What is Data Migration?
Data migration is the process of transferring data from one storage system or computing environment to another. This process is an essential step in migrating on-premises IT infrastructure to a cloud computing environment. Data migration is also necessary during merging and acquisitions if both companies are already using Cloud computing environments.
Data Migration Best Practices
Migrating a legacy system to a new technology is often led by a trained project manager and comprises many teams. They often demand a large amount of data and may be difficult to complete without previous planning. Here, we have listed data migration best practices that a company should follow before moving toward the entire migration process:
1. Planning or Assessment of Current Infrastructure
First, conduct a pre-migration assessment that is important before moving to a new environment or Office 365. This phase not only clears the targeting goals but also helps an organization, identify all data assets and associated risks. The key elements of the planning include:
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- Identify or determine all user accounts and data. Calculate the estimated data size and the number of user accounts you want to migrate.
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- Make a list of which file features to migrate (timestamps, version history, embedded links, external and shared links, etc.).
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- Choosing migration targets – You will identify whether to migrate to OneDrive, SharePoint Online, or both.
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- Converting source-specific files (like Lotus Notes) to Microsoft 365 formats.
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- Prepare a comprehensive migration timeline.
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- You should be aware of the constraints or certain limitations in Microsoft 365. Be attentive towards the data or file restrictions, such as the 400-character file path limit, unsupported special characters and restricted filenames.
Once you plan your data migration process roadmap, you will choose a data migration expert who will further help you and complete the entire migration setup.
2. Smooth Data Transition: Choose the Right Migration Tool or Service
Data migration is a challenging task for a company. Therefore, don’t rely on manual transfer methods and or self-service tools. Choose a competent or expert data migration provider for seamless migration and get rid of any future data handling problems.
A skilled data migration service provides various advantages:
Comprehensive Oversight: They can easily control the whole migration process.
Handle Different Migration Types: A migration expert has extensive knowledge in numerous migration circumstances or use cases.
Customize Solutions: They provide a variety of price plans as well as you can also buy a customizable solution.
Efficiency: They can manage enormous amounts of data and associated file characteristics.
Reduce Risk: They decrease hazards while maintaining strong security measures.
Long-Term Support or Future Maintenance: They offer continual help during the relocation.
To help you choose the right product, you can refer to our selection of software.
You can find a quality integrator on this Find A partner page.
3. Define the Migration Schedule
It is important for large companies that have large amounts of data for migration, to make sure that they have set proper timelines for each data migration phase. Early planning of all aspects of the migration process helps organizations in their bid to have a clear understanding and control over that process, whether it is delta migration, batch-wise migration or total migration.
4. Adopt Delta Migration Strategy
For those transitioning to Microsoft 365 while bringing with them a large volume of data, they would need to use a delta migration strategy. This method involves transferring incremental updates following the initial one-time migration. Make sure your data migration technology supports delta migration to maintain data synchronized.
5. Ensuring Effective User Onboarding
Migrating your email system or legacy system involves user onboarding. Businesses should prepare people for the new platform and give hands-on training before migrating to a new environment. The Microsoft 365 Early Adoption Program should include important professionals such as CTO, Operations Head, IT Managers/Team, and HR Managers/Executives.
6. Validating the Migration Plan
Validating the migration process after completion guarantees that objectives are fulfilled. This includes examining migration reports based on characteristics such as timing, data size, and user count. Execute your migration strategy while constantly monitoring the process to address any issues that occur.
For more information, this article defines a Data Migration Best practices framework
Conclusion
Migrating data to Microsoft 365 in a planned manner is an important part of improving both collaboration as well as access to information. The selection of an appropriate automated tool or service provider will not only save you some of your resources but also act as a smooth transitional medium for data migration to be effected in different organizations.
If you are searching for a reliable data migration provider, you can contact one of our preferate partner.
