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Quest Secure Copy

Agentless Windows file server migration with full security preservation

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  • Overview
  • Features
  • Pricing
  • Pros
  • Cons
  • Reviews

Quest Secure Copy Overview

  • Updated March 8, 2026

Quest Secure Copy is a Windows-based file migration tool designed to move data, shares and permissions between file servers with minimal disruption. It preserves NTFS security, users, groups and metadata while offering granular control over threads and bandwidth.

Built for IT administrators, it automates complex migration tasks and provides detailed dashboards and reports to ensure data integrity and compliance.

Key Features

  • Comprehensive NTFS Preservation: Migrates files, folders, NTFS permissions, ownership, attributes and SID history without losing security settings.
  • Agentless Architecture: Performs server-to-server migrations without requiring agents or custom scripts on source or target systems.
  • Multi-Threaded Copy Engine: Optimizes performance by controlling thread count, batch size and batch processing.
  • Bandwidth Throttling: Limits network usage during migration to reduce impact on production users.
  • Administrator Override: Copies locked files by overriding access restrictions when necessary.
  • Automated Pre/Post Migration Tasks: Updates home paths, profile paths and user references after server moves.
  • Share and Printer Migration: Recreates file shares, permissions, users and groups on target servers.
  • Real-Time Job Dashboard: Displays job speed, migration status by file type and total data processed.
  • Detailed Reporting: Generates reports on copied files, failed jobs, skipped files and migration analysis for auditing.

Price

Prices are not publicly listed on the website, you need to Contact Sales

Pros

Competitor

Pros
MigrationWiz Quest Secure Copy offers deeper control over NTFS permissions and local security objects during on-prem Windows server migrations. IT admins get multi-threading and bandwidth throttling in one interface, which makes large file server moves more predictable. It’s often more suitable for complex internal server consolidations where granular infrastructure control matters.
Cloudiway Unlike Cloudiway’s cloud-focused migrations, Secure Copy specializes in Windows file servers, NAS and SAN environments. It recreates shares, users and groups directly on target servers and doesn’t require agents. This makes it easier for infrastructure teams handling traditional data center migrations with strict security replication requirements.
ShareGate ShareGate centers on Microsoft 365 and SharePoint migrations, while Secure Copy targets file server data with full NTFS fidelity. For organizations consolidating physical or virtual file servers, Secure Copy provides stronger control over metadata, SID history and local security objects without relying on cloud connectors.
IBM Aspera on Cloud IBM Aspera focuses on high-speed global transfers, but Secure Copy emphasizes structured Windows server migration with preserved permissions and shares. IT teams benefit from built-in reporting, job dashboards and administrative override features tailored for enterprise file system restructuring projects.
Robocopy Compared to manual Robocopy scripts, Secure Copy provides a graphical interface, centralized project management and automated reporting. It reduces scripting errors and adds update utilities for user paths and profiles. For administrators managing multiple migrations, this saves planning time and improves visibility across projects.

Cons

Competitor

Cons
MigrationWiz MigrationWiz offers a simpler SaaS experience for cloud migrations, while Secure Copy requires Windows server setup and administrative rights. Organizations moving primarily to Microsoft 365 or cloud storage may find MigrationWiz easier to deploy without infrastructure preparation.
Cloudiway Cloudiway provides broader cross-platform and cloud-to-cloud migration support. Secure Copy focuses mainly on Windows file servers, so businesses with hybrid or SaaS-heavy environments may need additional tools to complete full tenant or collaboration platform migrations.
ShareGate ShareGate includes modern SharePoint and Teams migration workflows with built-in governance insights. Secure Copy does not address collaboration platform restructuring and remains centered on file system data, limiting its use in broader Microsoft 365 transformation projects.
IBM Aspera on Cloud Aspera excels at extremely high-speed WAN transfers with advanced acceleration technology. Secure Copy focuses more on permission fidelity and server restructuring than raw transfer speed, which may make it less suitable for global media-scale data distribution projects.
Robocopy Robocopy is free and built into Windows, which makes it appealing for small migrations with tight budgets. Secure Copy requires licensing per server and adds cost, which may not be justified for straightforward, single-server copy tasks with minimal reporting needs.

Verified Customer Reviews

  • Gartner Review (Rating: 4.4/5): The Quest Secure Copy product comes across as “very functional and easy to use,” and it lets teams maintain multiple on- and off-site backup repositories without much hassle. The simplicity stood out, especially for organizations that juggle backups across different locations.
  • Reddit r/sysadmin: One sysadmin recommended Quest Secure Copy specifically because it migrates all NTFS permissions during the transfer. After using it in a real file server migration, they felt it “worked really well,” especially compared to manual robocopy approaches.