Office 365 Migration Best Practices & Challenges 2023

With the evolving increase in cloud-based technology, more and more businesses are switching to Office 365 for a successful migration. However, migrating files and systems to this M365 source can be quite challenging where employees feel out of the loop whenever there is a change from the old to new communication systems, poor data security plus completing overall migration without proper tools can take weeks to several months.

Did you know? Post-2020, over 75% of IT management companies chose Office 365 as their core business productivity platform that improves collaboration, communication, knowledge sharing and productivity abilities. Interestingly! Microsoft observed a 21% growth in users, especially office 365 alone scaling to more than 258 million active users.

Executing a seamless Office 365 migration is a great way to ensure minimal risks, error detection or data loss providing complete security and governance. Whereas, migrating information to office 365 source is a simple and hassle-free process that easily moves data or content from any office 365 version.

With its effective smart features that prevail secure, safe, and worthwhile experience throughout M365 suites. This blog articulates the best practices of Office 365 migration that will ensure how organizations can avoid the pitfalls and offer a wide range of migration solutions.

Office 365 migration:

Microsoft Office 365 has emerged being one of the most essentially used business productivity tools that build your way to digital transformation. Thus, migrating data to M365 is not as easy as it sounds.

However, with an ample amount of planning and execution, organizations can seamlessly migrate to a powerful, stable, and well-automated office 365 migration tool. This allows swift transition of data or content for end-to-end users among various on-premises M365 and any SharePoint versions with a quick, smooth, and stress-free migration process.

Data says – 85% of C-suite executives observed steady growth in workplace productivity and engagement with the smartly integrated office 365 migration tool, which accelerates the future of digital transformation.

Why organizations need to migrate to Office 365:

Office 365 migration is creating a lot of buzz for large- and small-scale enterprises. The recent trends suggest that more than 75% of IT organizations are increasingly comfortable with the idea of using cloud-based migration platforms to drive business productivity and boost workplace collaboration.

The 3 common factors for organizations migrating to Office 365 are as follows:

1. Office 365 migration platform offers high security with advanced error detection and threat protection for swift transfer of data assessment.
2. Ensure a smooth migration experience from a single user interface to another source in one go.
3. Discover corporate data or content across a hybrid environment with specialized policy, security management tools and workflow systems

Office 365 best practices while eliminating major challenges:

A myriad of workplace stress can crop up an organization if there isn’t any specified data software system installed. However, trends show that post-2020, Microsoft Office 365 platform has been announced as the most-used business productivity application for versatile and high-speed data migration.

Over the years M365 migration has witnessed exponential growth but still, businesses are facing major problems to migrate data successfully. These challenges mainly reflect the hybrid environment, security and compliance, potential migration efficiency and cost optimization. While the complex migration fears are authentic, organizations need to map out a clear plan of action that assures the uncertainties are curtailed and challenges are put to rest.

With the verge to utilize M365 migration at your workplace, users need to follow and exercise office 365 best practices that will ensure successful on-prem migration goals. Incorporating these solutions at your workplace will advance your digital transformation journey, opening doors to new opportunities and implementations like never before.

So, hop in the migration journey as we list out the Office 365 migration best practices to overcome the top challenges in each phase.

Challenge 1: Migration Decision and Planning

While migrating data to office 365, organizations need to define a roadmap and plan the right type of migration that suits the workplace culture. However, poor definitive decision and planning process leads to the existence of irrelevant data that occupies unnecessary storage space and maximizes data error and risks.

Solution: Data Inventory 

A robust data inventory with clearly defined metadata is the first step towards adopting data-driven organizational characteristics. Preparing inventory reports allows companies to simplify, assign and review relevant and unwanted data. For instance, first – what data can be migrated? Second – where it should be migrated? And lastly – what data can be archived.

Inventory generates analyses and reports of overall assets concerning Office 365 lists, libraries. At the end of these reports, users can also customize the migration behavior based on the required data to be migrated. Therefore, this practice also helps in designating quality data collection, breaks down critical decision-making process and enhances performance management that contributes to productivity and transparency.

Challenge 2: Minimization of Downtime Loss

Organizations switching from an on-premises exchange server to an office 365 environment could face mid-way hurdles, especially for admins as they enable to manage mailbox during the process of migration which usually leads to causing downtime data loss.

Solution: Execute Schedule Migration

If businesses are ready with a proper migration plan and strategy, then the next stage direct towards eliminating the downtime data loss. This does wonders with only one solution by using a “Migration Scheduler”.

This tool acts like a one-time event that ensures daily attempted tasks are scheduled at a certain timeframe until the first replication begins and ends successfully. Therefore, mapping out the overall understanding of the migration process and scheduling them beforehand to acquire a more seamless and error-free experience.

Challenge 3: Insufficient Bandwidth

Several organizations face a huge amount of data loss while migrating. Many reasons can be associated but a common factor that causes shorter bandwidth is long migration processes or inconsistency in the migration tools. Thus, scheduling is a great way for time-efficient migration avoiding any minute errors. But sometimes scheduling complex data generates delays in migration and performance. So, are you wondering about the solution? We got you covered!

Solution: Integration with third-party apps

A simple, easy, and stress-free way to optimize this challenge can be solved by pre-evaluating third-party app integration which is specifically designed to regulate Office 365 data migration process. It becomes essential to assess business productivity applications that are locally integrated with third-party platforms.

This helps to pre-define the nature of migration even before generating it as well as maintain the consistency of the tools to a version that is more compatible and directs workflow interaction of all third-party apps more efficiently.

Challenge 4: Speed Constraint

When it comes to Office 365 migration – efficiency and throttling issues of tool consistency are the key concerns. In such cases, migrating data to office 365 hampers the quality of data collected and cause poor performance management for the users. Thus, to eliminate this issue, organizations should leverage the Azure account that boosts faster migration speed like never before.

Solution: Super-fast turbo mode

Office 365 is one of the most in-demand tools for migration that deliver faster and easier turbo mode features that provide a 100% high-speed migration process within no time. While the migration process is happening, all you can do is sit back, relax, and enjoy quick and hassle-free turbo migration.

Note: If a user does not have access to the Azure account, they can’t proceed further with turbo mode.

Challenge 5: Migrating error setbacks:

Any data loss or error can collapse your overall data migration process like a house of cards. This includes potential roadblocks like failed migration, poor user adoption of new systems, lack of pre-standardization during migration and more. To put an end to this setback, we have compiled a best practice you could follow.

Solution: Executing Risk mitigation plan: 

1. Pre-migration analysis: Once you have the data organized for migration, you are supposed to conduct a pre-migration analysis. This analysis helps in giving accurate reports of the errors that might occur at the time of migration. However, the analysis derived from the report gives the users a clear understanding of the factors that lead to migration failure. Thus, this enables you to fix any expected errors before the actual migration so that at the time of actual migration you can run the process smooth and error-free without any risk.

2. Post-migration checklist: When the migration process is complete, it does not just end there. Multiple areas need to be re-checked and evaluated manually on the content migrated to the new destination. To ease out this complex process, a post-migration checklist provides a feature where you can compare the source with the migrated content and in the end, generate a detailed analysis of any difference in the data. The features efficiently notify the users of any error detection in the report. Therefore, ensuring zero data loss while migration and if any error arises is retained and can be rectified.

Challenge 6: No Pre-defined Migration Script:

Few organizations are still not sure of what type of migration is needed to move into an office 365 environment. Thus, it becomes very crucial to set a pre-defined goal to achieve successful migration. No proper scripting can disrupt the whole migration process and leave no room for any kind of customizations.

Solution: All-in-one streamlined Power-shell: 

PowerShell module enables users to switch from a complex manual script to a hassle-free scripting process with personalization. It provides an all-in-one feature that consists of a command-line and scripting language that efficiently streamlines custom migration requirements. Hence, enhancing the scripting environment and eliminating any migration problems.

Challenge 7: Hybrid Environment

Hybrid migration processes are ideal for workplaces that are of large databases and require an on-prem migration online exchange server to co-exist. In such scenarios, organizations that move a fraction of their cloud data with inadequate integration of tools makes the whole process quite challenging. Thus, increasing the risk of downtime loss, lack of speed and migration efficiency.

Solution: Office 365 Migration Prerequisites

Businesses need to enable a suitable Active Directory Synchronization by implementing single sign-on. However, the deployment of a hybrid setup will provide complete access to the Office 365 features that support Azure AD Connect sync.

*Note: Office 365 home and business plans do not support hybrid deployment.

Migrating office 365 best performance with Saketa Migrator

Saketa, a dedicated migration tool has the power to transform the complete M365 solution. Our migrator platform empowers organizations by allowing its workforce to schedule data, content migration with minimal disruption. This data migration software highlights the quick transfer of any enterprise files, documents, to the desired storage location for a risk-free, efficient migration experience.

Over the years we have put our best foot forward to integrate smart migration features that offers a wide array of options that provide users access to customize their spot-on migration and get great potential results.

Here’s a quick glimpse of how the Saketa migrator has evolved. Check out the best-in-class Saketa migrator features you don’t want to miss.

Top-notch features offered by Saketa Migrator: 

• Track and Monitor Insightful data-driven migration
• Ready-to-use tool for users to navigate efficient M365 migration modes
• Automate cloud data migration with zero code method
• Limitless high-speed migration from one tenant to the source of destination.
• A comprehensive universal data migration facility is made simple and easy.
• Import large excel files to Office 365 list
• Plan, execute and enjoy with the Saketa scheduler

The Bottom Line:

Ensure a good plan of action for your office 365 migration and choose the tool that amplify and fulfills your workplace requirements and implement successful adoption rate.

To find out more on how to leverage Office 365 migration for smooth and stress-free business process. Check out our blog that will guide you through the effective M365 migration checklist.