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The Complete Guide to SharePoint Migrations with Movebot

SharePoint is one of the most popular destinations for cloud storage these days. For us at Movebot, moving to or from SharePoint is by far our most common migration, and we've invested efforts to make sure Movebot provides the best experience for moving SharePoint data. From migrating an on-prem server, switching cloud providers, moving data between tenants, or even moving data within the same tenant, Movebot makes SharePoint migrations simple.

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What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is Microsoft’s answer to storage. Originally installed on on-prem file servers, SharePoint has since been expanded to the cloud. While an on-prem version is still available, Microsoft is cutting support for older versions and focusing on a subscription version of On-Prem SharePoint and their cloud option, SharePoint Online.

The structure and setup of SharePoint is unique compared to other offerings like Dropbox and Google Workspace, so transitioning into effective use can sometimes take some time.

What is SharePoint

The term "SharePoint" can refer to two different products: SharePoint On-premises, and SharePoint Online, both of which are used for storage and collaboration for organizations.

Getting access to an individual user's OneDrive

Admins can migrate individual OneDrive accounts in the organization, but getting access at scale requires running a specific PowerShell script.

SharePoint Migration Tool Limitations

The SharePoint Migration Tool is a free tool for moving into SharePoint online but comes with several limitations in error handling, reporting, and scalability.

Restructuring data in SharePoint

Because of the way that SharePoint is structured and all of the different sites with different users having different permissions, data sprawl is common, and it can be hard to find important files.

It’s not uncommon for Enterprises to have multiple Hub sites, each with their own set of subsites for different departments and locations etc. Over time, sprawl can cause data to get disjointed and disconnected, and files can end up in the wrong place or duplicates can start being created. Even those duplicates can have duplicates, and when whole Sites are getting duplicated, getting a handle on where data is can feel impossible.

Having a clean data set is helpful for both users and Copilot, so restructuring data to fit best practices can help in several areas.

What is AI ready data?

Part of how AI models like Copilot work is by searching for specific markers in data. AI ready data is optimized for systems like Copilot so that it can deliver accurate, precise results.

Restructuring data to leverage AI

If data isn’t in an AI-ready state, restructuring data can help the organization get the most out of Copilot. There are a few ways to do this at scale such as archiving or migrating data.

Migrating TO SharePoint

With Movebot, you can migrate to SharePoint from any of the other supported cloud platforms. In general, this process is pretty easy: connect your source and your SharePoint account to Movebot, set up your transfers & choose what files you want to move, and run the jobs.

There are a few differences depending on what your source is due to the way that different platforms handle data and what limitations they have compared to SharePoint.

File server to SharePoint

Movebot changed on-prem to SharePoint migrations from something long, complicated and difficult to something simple, and straightforward and you can start moving files in minutes.

Google Workspace to SharePoint

Since Google Workspace has fewer restrictions than SharePoint, migrating from Google to SharePoint can be a challenge. But Movebot has the tough parts covered for you, automatically.

Box to SharePoint

There are some technical differences between Box and SharePoint that can make a migration to SharePoint a challenge if not handled properly. Movebot has them taken care of.

Egnyte to SharePoint

Egnyte to SharePoint Migrations aren't complex with Movebot, with fast and easy setup and a number of features to make sure all of your data moves across.

Dropbox to SharePoint

Proprietary filetypes like .paper can are left unusable with many migration tools. Not Movebot. Use automatic doctype conversion and other features to make Dropbox to SharePoint migrations simple.

Migrating FROM SharePoint

Because SharePoint architecture is different from other cloud storage platforms, it might seem like migrating out won’t work effectively. However, Movebot is prepared for all of these differences, with several SharePoint-specific options baked in to handle what would be complicated issues in other tools.

One important factor when moving out of SharePoint is rate limiting. Since this is done on Microsoft’s side, there’s limited ways to counter it, and as a result, SharePoint migrations tend to be slower than migrations from other platforms.

SharePoint to Google Workspace Migrations

While moving into Google Workspace is generally straightforward, there are a few things you can do to make sure the migration goes smoothly.

SharePoint to Box Migrations

Migrate between SharePoint and Box easily, quickly, and without breaking the bank. Let Movebot do the heavy lifting like moving users and handling errors.

SharePoint to Egnyte Migrations

Movebot makes the move from SharePoint to Egnyte simple with a number of checkpoints and features to help make the move a success.

SharePoint to Google Drive Migrations

Migrate sites, users, content, permissions, and versions with Movebot without complex manual configurations or losing data.

SharePoint to Dropbox Migrations

Movebot makes migrating from SharePoint to Dropbox simple by handling the complex parts of the migration for you automatically.

SharePoint to SharePoint migrations

Moving from Sharepoint to SharePoint should be an easy task. After all, there are no platform incompatibilities like filename or size differences to deal with. However, when dealing with large amounts of sites with multiple document libraries, moving data from SharePoint to SharePoint and making sure data ends up in the right place can get complicated fast.

Part of the Movebot process is data discovery and checks. Running a scan can let you know if there any potential issues before you start moving data with a description of the problem so you can make any required changes. Post-migration checks let you know if any files failed to move, and delta migrations can grab those along with any other new or updated files.

SharePoint to SharePoint migrations

SharePoint to SharePoint migrations could either be On-prem SharePoint to SharePoint online, migrating between SharePoint tenants, or reorganzing data within SharePoint. Movebot makes any option easy.

Migrating between SharePoint tenants

One situation that historically had been surprisingly challenging is moving data from SharePoint to SharePoint, but by following some best practices Movebot can make them simple.

Sharepoint migrations within the same tenant

A big enough SharePoint tenant can feel like broken pieces instead of a unified whole. Mass reorganization of data within SharePoint is possible with Movebot, but there are a few best practices you should follow to get the best results.

Setting up SharePoint migrations with Movebot

SharePoint is one of the more complex setups in Movebot, but it’s still not hard. It just takes a few more steps and an account with the right access levels. If you have everything, it still only takes a few minutes.

In fact, you can follow these steps and see exactly how to connect Movebot to SharePoint in this step-by-step guide.

SharePoint Ludicrous mode

The Movebot team developed SharePoint Ludicrous Mode to race past old limitations and unlock speeds unmatched by anyone else.

Connecting with Application Access

You can connect Movebot to SharePoint via Application access. This involves creating an application in Azure using an administrator account.

Customer Experiences with using Movebot for SharePoint Migrations

As one of our most popular platforms for migrations, a lot of customers have used Movebot for SharePoint migrations. Users are happy about lightning-fast, incredibly simple migrations and that it supports other platforms like Dropbox,Box, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

Along with speeds, users like that the support team is responsive and the tool is simple to use, making it a powerful SharePoint migration solution and the best solution for data migration when switching eco-systems.

Read more about what our customers have to say in our case studies below.

In Telecom - Case Study

On-prem to SharePoint

With a client expanding operations worldwide and an on-prem file server reaching its end of life, In-Telecom needed a data migration tool that was fast, reliable, and could move data from on-prem to SharePoint.

Catch A Fire - Case Study

11TB SharePoint to Dropbox

Creative agency Catch a Fire was looking to cut cloud storage costs so was planning an 11TB move from Sharepoint to Dropbox. Movebot handled it quickly without issues.

Ivy IT Solutions - Case Study

SharePoint to Dropbox

IT company Ivy IT Solutions was looking for a trustworthy partner to migrate 11TB of data from Sharepoint to Dropbox. Movebot was the perfect mix of ease and affordability.

Channel Program Category Leader Q4 23

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“Amazing tool for migrations!”

Fantastic experience... We were able to do a file migration for a high-priority / high-touch client and move them to Azure AD from their on-prem environment in approximately 48 hours. The scanning and the data move itself really felt seamless. Thank you so much for the tool and to your incredible team!

Gabriel, Channel Program Review

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“Great team, great product!”

We needed a tool for moving large data sets with detailed enough logging to give us confidence in the successful move of millions of files and folders. Previous tools we used choked on large data sets (>1TB or > 1 Million files) or the logging was too simplistic for us know find errors or have confidence in deleting the source data set at the end of the migration. Movebot solved this for us.

Rob, Channel Program Review

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“Favorite Migration Tool!”

The best part of Movebot is their account managers and support team. They are eager to help and provide migration solutions. Their product is amazing! No convoluted directions and steps to do a migration. You enter the source and destination account and let Movebot work their magic!

Dustin, Channel Program Review

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“A Game Changer In Data Migration”

Movebot.io emerges as a frontrunner in data migration tools. Its rapid data transfers, user-intuitive interface, and compatibility across cloud platforms mark it as a standout. Added security measures bolster data protection. In the realm of data migration, Movebot.io truly transforms the landscape, offering a streamlined and elevated experience.

Cody, Channel Program Review

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“When you put dedication, attention to detail and quality support, you get this.”

I tried several competitors, and there was always something: lack of human contact, price, quality, speed, etc. I started looking around and ended up meeting with the VP of Sales for Movebot, he jumped on a call, and we went over the product, capability, and next steps and WOW. I have been using Movebot for a while now, and to be honest, there is no one out there doing the job the way they do.

Edgar, Channel Program Review

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“Simple to use – outstanding support”

Movebot's support team was legendary in their quick responses and willingness to jump on a video conference to talk through how to resolve the problems. They have deep knowledge of their product and of the file storage platforms their solution is built for. We can approach future migrations with a lot less trepidation – given the accuracy and speed of Movebot, but especially because of their support team.

Anthony, Channel Program Review

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“The best solution for data migration when switching ecosystems.”

It works. The interface is smooth and easy to learn and understand. Better yet, an engineer walks you through your first setup and makes sure that whatever you are trying to do (migrate a large sum of files from Dropbox to Google Drive) is set up correctly. This comes with the knowledge of not just the tool, but the nuances that make working with two different platforms and their respective limitations. An example of this was the engineer knowing that Google has a limit on file size, so they offered a workaround instead of having me try it out, let it fail, get frustrated, and then try again. They turned a stressful situation into a non-stress thanks to their technical proficiency and ability to talk to me as a customer/client to meet my needs. Can't speak highly enough of this company.

Mike, G2 Review

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