Challenges of Data Migration in OneDrive for Business

Transferring data between OneDrive for Business accounts can be time-consuming and a complex process. In this article, we have discussed what OneDrive for Business is, The different types of plans offered by Microsoft,  the challenges that users face while transferring data, and what the solutions are for hassle-free migration of data.

Why Data Transfer in OneDrive for Business Complex?

Like any other software, Microsoft OneDrive has its strengths and weaknesses. While it is a popular cloud solution with abilities to store, sync, and share files across all devices, it does come with a set of challenges especially while shifting from one plan to the other and moving OneDrive files of the users.  

What is OneDrive for Business? 

OneDrive for Business is a cloud-based storage service. By default, it integrates into Windows, and users can choose and upgrade their plans according to their needs.

The scale at which organizations function is very large and demands a huge variety of data along with functionalities such as sharing files, letting all team members get access, collaborating, sharing files, and doing much more with the data stored in the cloud. 

OneDrive for Business allows users to share and make backups of files, photos, and documents across all other devices. Users can easily access, edit, and organize their files from any device, and these changes will be available across all other devices, even when offline.

OneDrive for Business serves as a dynamic platform where business users can collaborate on projects and share files seamlessly.

What are the Different Plans of OneDrive for Business? 

For enterprise customers, Microsoft offers OneDrive for business which is a standalone product that is separate from Microsoft 365 but includes Office Online. There are many features offered by OneDrive for business such as multi-factor authentication, auditing and reporting capabilities, and built-in compliance standards. 

OneDrive for Business offers 3 different plans at 3 different prices. It includes:  

1. Business Plan 1 – 1TB 
2. Microsoft 365 Business Basic – 1TB with more features than Business Plan 1 
3. Microsoft 365 Business Standard – 1TB with more features than Microsoft 365 Business Basic. 

Issues Related to OneDrive Data Migration

Since there are many different plans offered by Microsoft, it becomes quite a challenge for the user to choose a plan that fits their needs. Moreover, when a user wants to shift from the current plan that they are using to a different plan, Microsoft officially has no migration tool in place to help make this process easier and faster for the user. 

Some of the problems that users face are: 

1. Storage Limitations: Migrating between plans by users can be challenging if they have a large amount of data stored, and since there are many plans offered by Microsoft, users will eventually need to upgrade their plans when they run out of storage. 
2. Complex Migration Process: The migration process between different plans can be complex and time-consuming. Users would be required to transfer a huge amount of data while ensuring the integrity is maintained while the migration is being taken place. 
3. Syncing Challenges: Syncing data between all the devices and syncing data among the different OneDrive plans can be challenging. Users can face inconsistencies and delays which can be confusing. 
4. Data privacy and security concerns: While the migration is taking place, users may be concerned about the safety and privacy of their data. Unauthorized access to the files during the transfer process may be a concern. 
5. Loss of file metadata: Data such as file modification date and time, creation date and time may not always transfer accurately during the migration. This can lead to confusion, especially for users who rely on this metadata to organize files. 

Also Read: How to Switch Between OneDrive Accounts?

Challenges of Data Migration in OneDrive for Business

Here are some of the challenges that are faced by the users:

• Special Characters are Unsupported in OneDrive for Business 

Some special characters in OneDrive for Business are unsupported. These characters in the Files and Folder names are ” * : | / \ ? < >. Files that are named as such can conflict when they are migrated to OneDrive for Business.

• Specific Names of Files and Folders are Unsupported in OneDrive

Businesses that are planning to migrate to OneDrive need to make sure that some of the names are not supported in Office 365. These names include:

1. .lock
2. CON
3. PRN
4. NUL
5. AUX
6. LPT0 – LPT9
7. _VTI_
8. COM0 – COM9
9. desktop.ini

• Migration of Comments

You can face technical challenges for transferring comments when migrating to OneDrive, especially during the bulk migration process. Since the technology, and features of OneDrive is different from any other platform. This is why users should make a CSV file to migrate the comments.

• Transfer Rate Throttling that is Set by OneDrive or any Other Platform

Cloud service providers set a transfer rate throttling if more data is migrated at a particular time. This is to ensure that the performance of the cloud service is not affected.

• Sensitive Data Cannot not be Migrated in a Standard Server

Businesses that are based in data-critical industries such as healthcare, hospitality, education, technology, and e-commerce need robust measures to protect data at all costs during every step of the migration process. To do this, you can locally transfer all the data to OneDrive to prevent it from getting leaked into the shared or public networks.

• Rationalising the Migrated Data

Several users find it challenging to adapt to the new environment in the cloud. One of the best ways in which users can rationalise the migrated data is to update all the little changes that were made during the migration process using delta migration. You can also look at the migration reports to rationalise the migration process.

Solutions to the OneDrive Data Migration Problems 

Many problems can be faced while switching plans and performing the data problems, and you may be wondering if there is any way to transfer data easily and safely.

You can manually transfer your files and data, but it proves to be very tedious and unsafe to transfer, especially if the data is huge. 

The Steps to Manually Transfer Data are:

1. sign out of your current account
2. sign in to the new account
3. choose a new location from OneDrive
4. download all the data from one account 
5. upload it into small chunks to the new account

This process would be very time-consuming, you could face syncing challenges, there could be a loss of file metadata, and you would have to leave your device uninterrupted during the transfer. This process is very complex and time-consuming to perform, especially if there is a large amount of data.

There is a tool called  Migrator Wizard OneDrive Migration Tool which is the best software to transfer files and documents between OneDrive for Business plans. Additionally, it assists in migrating photos, videos, files, and PDFs from OneDrive. This tool can transfer permissions and documents to another OneDrive account. Furthermore, it preserves the modification date for the accounts after completing the document migration. Lastly, it generates and saves a comprehensive OneDrive export report in CSV format for future reference.

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Steps to use this tool

• Step 1: First, you need to download and install OneDrive Migrator software on your local system and launch it.
• Step 2: You need to select the source & destination as Office 365.
• Step 3: You need to enter the admin email and the application ID, and click on validate.
• Step 4: Next, you need to enter the destination admin email and the application ID, validate it.
• Step 5: Validate the migration after adding the users for OneDrive migration and click on Start.
• Step 6: Download the migration report and summary upon completing OneDrive to OneDrive migration.

Also Read: Migrate OneDrive for Business to Another Tenant

Summary

Users may encounter various difficulties while transferring between OneDrive plans, including storage constraints, intricate migration procedures, and synchronization problems. Furthermore, concerns about data security, privacy, and the potential loss of file metadata during migration make it more challenging to complete the process.

The tool offers a complete solution, even though Microsoft does not officially provide a migration tool to help users.

This utility facilitates moving files, documents, images, and more between OneDrive for Business plans while protecting rights and metadata. Users can confidently migrate data using this software. It streamlines migration procedures, preserves modified dates, and generates detailed export reports.