We are preparing to move an older SharePoint environment to Microsoft 365, and I’m trying to understand how other IT teams handle the process without creating access or data problems. The environment contains years of project documents, folders, document libraries, lists, and different user permissions. Simply copying the files seems easy, but maintaining the existing structure and access rules appears to be the more complicated part.
Before starting, I think the first step should be an inventory of the existing SharePoint environment. We need to identify active sites, document libraries, important metadata, users, groups, file versions, and content that is no longer required. Moving unnecessary data could increase the migration workload and make the new environment harder to manage.
For smaller environments, manually creating the required SharePoint Online sites and moving documents may be practical. However, when several sites contain thousands of files, manually checking every folder and permission can become difficult. A pilot migration would probably be a safer approach. Moving a limited set of content first would allow users to verify file access and identify permission or mapping issues before the complete migration.
Another thing I’m considering is how to
migrate SharePoint to Office 365 while keeping the migration controlled. I would prefer to validate the destination structure before users start working from it rather than discovering problems after the final cutover.
While comparing different approaches, I came across the
SysInfo SharePoint Migration Tool. It supports migration of SharePoint sites, document libraries, lists, metadata, and other supported content. Features such as authentication options, date filtering, and migration of supported versions could be useful when dealing with a larger environment.
For the final stage, I think user testing and migration reports are just as important as transferring the actual files. A successful migration should leave users with the right content and expected access, not just a folder full of copied documents.
Has anyone here recently moved SharePoint Server to Microsoft 365? What did you do to validate permissions and content before the final cutover?
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