Migrating from SharePoint to Dropbox doesn't have to be a challenge. While getting data out of SharePoint hasn't always been straightforward, Movebot transformed data migrations into a simple task and made them incredibly fast at the same time. With several checks and features to make sure all your data gets from SharePoint to Dropbox quickly, Movebot makes migrations easy so teams can switch platforms with confidence.
Why move to Dropbox?
If you're considering migrating from SharePoint to Dropbox but haven't made the final decision yet, there are few reasons why moving to Dropbox could be the right choice for your organization. With impressive file size limits, collaboration features, and advanced sharing, Dropbox is a great choice for teams that need to work together at the same time, especially when they're not in the same location.
Collaboration features
One thing Dropbox does really well is collaboration features. Dropbox Paper is their main way of doing this. Using a special .paper file, users can login and access the file from anywhere and work on it at the same time. Dropbox Paper can be used for a bunch of different scenarios, with templates for a lot of common use cases like creative briefs, brainstorming, meeting notes, and plans.
Dropbox has recently started adding features focused on video as well. Dropbox Capture allows for quick recording and screensharing with files saved automatically to cloud storage. Replay allows making notes, comments, and drawings on video files so users can quickly make suggestions and fixes to help videos get approved and finalized faster.
Sharing and backup
Along with collaboration features, Dropbox continues to improve sharing and backup features. Team Folders let users automatically share files with groups who need access, while restricting access to other users. Backup can automatically back up devices connected to Dropbox to the cloud so no data is lost. DocSend and Sign allow for secure document sending and tracking with the option to request and add signatures. Dropbox has many methods to share and backup files, and are constantly iterating and adding more methods.
Preparing to migrate from SharePoint to Dropbox
When it comes to migrations, Movebot will do a lot of the hard parts for you, so there isn't much you have to do in ways of preparation. However, some organizations would rather make changes to their data manually instead of having a tool do it for them, and when this is the case it's helpful to know how SharePoint and Dropbox handle data differently.
File Size Limits
Many platforms have a hard max upload limit for single files of 250GB. This is the case for SharePoint, which won't take file sizes larger than 250GB. Dropbox has a much larger limit, with a 350GB maximum when uploading on dropbox.com and an impressive 2 TB when uploading via the Desktop app or Mobile app. Since Dropbox has the larger limits and is the destination for this migration, file size limits shouldn't be an issue in most cases.
Storage Limits
Since SharePoint is often used by enterprises, there can be massive amounts of data. SharePoint has a maximum of 25 TB per site and up to 2 million sites per organization, which means basically limitless data. So how does Dropbox compare?
The Advanced tier on Dropbox starts at 15 TB for the team, with an additional 5TB per user. With this kind of data allowance, it's unlikely that storage limits will be a concern, but if that does become a problem Dropbox also has an Enterprise plan with bespoke pricing that has no limit on storage along with live support and enterprise-grade security.
Migrating from SharePoint to Dropbox with Movebot
With a lot of similarities in restrictions and limits and no proprietary doctypes to worry about, SharePoint to Dropbox migrations are simple with Movebot. All you need to do is connect both platforms, decide what data to move, and run your migration while Movebot handles the rest.
Connecting Dropbox and SharePoint to Movebot
Setting up SharePoint the first time takes a few extra steps, but once you've made the connection you can use it over any number of migrations. To connect to SharePoint, log in to Movebot and choose to create a new connection. Choose SharePoint from the list, and you'll be prompted with two options to connect.
If possible, we recommend connecting with Delegated Access, which tends to have better performance with SharePoint migrations. For that, all you need is to include the SharePoint Domain you want to migrate from, and then connect to the account. We recommend connecting as a Global Administrator to make sure that you have the right access permission to move files.
When it's not possible to connect via Delegated Access, the other option is to connect with Application Access. For this, you'll still need the SharePoint Domain, as well as the Tenant Domain, Application Client ID, and Application Client secret. This requires creating an application and assigning appropriate scopes. To find out more, see SharePoint via Application Access.
For Dropbox, the process is straightforward. Create a new connection, choose Dropbox, and then authorize with OAuth. Like with SharePoint, we recommend connecting as an Admin to be able to see and move all folders and files.
Setting up a project
With your platforms connected, you can set up the migration. Choose the connections and then go through the project settings. One standout feature of Movebot is the option to ignore and exclude files and folders from being transferred. What this means is that you don't have to move the entire contents of the SharePoint site into the Dropbox account; you can move only what you actually want instead.
This provides you with several advantages. First, you can use less storage space in Dropbox. Another is that you can keep the Dropbox account cleaner by leaving out files that won't ever be opened. And it also means less data to transfer, which will lower the migration cost too. Filters include file creation date, modtime, extensions, and more.
Movebot also lets you transform data as part of the migration process if you want to modify file names while you move. You can let Movebot automatically update duplicate file names or remove incompatible characters, but you can also set custom naming rules if you want to make widescale changes. For SharePoint to Dropbox migrations, SharePoint has more character limitations than Dropbox, so moving into Dropbox shouldn't be an issue there, but you can still transform files at scale with these features.
Other settings include setting a data processing region, choosing to set email notifications when a significant migration event happens, and more. While the default settings are recommended in most cases, you can fine-tune them to meet the needs of your specific project.
Once you have everything set up you can start the migration.
Migrations from SharePoint to Dropbox
After the main project is set up, you'll notice that Movebot does migrations a bit differently. The main difference is that large migrations can be split into smaller transfers, all the way down to the folder level. This means you can move the most important files first, or exclude certain folders from being moved entirely.
Your migration can be split into as many smaller transfers as you want. And since Movebot copies the files instead of moving them, users never have to stop working at the source. Instead, advanced delta migrations will pick up any files that don't exist in Dropbox or that have a later modtime in SharePoint, isolate those, and only move those across. Delta migrations can also be used to rerun failures and attempt to move only failed files without having to move any files that migrated successfully.
While the migration is running, you'll gain access to the Performance Tracker. This gives you live stats about how the current transfer is going including the number of files moved and the amount of data migrated. You can use this to make sure everything is on track and going as expected, and if not, reach out to our expert Support team who will be happy to take a look for you.
With a SharePoint to Dropbox migration, you should expect to see something in the low TBs per day moved, but that can vary depending on how many files you have and the size of files. The same amount of data with fewer, larger files will be faster to move than that amount with more, smaller files.
Movebot makes migrating from SharePoint to Dropbox easy
There's a better way to do SharePoint to Dropbox migrations with Movebot. There's no infrastructure to set up, virtual machines to manage, or anything like that. Simply connect your platforms, choose your settings, and let Movebot do the rest. Interested in other SharePoint migrations with Movebot? See The Complete Guide to SharePoint Migrations with Movebot.
If you want to see how simple moving from SharePoint to Dropbox can be, register for an account with Movebot and try it for yourself. Every new account gets 50GB of free data to use to see how Movebot works. Run some tests and find out how much easier migrations are for yourself. Register for an account now to get started.
