped for the selected Azure environment. Monitoring, maintenance, cost review, helpdesk coverage, response targets and security responsibilities depend on the written agreement, tools, licensing and operating model; 24/7 coverage is not automatic.
Can you help migrate legacy on-premises servers to Azure?
Legacy on-premises workloads can be assessed for lift-and-shift, refactoring or hybrid options. The selected method, application dependencies, vendor support, testing and acceptance criteria determine whether a workload can run effectively and securely; no approach guarantees a particular outcome.
Is data security guaranteed during the cloud migration process?
Migration security planning can cover transfer methods, encryption, identity and access controls, logging and destination configuration. Controls depend on the selected services, licensing, configuration, access and approved scope; they reduce risk but do not guarantee that every threat is prevented or establish compliance by themselves. Test and document the agreed controls before go-live.
A clear scope before you commit