Enterprise Storage Migration
SAN, NAS, and Cloud — Zero Data Loss
Migrate your storage infrastructure with zero data loss and minimal downtime. From ageing SAN arrays to modern all-flash, from on-premises NAS to cloud file services, from legacy backup to immutable repositories — we plan, execute, and validate every byte.
Your Storage Infrastructure Needs an Upgrade
Storage arrays have a lifecycle of 5-7 years. Beyond that, you face increasing risk — end-of-support from the vendor, degrading performance as drives age, no access to firmware updates or security patches, and growing capacity constraints as data volumes expand year over year.
Modern storage platforms deliver dramatically better performance — NVMe all-flash arrays deliver sub-100 microsecond latency compared to 2-5 milliseconds on spinning disk. Data reduction (deduplication + compression) typically delivers 3:1 to 5:1 ratios, meaning your effective capacity multiplies without buying more raw storage.
But storage migration is complex and high-stakes — a single misstep can cause data loss or extended outages. That is why you need experienced storage engineers who have executed hundreds of migrations across enterprise SAN, NAS, and cloud environments.
Storage Migration Types We Handle
SAN-to-SAN Migration
Migrate block storage between SAN arrays — HPE 3PAR to Alletra, EMC VNX to Dell PowerStore, older NetApp to AFF A-Series. Methods include host-based volume mirroring (LVM, Storage Spaces), array-based replication, or storage virtualisation (VPLEX, SVC). Includes FC zoning, LUN masking, multipath configuration, and path failover testing.
NAS Consolidation
Consolidate scattered CIFS/NFS file shares from multiple Windows file servers or legacy NAS appliances onto a modern platform — Dell PowerScale, NetApp ONTAP, or cloud file services. Migrate file data, permissions (NTFS ACLs, POSIX), share configurations, and DFS namespaces. Reclaim capacity from orphaned and duplicate files.
On-Premises to Cloud
Migrate block storage to AWS EBS or Azure Managed Disks. Migrate file shares to Azure Files, AWS FSx, or Google Filestore. Migrate unstructured data to S3, Azure Blob, or GCS. Includes bandwidth planning, WAN optimisation, and hybrid architectures with cloud tiering for cold data and on-premises for hot workloads.
Object Storage Deployment
Deploy S3-compatible object storage for unstructured data — media files, backups, archives, log storage, and application data. We deploy MinIO (on-premises, high-performance, Kubernetes-native), Dell ECS, or NetApp StorageGRID. Includes bucket design, IAM policies, lifecycle rules, versioning, and replication configuration.
Backup Modernisation
Replace legacy backup infrastructure (tape libraries, older Veritas/Commvault) with modern solutions. Deploy Veeam with immutable backup repositories for ransomware protection. Implement 3-2-1-1-0 backup strategy (3 copies, 2 media types, 1 offsite, 1 immutable, 0 errors). Migrate backup policies and validate restore testing.
Storage Tier Optimisation
Analyse your workload patterns and implement intelligent tiering — NVMe for hot data (databases, VMs), SAS SSD for warm data (file shares, app data), high-capacity HDD or object storage for cold data (archives, backups). Automated tiering policies move data between tiers based on access frequency.
Our 5-Phase Migration Process
Storage Assessment
Deploy monitoring tools for 2-4 weeks to profile your storage estate. Measure IOPS, throughput, latency (average and P99), capacity trends, hot/cold data distribution. Audit LUN allocations, thin provisioning ratios, snapshot policies, replication configs, and SAN fabric topology. Deliver an assessment report with target storage sizing recommendations.
Target Design & Provisioning
Design the target storage architecture — array configuration, RAID/erasure coding, pool layout, host groups, snapshot schedules, replication topology. Provision the target array, configure SAN zoning, set up host connectivity, and run baseline performance tests. For cloud migrations, configure storage accounts, networking, and access controls.
Data Copy & Sync
Execute the data migration using the appropriate method — host-based mirroring, array-based replication, or network-based copy tools. For SAN, we use volume mirroring to create a synchronised copy on the target. For NAS, we use rsync/Robocopy with incremental sync. Monitor copy progress, handle errors, and run multiple sync cycles to minimise the final delta.
Cutover & Validation
Execute the planned cutover during the maintenance window. For SAN: final sync, break mirror, update host multipath to use target LUNs, verify I/O on new storage. For NAS: final incremental sync, update DFS/DNS to point to new shares, verify file access. Run automated data validation — file counts, checksums (SHA-256), permission verification, and application-level read/write tests. The cutover is not complete until 100% validation passes.
Decommission & Optimisation
After a 14-30 day parallel monitoring period, decommission the source storage arrays. Reclaim rack space, power, and cooling. Optimise the new storage — fine-tune caching policies, enable data reduction (dedup + compression), configure automated tiering, set up proactive monitoring and alerting. Update documentation, runbooks, and disaster recovery procedures. Transfer knowledge to your storage team.
Storage Platforms We Work With
HPE Storage
| HPE Alletra 5000/6000/9000 | NVMe all-flash, cloud-native data services |
| HPE Primera | Mission-critical, 100% availability guarantee |
| HPE MSA 2060/2062 | Entry-level SAN for SMB workloads |
| HPE StoreOnce | Backup appliance with dedup and cloud tier |
Dell Storage
| Dell PowerStore | NVMe all-flash, unified block+file |
| Dell PowerVault ME5 | Entry-level SAN, DAS, and file |
| Dell PowerScale (Isilon) | Scale-out NAS, PB-scale file storage |
| Dell Data Domain | Backup appliance with inline dedup |
MinIO Object Storage
High-performance, S3-compatible object storage. On-premises or Kubernetes-native deployment. Erasure coding for data protection. Ideal for media, backups, data lakes, and application object storage.
Cloud Storage
AWS (S3, EBS, EFS, FSx), Azure (Blob, Managed Disks, Azure Files, NetApp Files), GCP (Cloud Storage, Persistent Disks, Filestore). We design hybrid and multi-cloud storage architectures with intelligent tiering.
Veeam Backup
Deploy Veeam Backup and Replication for VM, physical, NAS, and cloud workloads. Immutable backup repositories with object lock for ransomware protection. Instant VM recovery, SureBackup validation, and cloud-tier for long-term retention.
Data Validation Framework
Every migration includes multi-layer validation to guarantee zero data loss. We do not proceed to cutover until all checks pass 100%.
File/LUN Count
Automated comparison of source and target file counts, directory counts, and LUN counts. Any discrepancy triggers investigation before cutover.
Checksum Verification
SHA-256 checksums computed on source before migration and verified on target after migration. Bit-for-bit data integrity confirmation.
Permission Audit
NTFS ACLs, POSIX permissions, and share-level permissions validated between source and target. Any permission drift is corrected before cutover.
Performance Baseline
Target storage benchmarked against source baselines. IOPS, throughput, and latency must meet or exceed source performance before cutover approval.
Who Needs Storage Migration
End-of-Life Arrays
Your storage arrays are approaching or past end-of-support. Vendor support has expired, firmware updates are unavailable, and replacement parts are increasingly difficult to source. The risk of hardware failure and data loss grows with every month of continued operation.
Performance Bottlenecks
Your applications are starved for IOPS and suffering high latency. Database queries are slow, VM boot times are long, and users are complaining. Modern NVMe all-flash arrays deliver 10-50x the IOPS of your current spinning disk arrays at sub-100 microsecond latency.
Capacity Running Out
Your storage is over 80% full and data growth shows no signs of slowing. Adding shelves to legacy arrays is expensive and does not solve the underlying architecture limitations. Modern arrays with 3-5x data reduction give you 3-5x effective capacity from the same raw storage.
Data Centre Consolidation
You are consolidating data centres, moving to a colocation facility, or migrating to cloud. Storage migration is the most critical workstream — it carries the highest risk and requires the most careful planning. We ensure your data arrives safely at its new home.
Ready to Upgrade Your Storage?
Get a free storage assessment. We will profile your current environment, identify performance and capacity bottlenecks, and recommend a target architecture with migration plan — no obligation.