How To Perform SharePoint Migration To Office 365 (SharePoint Online)

Your choice to migrate from an on-premise SharePoint farm to Office 365 represents a strategic decision. This guide explores expert approaches and comprehensive knowledge regarding this transition process.

Microsoft SharePoint has long served as the preferred collaboration and document management solution across organizations of all sizes. It effectively manages business documents, designs, blueprints, contracts, videos, and performance reports. Companies typically establish separate SharePoint intranet portals for different departments within their on-premise farms, enabling cross-departmental collaboration.

Microsoft introduced SharePoint Online in 2013 as part of Office 365 subscriptions. Since Microsoft hosts SharePoint Online on its infrastructure, organizations eliminate the need to maintain their own servers. This cloud version includes modern capabilities and Microsoft app integration, allowing teams to collaborate more efficiently whether working remotely or in offices.

Key features include SharePoint Framework extensions compatibility, responsive design across devices, Office 365 Groups, Yammer integration, Outlook integration, and automation apps. SharePoint Online provides immediate access to online document editors including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

Reasons to Migrate From SharePoint On-Premise to Office 365

SharePoint Online, included in Office 365 subscriptions, effectively replaces on-site SharePoint infrastructure for sites, automated workflows, and apps.

1. Seamless Integration

Office 365 productivity apps integrate directly into SharePoint Online:

• Creating a new Microsoft Teams team automatically links a new SharePoint site
• The Notebook menu option provides instant OneNote access

2. Instant Updates

Microsoft automatically applies SharePoint Online updates without system downtime. Updates operate in the background, preventing workflow disruptions or app interruptions.

SharePoint Online users immediately see news updates, content changes, and newly uploaded documents without requiring complex server configuration.

3. Collaboration and Teamwork

SharePoint features supporting task delegation, project schedules, progress tracking, document management, and dedicated apps foster collaborative work environments.

SharePoint Online supports touchscreen controls, enabling frontline workers and remote employees to function using smartphones and low-speed internet connections.

Getting Started With SharePoint On-Premise to SharePoint Online Migration

Proper planning prevents migration failures. Expert SharePoint consulting teams typically follow a strategy involving:

1. The migration process consumes substantial internet bandwidth, necessitating execution during off-peak hours
2. Manage any download or upload restrictions according to total data transfer volume
3. Evaluate existing on-premise farms for third-party web parts, content structure effectiveness, automated processes, and workflow customizations
4. Engage SharePoint experts capable of executing reliable, secure migrations following industry standards
5. Review existing data privacy and compliance policies, establishing equivalent or improved governance rules for the new environment
6. Understand that SharePoint Online includes automatic data backups every 12 hours, retained for 14 days
7. Recognize that deleted documents or sites remain recoverable for up to 93 days; robust backup systems require manual PowerShell scripts

Make a Detailed Inventory of Your SharePoint On-Premise Assets

SharePoint on-premise farm inventory management and content discovery represent essential migration components.

Over time, on-site farms accumulate gigabytes of documents, files, images, and conversations. Large farms should not migrate entirely at once. Instead, discover all content to devise phase-wise migration strategies.

Prioritize migrating essential workflows, automated processes, and indispensable content. Archive existing farm data as master backups and retain this backup until confirming the new environment contains all necessary data, content, workflows, and apps.

Create an Excel spreadsheet inventory tracking the following assets:

1. SharePoint site collections (Team sites, Communications sites, etc.)
2. Site pages
3. All lists and libraries
4. Company branding elements (logos, color palettes)
5. Custom SharePoint solutions
6. Automated SharePoint workflows
7. UI customizations (custom menus, JavaScript)
8. Content permissions, user groups, user access levels
9. Notifications and email alerts
10. Document retention policies
11. Linking URLs and file dependencies
12. SharePoint site columns and content types
13. SharePoint apps

Filter Out Anything Unnecessary

Avoid migrating irrelevant and unwanted data to the new SharePoint Online environment. Eliminating unnecessary files enables successful migration while reducing data transfer volume, simplifying phase-wise migration efforts.

Expert recommendations for removing undesirable data include:

1. Identify and delete orphaned user profiles
2. Locate and remove empty SharePoint groups
3. Assign appropriate groups for users holding explicit permissions
4. Identify and remove unused digital assets (custom content, workflows, site columns)
5. Discuss with stakeholders whether to retain unused, unmodified, and outdated sites
6. Request users check in checked-out files from document libraries, enabling migration of latest versions only
7. Consider reorganizing larger libraries or lists
8. Identify and remove duplicate entries
9. Divide large site collections into multiple collections
10. Promote large sites into site collections
11. Audit version history and delete unwanted versions
12. Simplify libraries or lists containing excessive columns

Prepare the SharePoint Online Environment

SharePoint Online may not support all on-premise custom solutions, though alternatives typically exist.

Different Office 365 subscriptions offer varying content migration features. Development teams must audit all plans to select the appropriate option.

Preparation steps include:

1. Match SharePoint Online architecture with on-premise architecture as closely as possible
2. Perform test migration with small data loads
3. Identify unsupported SharePoint components and replace accordingly
4. Run customized solutions in SharePoint Online environments
5. Replace non-functional custom solutions with SharePoint apps or custom automation

Methods to Migrate Data from SharePoint On-Premise to Office 365

1. Manual Migration

Using SharePoint Explorer view service allows file-by-file transfers. This approach lacks recommendation for active businesses and risks losing valuable document metadata.

2. SharePoint Import Migration API

Office 365 Migration API represents an automated, superior alternative to manual migration. Create a migration package, send it to an Azure environment, and execute according to your chosen schedule.

However, this process requires substantial business input and lacks suitability for most organizations.

3. Third-Party Migration Tools

Various SharePoint Online migration tools exist, requiring professional operators for successful enterprise migration. Tool selection depends on your specific business context.

Conclusion

A flawless migration from SharePoint On-Premise to Office 365 requires top-tier tools, processes, and expert developers who can migrate all solutions and customize or replace components unsupported by SharePoint Online. This ensures smooth transitions for cloud, hybrid, or on-premise business solutions.