Azure Migrate Now Supports Premium SSD v2, Ultra, and ZRS Disks for Enhanced Migration

Azure Migrate has expanded its storage capabilities by adding support for Premium SSD v2, Ultra Disks, and Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) Disks as migration targets. This enhancement, announced on February 18, 2026, provides organizations with more options to migrate demanding workloads to Azure while optimizing performance, resiliency, and cost.

Enhanced Assessment Capabilities

The latest update to Azure Migrate's assessment engine now includes Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks as supported targets, with Premium SSD v2 and ZRS Disks being Generally Available and Ultra Disk currently in Public Preview. These additions enable more precise recommendations based on actual workload performance characteristics rather than static sizing.

Azure Migrate analyzes multiple parameters including size, IOPS, and throughput to generate tailored recommendations. The platform can now map actual performance demand to Azure VM and disk SKUs, optimizing the total cost of ownership while ensuring workloads land on resources that align with organizational goals.

Premium SSD v2: Decoupled Performance and Capacity

Premium SSD v2 introduces a significant architectural improvement by decoupling capacity from performance. This allows organizations to precisely dial IOPS and throughput to match specific workload requirements. For example, a database workload with high transaction volumes but moderate storage needs can be configured with minimal capacity but maximum IOPS, optimizing both cost and performance.

Ultra Disks: Maximum Performance for Demanding Workloads

Ultra Disks represent Azure's highest-performance managed disk offering. These disks are designed for high-end scenarios where maximum IOPS and throughput are critical. Organizations running mission-critical applications with stringent performance requirements will benefit from Ultra Disks' ability to deliver exceptional performance characteristics.

ZRS Disks: Enhanced Resiliency Through Zone Redundancy

Zone-Redundant Storage (ZRS) for Azure Disks synchronously replicates data across three physically separate availability zones within a region. Each zone operates with independent power, cooling, and networking infrastructure, providing enhanced disk availability and resiliency. This feature is particularly valuable for organizations requiring high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.

Migration Workflow Integration

When Premium SSD v2 or Ultra Disks are identified as optimal targets during the assessment phase, they can be seamlessly auto-populated into the migration process. This integration accelerates the lift-and-shift of on-premises disks to Azure's high-performance managed disks.

The migration workflow includes a replication step where these advanced disk options are configured automatically based on assessment recommendations. This ensures consistency between planning and execution phases.

Configuring ZRS Recommendations

Organizations can enable ZRS Disk recommendations during the assessment creation process. This is configured through the Server (Machine) default settings in the Advanced settings blade. By opting in to ZRS recommendations, organizations can ensure their migrated workloads benefit from Azure's zone-redundant storage capabilities.

Customer Success and Adoption

Since the preview announcement of these capabilities, recommendations for Ultra, Premium v2, and ZRS Disks have led to petabytes of data being successfully migrated into Azure. Early adopters have reported significant benefits in terms of both cost optimization and performance improvements.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a Premium v2 customer, provided positive feedback during the preview phase: "Through this preview, we have Pv2 disks recommendations in place of Pv1, which is beneficial for our estate during migration in terms of both cost and performance. We are now awaiting General Availability" - Yogesh Patil, Cloud Enterprise Architect, TCS.

Getting Started with Enhanced Migration

Organizations looking to migrate their most demanding and mission-critical workloads can now leverage these enhanced capabilities in Azure Migrate. The platform provides detailed views of Azure Managed disk recommendations for source on-premises disks, including information on disk type, provisioned IOPS, throughput, and cost.

For organizations seeking expert migration assistance, Microsoft offers Azure Accelerate services. Additionally, customers can contact their preferred partner or Microsoft field representatives for guidance on implementing these advanced migration capabilities.

Strategic Implications

These enhancements to Azure Migrate represent Microsoft's continued investment in providing comprehensive migration solutions for enterprise workloads. By supporting the latest Azure storage technologies, organizations can now migrate to cutting-edge storage options that offer superior performance, resiliency, and cost optimization.

The ability to recommend and migrate to Premium SSD v2, Ultra Disks, and ZRS Disks ensures that organizations can align their cloud migration strategy with their specific workload requirements, whether they prioritize performance, cost efficiency, or data resiliency.

The integration of these advanced storage options into Azure Migrate's assessment and migration workflows demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to providing a seamless migration experience that spans the entire journey from on-premises to cloud-native architectures.

For more information about Azure Migrate and its enhanced capabilities, visit the Azure Migrate documentation.