Migration to Office365

Hi, I am back with a short summary post on some thoughts regarding SharePoint migration from on-premise to Office365 (the cloud).

So here are some lessons and thoughts for you to consider:

You could make use of this moment and do a cleanup and do not just migrate everything.

Start fresh where possible with the new tools provided by Office 365 like modern site pages etc.
Then migrate only the data that is really still in use.
Keep the migration mostly to the data itself, less to the setup.

Avoid to much customization where possible with Office365.

In the cloud you best go much more with the flow of the Microsoft developments because you can not always choose for changes not to be applied and at some point they are pushed by Microsoft anyway.

Start with the basics like your intranet and hub pages, metadata and get your libraries and lists up and running again.

If you have complex workflows and InfoPath forms, reconsider them. Start with: the minimum we need is the maximum we get(start implementing). And work on from there in agile/scrum like sprints building with the new blocks provided by Office365.

The challenge in switching to Office365 is also in the user training.

Getting the users and yourself understand the dynamics of working in the Cloud, with constant changes, new features and access on all your devices is at least half of the success story.

Another challenge is Cloud performance.

You have to realize that with Office365 ALL YOUR DATA GOES OVER YOUR WEB ACCESS. This can really be an issue speaking from experience. Slow loading pages or lists is not uncommon and can make users irritated.

Also avoid putting to much time in creating your own manuals

Custom manuals  get outdated before you know it. Go with the training documentation/videos provided on the web by Microsoft and the wonderful bloggers out there. Focus on a way users can easily find/go to this available and constantly updated information.

Hope this helps you plan your migration, enjoy and success!

Author: Martinus Hamers

Hi, My Name is Martinus and I am a self made Office365, focus on SharePoint Online and Teams, administrator and architect. I have been spending my time the last years with an international organisation as a functional application manager for SharePoint Online providing administration, architecture, setup, providing training info and updates and second line support tasks for all the global sites worldwide. View all posts by Martinus Hamers