Many businesses use migration tools for moving SharePoint content from on-premises to SharePoint Online. The primary reason for choosing this approach is that the database attach method is not available for Office 365 migration. Although Microsoft offers a dedicated SharePoint migration tool, it has relatively fewer features. Several other 3rd party tools are available for SharePoint migration. These can provide more options for migrating content and file shares for SharePoint.
What Factors to Consider for SharePoint Migration?
The SharePoint migration from an on-premises server to SharePoint Online is a relatively slow process. Businesses have to consider the risks of migrating from their existing environment select an appropriate migration approach to minimize risks to end-users. These are some of the considerations for migrating SharePoint to Office 365.
- Larger sites with more content will require more time to migrate to Office 365.
- Network considerations such as bandwidth will impact the speed of data transfers.
- More sites in SharePoint with more items and their versions, the more time it will take for Office 365 migration.
- If the destination site has different lists or configurations than the source; there will be an increase in the time taken for the migration to SharePoint Online version.
- If you cannot afford a long downtime, some migration approaches may be better than the others.
- Finally, the amount of customization that has been done on the on-premises SharePoint server impacts the speed. For example, if you need to migrate SharePoint 2010 to Office 365, you might have to make changes to the architecture of the on-premises server to simplify the migration process.
What Are The Different Approaches Available for SharePoint Online Migration?
There is no single right or wrong approach of SharePoint Migration Services from on-premises to online. Here are 5 different methods for SharePoint migration.
- The easiest approach is the manual transfer of files, libraries, contents, and other items from the on-premises infrastructure to SharePoint Online. This approach does not require additional licenses and is the easiest way provided there is not much content to be moved. However, the existing metadata for the content will be lost, and the process itself is labor-intensive.
- The second method is to simultaneously provide Office 365 users access to sites on SharePoint Online by allowing parallel migration of SharePoint sites and their contents. This is less complicated, simpler to train, and requires less transition. However, this can be done only when there is a downtime. Additionally, there are higher risks with this type of migration.
- The third approach is to move contents in a sequence. In this approach, people can work on both the source and destination SharePoint contents. It is ideal for complex scenarios but managing changes also becomes difficult with this process.
- The fourth migration process involves moving all the contents to Office 365 in one go and then incrementally add changes. Managing changes is easier with this approach. But you will need a tool that can identify and move the content.
- The last approach involves moving contents that are only associated with active accounts. This can help in reducing the movement of unnecessary data. However, it is more complex and requires organizations to maintain their existing environment.
Alternative to SharePoint Online Migration
SharePoint Online lacks some of the flexibility of the on-premises SharePoint servers. If you need the mobility of SharePoint Online with the flexibility of the classic SharePoint Server, you can opt for SharePoint hosting. As a Tier 1 Microsoft CSP, Apps4Rent virtualizes SharePoint on Azure WVD at promotional Azure Windows virtual desktop pricing. Contact us today for 24/7 phone, chat, and email assistance for SharePoint migration.
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