The 2019 “State of the Market: Microsoft SharePoint” report revealed that 32% of companies took six months to a year to complete their SharePoint migration. But here’s the truth: with the right expertise, it doesn’t have to take that long.
At Rocketta, we’ve guided numerous businesses through SharePoint migration projects efficiently by addressing both strategic and technical challenges. In this post, we’ll explore some common issues that can slow your migration and offer expert solutions to help streamline the process.
1. Incomplete Planning Leads to Technical Bottlenecks
Without a detailed plan, migration can quickly run into issues, such as outdated software versions or unsupported file types. Businesses often underestimate the complexity of moving custom applications or large datasets, which can bring the migration process to a halt.
Our Expertise:
We conduct a thorough pre-migration assessment to identify legacy applications and outdated systems. This allows us to implement necessary updates or adjustments before migration, avoiding technical roadblocks and ensuring smooth SharePoint integration.
2. Database Size and Performance Issues in SharePoint Migration
Large datasets can slow down migration considerably, resulting in timeout errors, server overloads, and even crashes. Migrating large volumes of data without a proper strategy often leads to performance bottlenecks.
Our Expertise:
We use a batch migration strategy to manage large datasets and optimize data transfer rates. By breaking down data into manageable parts, we prevent overloads and ensure a stable migration process, all while minimizing downtime for your business.
3. Metadata Mismanagement
Metadata is crucial for organizing and finding content in SharePoint. Incorrect or incomplete metadata mapping can result in disorganized content, making your SharePoint environment inefficient for post-migration.
Our Expertise:
We specialize in preserving and correctly mapping metadata during migration, ensuring that your files are properly tagged and categorized. This makes your SharePoint site highly searchable and user-friendly from day one, improving overall productivity.
4. Version Conflicts and Data Integrity
Migrating files with multiple collaborators can lead to version conflicts if the migration process doesn’t account for SharePoint’s version control features. This can result in missing updates or inconsistent data across the platform.
Our Expertise:
We utilize advanced migration tools that preserve version history and maintain data integrity throughout the entire migration. This ensures that every file arrives intact, with all versioning and permissions carried over seamlessly.
5. Custom Solutions and Integration Challenges
Many companies rely on custom workflows and third-party integrations in their current system. Migrating these to SharePoint can be complex and, if not handled correctly, may result in broken integrations or workflow interruptions.
Our Expertise:
We handle custom solutions by thoroughly testing integrations and recreating workflows within the SharePoint architecture. This ensures that your SharePoint Online or on-premise SharePoint system remains fully functional after migration.
6. Permissions and Access Control Gaps
Security is often treated as an afterthought during migration, which can lead to permissions gaps and potential security vulnerabilities. Without proper access control, sensitive data can be exposed or incorrectly restricted.
Our Expertise:
We set permissions and access controls before migration begins, ensuring that only authorized users have access to the appropriate files and systems. This prevents security lapses and ensures seamless collaboration from the moment your SharePoint system is live.
7. Infrastructure and Connectivity Issues
A slow or outdated infrastructure can severely delay your SharePoint migration. Businesses with on-premise servers or limited bandwidth may experience slowdowns or interruptions during data transfer.
Our Expertise:
We recommend a hybrid migration strategy where necessary, using cloud solutions to offload part of the migration. Our network assessments allow us to identify and address connectivity or bandwidth issues ahead of time, ensuring the migration stays on track.
How to Speed Up Your SharePoint Migration — Key Takeaways
Migrating to SharePoint doesn’t have to take six months or more. By tackling technical challenges like data management, version control, and custom integrations early, we can significantly reduce the time and complexity of your migration.
With the right planning and expert support, your business can be up and running on SharePoint faster than you think. If you’re ready to streamline your SharePoint migration process, ensure security, and optimize performance, follow these tips to avoid unnecessary delays.