This includes the setting up of a detailed site structure, including site collections, subsites, document libraries, site navigation and related security infrastructure.

While we can theoretically store an unlimited amount of data on SharePoint Online, it’s vital to design the SharePoint site structure correctly so that we distribute the load equitably across the backend databases and services. With best practice always in mind, the design phase involves grouping and splitting folders at source, so that they can be mapped to corresponding document libraries at the destination.

SharePoint security works similarly to that of Active Directory. It can be configured to provide fine-grained access control at various levels in the SharePoint hierarchy. At its simplest, it involves creation of Security Groups, assigning permission levels like Full Control, Edit, Contribute, Read-Only to these Groups, adding users to these Security Groups. Finally, it involves modifying default security on entities like Sites, Libraries, Folders and Files so that the Security Groups, and the users who are part of these groups, have the right amount of access to these entities.

We use a specialist SharePoint migration tool such as AvePoint Fly or ShareGate, which will be installed on the migration PC or server. As AvePoint and Sharegate partners, the cost of these tools is included in your project. We run a series of migration jobs to migrate source content into the relevant SharePoint folders and libraries for the initial data migration.

After we have tested the security matrix and the initial copy of the data, we ask you to test these for yourself to ensure that it is configured the way you want. We typically deliver SharePoint admin training at this point, and if required, end-user training for how to work with SharePoint.

This stage involves getting a count of documents on SharePoint and matching them with the count of documents on the source machine. Even though we will have done a pre-migration analysis as part of Step 1 to identify potential issues, some files are usually left over after the migration. At this stage, we extract a list of these leftover files and discuss these with you to work around the limitations and try a re-upload.

Once everything is in place, we ask you for a preferred date for switchover, usually across a weekend. Since the initial data migration and verification stages detailed above could take a few weeks, the source data may have undergone some changes during this period. The objective of the final migration is to sync these changes across to SharePoint just prior to the switchover.

We remain available for a period of post-migration support should you need us.