MigrationFox
Deployment
Three ways to deploy MigrationFox.
The migration workflow is the same across all three: connect source → discover → provision → transfer → verify. What changes is where the file bytes travel on their way from source to destination, and which residency / compliance posture matches your security policy. Pick the model your team needs — switch later if the picture changes.
Fully managed cloud
The default. Migration workers run in MigrationFox's Toronto-region infrastructure. File bytes stream directly between source and destination platforms — we don't retain content after the migration completes.
- ✓ Zero install, zero infrastructure to maintain
- ✓ Auto-scales for large jobs (multi-TB, parallel transfers)
- ✓ Toronto datacenter (PIPEDA accountability)
- ✓ All 13 connectors supported as source AND destination
Best for: cloud-to-cloud migrations, SMB / mid-market, MSPs running parallel client jobs.
MigrationFox Desktop
Run the migration worker on your own Windows machine inside your network. File bytes never leave your perimeter — the Desktop agent reads from your source, writes to your destination, and reports progress back to the MigrationFox dashboard over an outbound HTTPS connection.
- ✓ Data plane stays inside your network — we never see file content
- ✓ Required for SMB / file-server / on-prem SharePoint sources
- ✓ Outbound HTTPS only — no inbound ports, no VPN
- ✓ Dashboard, scheduling, reporting stay in the cloud
Best for: regulated industries (healthcare, legal, finance), SMB → cloud cutover, customers whose security team requires data sovereignty.
Desktop + Cloud
Best of both: the Desktop agent handles the on-premises source (where data sovereignty matters most) and the SaaS cloud handles the cloud-to-cloud handoff once data is staged.
- ✓ Read on-prem with Desktop, write to cloud from cloud
- ✓ Highest throughput for tens-of-TB on-prem migrations
- ✓ Single dashboard tracks both halves of the pipeline
- ✓ Compliance posture matches the most-sensitive segment
Best for: enterprise SMB-to-SharePoint, file-server modernization, mixed on-prem + cloud tenants.
Which model fits your team?
| If your situation is… | SaaS | Desktop | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud-to-cloud migration (Dropbox → OneDrive, Slack → Teams, etc.) | Recommended | Optional | Optional |
| On-prem source (SMB share, file server, SharePoint on-prem) | Not supported | Recommended | Recommended |
| Security team requires file content never leaves your network | No (content streams via Toronto) | Yes | Yes (for the on-prem leg) |
| No infrastructure team available; can't install software | Yes | No | No |
| Multi-TB on-prem to cloud, throughput-bound | Not supported | Good | Best |
| Regulated industry, audit-ready data residency | PIPEDA Toronto | Sovereign | Sovereign |
| MSP running many client jobs in parallel | Recommended | Per client install | Per client install |
One dashboard. Three deployment models.
Whichever model you pick, the dashboard at app.migrationfox.com is the same. You see jobs, audit logs, governance reports, billing — everything — in one place. The Desktop agent reports progress over outbound HTTPS to the dashboard; it doesn't accept any inbound traffic.
Most customers start with SaaS for the cloud-to-cloud bits, then add Desktop later when they hit their first on-prem source. The Desktop agent installer is a small Windows executable; the dashboard binds it to your tenant via a one-time pairing code.
Not sure which to pick?
Start with SaaS (free, 2 GB included, no credit card). When you hit an on-prem source, add Desktop. Most customers don't decide upfront — they decide when the first migration runs.