SharePoint Online Tenant to Tenant Migration – A Complete Guide to Follow
Organizations or users planning to execute SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration must have a plan. Without a proper strategy, they stand no chance of getting the desired results. Therefore, to avoid all the common mistakes, users can take this guide in use. Based on the expert’s opinion, this solution is going to explain everything about this complex procedure easily.
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What is the Tenant-to-Tenant SharePoint Migration Process?
It is a process of moving the SharePoint Online Sites, Documents, Lists, etc data items from one SharePoint to another in a different tenant. Now, moving all the users & other resources makes this task a bit complex & a matter of discussion.
There can be several reasons for such cross-tenant migration & the most common ones are:
- Merger of Organizations
- Divestitures & Spinoffs
- Acquisition of Brands
- Upgradations
- Others
Let’s begin the article with the crucial prerequisites that users must know to get the perfect solution. Then we can proceed to the solutions without any trouble.
Prerequisites to Migrate SharePoint from One Tenant to Another
To get the results exactly like the expectation, preparation is a crucial stage. By adhering to the following prerequisites, we can make sure that there will be no occurrence of unwanted issues in the middle of the SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration.
- SharePoint Online plan in an active Office 365 subscription is the foundation.
- Allow SharePoint permissions to the staff that is going to work on the platform.
- There must be a list of all the data to get migrated to monitor progress.
- Resources having the admin privileges of SharePoint Online must be assigned.
- Go for a migration expert or train your administrator to execute the entire process.
- Configuration of servers, systems, networking equipment, etc is a very crucial step.
- Consider the risks & post-migration effects of tenant-to-tenant SharePoint migration.
- Associate a person who can communicate with the top management without hassles.
By following these prerequisites, users can easily get the best results just like their exceptions. However, it’s very significant for organizations to be well prepared for the potential challenges. This way, they can easily counter all the hurdles coming their way.
Challenges of SharePoint Online Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Task
Undoubtedly there are plenty of challenges present in this operation. Now, being aware of them in advance can be helpful to counter them.
- Always keep in mind that more operations are failing in comparison to those of are successful. This fact will help users avoid even the tiniest of errors that can spoil the entire SharePoint online migration.
- Backing up the data files is a big issue here. Before you migrate SharePoint from one tenant to another, make sure you back up all the important files separately to avoid any data loss that may arise.
- There are external factors as well that can cause trouble during the migration. Latency, performance & other MS infrastructure plays a major role. Also, trusting the wrong tool for the process can be a disastrous decision.
- The procedure is quite technical special when the migration is cross-tenant. Now, putting it simply, training can be beneficial to avoid the issues that may be caused due to complex technicalities.
Office 365 SharePoint Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Step-by-Step
It’s now time to finally start the operation. It requires a tool that can execute this migration. However, there are no manual ways available for a cross-tenant SharePoint Online migration. Therefore, the Migrator Wizard SharePoint Online Migration Tool is the expert-recommended tool in this case.
This software is capable of countering all the minor & major errors by itself that can cause serious damage to the operation. Also, the best part about this reliable software is the advanced features for a customized migration experience. Using this tool you can also merge two SharePoint Sites.
- Use Batch & Bulk Migration – The automated solution offers plenty of features out of which there is one we’re going to discuss. Users can easily execute either a batch or bulk tenant-to-tenant SharePoint migration with ease. Now, based on the exact requirements of users, they can migrate their data files without any errors. Moreover, these features are not present in any other modern-day utilities.
- Migrate SharePoint from One Tenant to Another Selectively – There are times when users are interested in a selective migration of the databases. This isn’t as easy as it looks. There are plenty of complications here. However, the tool mentioned above offers this feature. The date & category filter is what we are talking about. By selecting the date range, users can easily execute tenant-to-tenant SharePoint migration from a specific date range. On the other hand, using the category filter, users can select whether they want to migrate SItes, Document Libraries, Lists, or all of them.
- Track the Migration Throughout – Users can track their migration tasks smartly without any issues at all. Also, this tracking can be done live. This way users can see how much data is migrated & how much is still in processing. In addition, users can also download the status report after the completion of their Office 365 SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration process. There are two modes of getting the report. Either a summary report or a detailed report whatever suits the requirements of users.
Among several software in the market, it is so far the most popular & result-oriented one. There are a total of five steps in this task as mentioned below. So let’s start tenant-to-tenant SharePoint migration without errors.
Step 1. Pre-Migration Preps
The pre-migration step is the first step when we start this complex migration task. Here, we make an account for everything & prepare a blueprint for the operation.
- Data to Migrate – First of all users need to make an account of all the data that we need to migrate. For this, it’s really important to understand how much data we have stored in our current SharePoint account. Add almost all content to your list including metadata, site collection, Teams channels, messages, etc. This will further help users to have a raw image of how much data is going to get migrated.
- Estimated Resourced – Now that we know how much data we have, it’s time to estimate the resources we need to invest in this particular project. Efficiency is the key here. There is no need for users to get the task done by putting in extra resources that do not boost efficiency. Also, by resources we mean, humans, tools, machines, etc.
- Approximate Deadline – Make sure you have an expected deadline for the project based on the data size & resource allocation. SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration should not take more than the expected time based on the calculations.
- The Final Checklist – Prepare a checklist having all the details of the major as well as minor stages of migration. It is also significant to track all the pending as well as completed tasks without any loopholes.
Step 2. Internal Assessment
Now, it’s time for us to assess our internal factors. Here, we will understand our SharePoint inventory in depth. Also, this is the very stage of eliminating excess data files that are not required in the destination SharePoint tenant.
Evaluate all the data files & their sizes first & then delete the following ones:
- Duplicate Data Files
- Unwanted Data Files
- Corrupt Files & Folders
Step 3. Communication & Training
This step is one of the most crucial for the end users in SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration. This step includes three small stages as mentioned below:
- Migration Scheduling – Users must ensure that they schedule their migration at a time when it affects the users the least. Fixing a time & date is crucial at this stage along with its strict following.
- Communicate with Users – After the Office 365 SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration task, there will be several changes. Users must be aware of these changes & this is why communicating with them is significant. Training the employees at this particular stage is equally important for the organization.
- Restrict Editing Mode – Another vital piece of information to keep in mind is about the data. Make sure that the data files are in read-only mode during the migration task. This is to avoid any errors while SharePoint is in the migration process.
Step 4. Migrate SharePoint from One Tenant to Another
Now, is the time to migrate the data, to do this you can download the above-discussed software and follow the below steps.
- Select Office 365 as the Source and Destination.
- Enable Sites in the Workload Selection.
- Enter and Validate Office 365 credentials.
- Map your Source & Destination users.
- Hit Start Migration to conduct Sharepoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration.
Step 5. Post Migration Steps
After we migrate SharePoint from one tenant to another successfully, simply match the results with the expectations.
There are a few things to keep in mind:
- Test & Validate – Test the new SharePoint environment & compare it with the expectations. Check if it is generating the desired output or not. Also, don’t forget to validate it to avoid any post-migration errors.
- Impact on Users – Conduct a survey asking users affected by the Office 365 SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration in all ways. Ask them if their content has been migrated successfully or if they are experiencing any issues with it.
- Keep Source Data – Even after the successful results, do not delete the source data for a few weeks. If there are no issues after a month or two, then these files can be deleted without any fear.
Also Read: How to Transfer Office 365 Mailbox to Another Account Smartly?
SharePoint Online Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Best Practices
Users should know that there are a few best practices that they should follow. This will make sure that users will execute a smooth migration of their SharePoint Online across tenants.
- Defining A Structure
- Assessing Inventory
- Cleaning Inventory
- Preparing A Plan
- Select Trusted Tools
- Run a Pilot Project
- Train & Communicate
- Perform Post Migration Drills
Now, there are a few tips that users must focus on to add the cherry on top without any extra effort or resources. Moreover, not only SharePoint, but this advanced solution can easily migrate Zoho mail to Gmail as well. This software can easily execute mailbox migration in both cross-tenant as well as same-tenant scenarios.
Also Read: How to Create a SharePoint Group? Step-By-Step
Bringing It All Together
Finally, after discussing all the significant aspects of this topic, it’s time to conclude this article on a sweet note. The entire article explains the complete procedure of SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration in detail.
The pre & post-migration cautions are also stated here. If users acknowledge all of the key points above, they can get the desired results without any hassles at all.