Introduction (a real customer story)

A company had been struggling with an outdated file storage system that slowed employees down and reduced satisfaction. Finding and sharing documents had become unnecessarily difficult, making everyday work more complex than it needed to be. To address this, the company decided to move to an M365 tenant with SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Teams.

What began as a straightforward data migration from a file share soon evolved into a comprehensive overhaul, as the company discovered the multifaceted possibilities of the new AI era. Initially focused solely on transferring data, the company quickly realized that there was much more to consider. This unexpected journey brought information architecture and data security to the forefront, reshaping the company’s approach and revealing new opportunities for efficiency and innovation.

Collaborating with a partner company and following a comprehensive assessment of the existing system, the company developed a new intranet that effectively organized the previously chaotic environment. New governance regulations were instituted, and employees received training to foster a culture of consistency and compliance.

To safeguard sensitive data, advanced security measures such as encryption and multi-factor authentication were implemented. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence facilitated the automated organization and tagging of files, enabling employees to swiftly locate documents using natural language queries.

The outcomes were remarkable:
Productivity surged as less time was expended on document retrieval. The new file structure enhanced teamwork, and the robust security measures mitigated the risk of data breaches.
Compliance with the new data management regulations minimized legal and regulatory risks, while employee job satisfaction improved owing to the efficiency and user-friendliness of the new system.

“Migrate the Right Way”
effectively concluded this transformation. Through successful migration and AI integration, the company achieved increased productivity, enhanced collaboration, and elevated employee satisfaction, all while ensuring data security and governance.

---

The Plan…

(How to get there ?)

When starting a new project, it is essential to consider future requirements and choose the right approach from the outset. This helps keep the project adaptable and sustainable over time. After reviewing the plan, it became clear that the file server migration required more than simply just moving data from A to B—especially given the missing site topology and the long-term objective of enabling AI.

So, the customer decided to go with the following plan:

• Long-term Vision: Establish a clear long-term vision for the project. This vision should guide all decisions and help align the team’s efforts towards common goals.
  
  
• Scalability: Design the project with scalability in mind. This means creating systems and processes that can grow and evolve as the project expands.
  
  
• Flexibility: Incorporate flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. This involves using modular designs and agile methodologies that allow for adjustments without significant disruptions.
  
  
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage stakeholders early and often. Their input and feedback are invaluable in shaping the project’s direction and ensuring it meets their needs.
  
  
• Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement. Regularly review and refine processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

The project stages and work packages were defined, and based on the schematic plan above, the work commenced.

Step 1 – Know your data

First, the data on the file servers were identified based on the organizational structure by mapping departments to SharePoint- or Teams connected sites as targets for the migration.

Project related data were mapped to TEAMS Sites and of course, personal data mapped to OneDrive for Business sites.

Then, data were analyzed whether they are

• “Hot data” that is actively worked on and/or required for the daily business.
• “Cold data” which could be moved into an archive solution
• “obsolete data” that can be deleted.
• “Highly secure data” that must remain on on-premise for a given reason or due to regulatory requirements.

Step 2 – where should my data go?

The next stage was about the considerations of the Information Architecture and site topology to
select the right structure like a Modern Intranet” (Hub Site, Home Site etc.)
and which site templates to be used (Teams Team site, Communication Site, standard SharePoint Team site, etc.)

Step 3 – Data security

Depending on the site structure and Intranet design, a new permission matrix was planned to be implemented that once data is being migrated will  inherit the target set of permissions in order to clean up any historical grown permission garbage and to prepare for the AI readiness at the end.

The different data types on each level were also identified based on certain characteristics similar to “labels” like Internal-, confidential- or strictly confidential data by leveraging Microsoft Purview Solutions

Step 4 – Data Governance

Aside from the previous considerations regarding new permissions and access controls, it was also taken into account that data life cycle and retention must be planned accordingly.

• Data that could be retained (but doesnt have to be neccessarily)
• Data that must be retained due to regulatory requirements
• Data that is simply outdated and “could be” deleted
• Data that must be kept for any other reason but requirements listed abovementioned

Step 5 – AI readiness

As part of the base work with setting the right permissions, controlling access to sensitive data and managing data governance, the path to a successful implementation of AI was grounded.

By considering all these aspects and adopting the right approach from the beginning, you can set the foundation for a successful and sustainable project in terms of “Migrate the Right Way“.

Conclusion

What started as a straightforward data migration has developed into a substantial transformation and journey, allowing companies to meet contemporary requirements for cloud and AI readiness at the end.

This evolution resulted in…

Scalability of Cloud Solutions and AI:

• Scalable and cost-effective cloud resources allow organizations to pay only for usage.
• This approach leads to mid- and long term cost optimization while enabling new technologies such as AI
• Employee efficiency is significantly increased
• Knowledge sharing and content discovery will be greatly improved.

If you are in such a position or similar situation, don’t hesitate to ask Skaylink partnering with you and assist you on your journey to “Migrate the Right Way”  😉

Skaylink is Europe’s leading digital transformation and cloud experts. By applying their broad cloud knowledge, proven frameworks, established best practices, innovative methodologies and a set of software-based tools, they enable fast, secure, and compliant digital transformation for clients in every sector and jurisdiction.

Begin you journey today!
kind regards, Steve