Skip to main content
SharePoint Consulting⬆️SharePoint Service

SharePoint Migration Services

Enterprise SharePoint migration for organizations retiring on-premises servers, consolidating tenants after M&A, or leaving Google Drive, Box, or aging file shares behind. Al Rafay Consulting plans, executes, and validates the move so teams land in SharePoint Online with content, security, and history intact, without losing metadata, permissions, or version history.

13+ years
of Microsoft 365 and SharePoint migration delivery
300+
enterprise engagements completed
100%
client retention
3x
Microsoft Solutions Partner
SharePoint Migration Services

Why SharePoint Migration Projects Go Wrong

Most failed migrations don't fail on the move itself, they fail on what happens before and after it. Permissions get flattened into "everyone can edit." Version history disappears because a tool copied only the latest file. Users lose confidence in the new environment within a week because search doesn't return the same results it used to.

A SharePoint Online migration is a data-integrity project first and a file-transfer project second. That ordering is what separates a clean cutover from a support queue full of "where did my document go."

Our Services

Migration Scenarios We Handle

On-Premises SharePoint to SharePoint Online

For organizations retiring SharePoint Server ahead of end-of-support deadlines, or moving off a hybrid setup entirely.

  • Site collections, libraries, lists, and content types mapped to their SharePoint Online equivalents
  • Workflows and customizations assessed individually, rebuilt in Power Automate where the source used SharePoint Designer or InfoPath, and retired where they're no longer used
  • On-premises permission groups mapped to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), not recreated as flat, over-permissioned groups
  • Full version history and metadata carried over, not just the current file version

Tenant-to-Tenant Migration

For mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or consolidating multiple Microsoft 365 tenants into one.

  • Coordinated migration of SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams content across tenant boundaries
  • Identity remapping so permissions resolve correctly in the target tenant instead of breaking on cutover
  • Coexistence planning so both tenants can operate during the transition window without users losing access mid-project
  • Domain and DNS cutover sequenced to avoid mail flow and collaboration interruptions

Legacy File Shares to SharePoint Online

For organizations retiring on-premises file servers or removing VPN dependency for remote access.

  • Folder-and-file ACLs translated into SharePoint Online permission groups, not just "shared with everyone who had access before"
  • Folder structures analyzed and converted into managed metadata and content types, so files are findable by more than folder path
  • Stale, duplicate, and orphaned content flagged for archival before it gets migrated, so you're not paying to move data nobody uses

Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox to Microsoft 365

For teams standardizing on Microsoft 365 and leaving another cloud content platform behind.

  • Sharing permissions and link types mapped to their closest SharePoint Online equivalent, checked individually rather than bulk-converted
  • Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides converted to Office formats without losing formatting or embedded objects
  • Comment and revision history preserved wherever the source platform's API exposes it
Our Approach

Our Migration Methodology

Assessment & Audit

We inventory every source in scope, site collections, libraries, file shares, or the third-party platform, and document its size, structure, permissions, and any customizations or workflows that won't migrate cleanly as-is. This produces a scoped migration plan with a realistic timeline and a named list of risks, not a generic project template.

Strategy & Mapping

We build the source-to-target map: which source library becomes which SharePoint Online site or library, how metadata fields translate, and how permission groups resolve in the target environment. This mapping is what a migration tool actually executes against, so getting it wrong here is what causes broken links and missing content later.

Migration Execution

Content moves in phases, not in one all-or-nothing cutover. We select tooling based on source, volume, and complexity, and run migrations in scheduled waves to keep business operations running while the move is in progress.

Testing & Delta Sync

Before final cutover, we validate that document counts, metadata, permissions, and version history match between source and target. Delta syncs then capture anything users changed in the source system after the initial bulk migration, so nobody's most recent edits get left behind.

Go-Live & Adoption

Final cutover happens in a scheduled window with the source system set to read-only to prevent last-minute drift. We run a post-migration validation pass to confirm the target environment is complete and correct, then provide a short hypercare period focused specifically on migration-related issues as users start working in the new environment.

Risk & Security

Risk Mitigation & Security

  1. Zero data loss guarantee.

    Every migration is validated against source counts, checksums, and metadata before we call it complete, not spot-checked after the fact.

  2. Permissions preserved, not flattened.

    Source permissions are mapped individually to their SharePoint Online equivalent. We don't default to open sharing to make a migration easier to execute.

  3. Minimal downtime.

    Phased migration waves combined with delta sync mean the final cutover window is short, measured in hours, not days, because the bulk of content already moved before go-live.

  4. Compliance and governance continuity.

    Retention labels, sensitivity labels, and legal holds that applied to content in the source system are carried through to SharePoint Online, so your compliance posture doesn't reset on migration day.

Tooling Stack

Migration Tooling & Technical Stack

Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT)

for straightforward file share and SharePoint-to-SharePoint moves

ShareGate

for permission-heavy migrations and larger content volumes where mapping accuracy matters

AvePoint (Fly, DocAve)

for tenant-to-tenant and large-scale enterprise migrations requiring granular control and reporting

Quest (Metalogix)

for legacy on-premises SharePoint and complex file share migrations

PowerShell and PnP PowerShell/CSOM scripting

for custom validation checks, automated delta syncs, and edge cases the standard tooling doesn't cover out of the box

Proven Results

Proven on Complex, Large-Scale Migrations

Al Rafay Consulting has migrated large, document-heavy environments into SharePoint Online while preserving metadata, version history, and permissions throughout. That rigor extends from our broader document-centric engineering work, including managing 700K+ documents on our own DocuArc platform, which is why our migration validation process checks content integrity at a level most migration vendors skip.

  • That same document-centric discipline has translated into measurable client outcomes elsewhere in our Microsoft 365 practice, including $104K/yr in average annual savings for clients on related engagements.
  • We're a 3x Microsoft Solutions Partner recognized on the Inc. 5000 (#749) and Inc. Regionals (#57) lists, with 300+ Microsoft 365 engagements delivered and 100% client retention. We work out of our Chicago (Bolingbrook, IL) and Karachi offices, with support coverage across time zones for migrations that need off-hours execution windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a SharePoint migration take?

It depends on content volume, source complexity, and how much customization needs to be rebuilt rather than moved as-is. A single file share migration can take a few weeks; a multi-tenant, multi-terabyte on-premises migration can run several months in phased waves. We size the timeline during the assessment phase, not before we've seen the environment.

Will we lose version history or metadata during the move?

Not if the migration is scoped correctly. Standard tooling can copy only the current file version if it's not configured to pull history — our migration plan explicitly validates version count and metadata fields between source and target before we consider a wave complete.

Can you migrate from Google Drive or Box directly into Microsoft 365?

Yes. We map source sharing permissions to their SharePoint Online equivalent and handle file format conversion for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as part of the migration, rather than leaving that cleanup for your team after the fact.

What happens to our existing permissions after migration?

Source permissions are mapped individually to SharePoint Online security groups tied to Microsoft Entra ID. We don't collapse complex permission structures into broad "everyone" access just to simplify the migration.

Do you support tenant-to-tenant migrations after an acquisition or divestiture?

Yes. This includes identity remapping, coexistence planning so both tenants can operate during the transition, and a cutover sequence designed to avoid mail flow and collaboration disruptions.

Let's Build Something Great

Ready to Plan Your SharePoint Migration?

Get a scoped assessment of your source environment, a realistic timeline, and a source-to-target migration plan before you commit to a cutover date.

Request a Migration AssessmentExplore SharePoint Consulting
No obligationResponse within 24 hoursInc. 5000 #749