Overview

Moving data from Google Cloud Storage to Azure Blob Storage enables organizations to leverage Microsoft's enterprise ecosystem, including seamless integration with Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory, and hybrid cloud capabilities.

Why Azure Blob Storage?

Azure offers strong enterprise integration, comprehensive compliance certifications, and excellent hybrid cloud support with Azure Arc.

Prerequisites

  • A Cloney account with an active subscription
  • Google Cloud Storage bucket with data to migrate
  • Azure Storage Account with a Blob container
  • Appropriate credentials for both services

Setup Access Credentials

Before proceeding, ensure you have configured least privilege access for both services:

Google Cloud: Least Privilege Access SetupAzure: Least Privilege Access Setup

Step 1: Add Your GCS Source

  1. Log in to your Cloney dashboard
  2. Navigate to Jobs → Create New Job
  3. Select Google Cloud Storage as your source provider
  4. Upload your GCP service account JSON key file or enter credentials manually
  5. Click Validate Connection to verify access

Step 2: Configure Your Azure Destination

  1. Select Azure Blob Storage as your destination provider
  2. Enter your Azure credentials:
    • Storage Account Name: Your Azure storage account name
    • Access Key: The storage account access key (or SAS token)
    • Container Name: The name of your destination container
  3. Click Validate Connection to verify access

Step 3: Configure Migration Options

Customize your migration with these options:

OptionDescriptionRecommendation
Prefix/Path FilterMigrate only objects matching a specific prefixUse for partial migrations
Preserve MetadataCopy object metadata along with dataEnable for full fidelity
Access TierSet the Azure access tier for migrated blobsHot for frequent access
Overwrite ExistingReplace blobs that already exist in destinationEnable for sync operations

Step 4: Start the Migration

  1. Review your migration configuration
  2. Click Start Migration
  3. Monitor progress in the Jobs dashboard
Migration Complete

Once finished, verify your data in the Azure Portal and update your applications to use the new storage account.

Storage Class Mapping

GCS storage classes map to Azure access tiers as follows:

GCS ClassRecommended Azure Tier
StandardHot
NearlineCool
ColdlineCold
ArchiveArchive

Best Practices

  • Test with a subset first: Run a pilot migration with a small subset of data to validate your configuration.
  • Consider Azure regions: Choose an Azure region close to your users or other Azure resources.
  • Enable soft delete: Configure soft delete on your Azure container for additional data protection.
  • Plan access tier strategy: Use Azure lifecycle management to automatically tier data based on access patterns.