Cloud migration has become a strategic priority for the majority of Belgian SMEs. Yet many businesses approach this project without a clear methodological framework, leading to budget overruns, avoidable service interruptions and partial adoption that undermines the expected return on investment.
At ITOPS.be, we have been guiding SMEs of 20 to 250 employees through Azure migrations for several years. Here is what we have learned on the ground.
Why Azure for Belgian SMEs?
Microsoft Azure operates data centres across Western Europe — notably in Amsterdam and Dublin — enabling compliance with the data residency requirements imposed by GDPR. For Belgian SMEs that process personal data of European clients, this localisation is not a detail: it is a contractual and regulatory obligation.
Beyond compliance, Azure offers native integration with the Microsoft 365 tools most of your team already uses: Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive. This continuity reduces the learning curve and accelerates adoption across the organisation.
The three migration models
1. Lift-and-Shift (rehosting)
You move your physical servers or VMware VMs to Azure Virtual Machines without modifying the applications. This is the fastest and least risky model in the short term. Ideal for proprietary line-of-business applications or legacy ERPs whose source code you do not control.
Limitation: you do not benefit from native cloud advantages (elasticity, automatic high availability, managed services). You often pay more than in a data centre for the same performance, because you are importing an architecture designed for on-premise hardware.
2. Replatforming
You retain the application logic but adapt certain components to leverage Azure managed services. For example: replacing your dedicated SQL Server with Azure SQL Database, or migrating your scheduled jobs to Azure Functions.
This is the right balance for most SMEs: improved performance, lower operational costs (no more patch management, automated backups), without a full rewrite.
3. Refactoring (cloud-native)
You re-architect the application for execution in containers (Azure Kubernetes Service) or in a serverless architecture. Recommended only for applications with highly variable traffic or new strategic applications.
Cost estimation: what nobody tells you
The migration itself is rarely the largest budget item. What surprises SME leaders is the monthly running cost once the migration is complete.
Here are the cost categories to anticipate:
- Compute (VMs): 60 to 70% of the monthly Azure budget for a standard Lift-and-Shift
- Storage and backups: often underestimated, especially if you have significant file volumes (accounting data, archives, CAD files)
- Data egress: Azure charges for outbound bandwidth. If your applications transfer large volumes externally, this item can become significant
- Support and licences: Azure Hybrid Benefit allows you to reuse your existing Windows Server and SQL Server licences — always check your eligibility before budgeting
Our recommendation: use Azure Pricing Calculator for an initial estimate, then refine with Azure Cost Management after 30 days of real-world operation.
The three most common pitfalls
Pitfall 1: skipping the discovery phase
Before migrating anything, you need a complete map of your estate: application dependencies, open ports, data volumes, peak loads. Without this, you are migrating blind. We recommend the Azure Migrate tool for this automated discovery phase.
Pitfall 2: underestimating connectivity
Your team will access applications hosted in Azure via the internet or via an ExpressRoute. A consumer internet connection at 50 Mbps may suffice at the start of migration, but will quickly become a bottleneck when 80% of your workloads are in the cloud. Plan for connectivity scaling from the planning phase.
Pitfall 3: ignoring governance from day one
Azure without governance is a bill that can spiral within weeks. Establish from day one: budgets with alerts, Azure Policy to restrict allowed regions and resource types, and a consistent naming convention so you can locate your resources in 18 months.
Our approach at ITOPS.be
We structure every Azure migration into four phases: Discovery and assessment (2 to 4 weeks), Proof of Concept on a limited scope, Migration in waves with a documented rollback plan, and Post-migration cost optimisation (rightsizing, Reserved Instances).
This phased approach allows you to maintain business continuity and validate each step before proceeding to the next. You stay in control throughout.
If you are considering an Azure migration for your SME, contact us for a complimentary discovery audit. We will provide a map of your current infrastructure and a realistic cost estimate before any commitment.