EP78: The four questions that Drive a Migration strategy
First-principles of Migration are discussed by Steve and Marijn when they eventually boil down the basic facts that we are looking to encourage users to start using the M365 tools and not discourage them with a Migration policy that causes any delay or creates negativity for the company cloud transformation.
The first step is to define the migration strategy that ensures you have the User Story associated with the content, locations, and final resting places so that everyone understands the plan that will take several months.
Marijn points out that not migration is a migrating strategy and one to consider, although not migration leads to come complexity on the roadmap.
Stave points out that the tools are not about Migration, and they agree the scope is about moving active content from the old technology and location into the new Cloud-based storage tools
Migration strategy has at one end just a Lift and Shift scenario, so the data stays in the same structure but in a new location. At the other end of the scale, is to move the content and add it to a fully configured Managed Content architecture built on SharePoint, MS Teams, OneDrive as example locations.
Plans and communications are a key aspect of the planning… plan and communicate it well.
In simple terms, we decide to Move this document from here to there. Then the complications start where these questions need to be answered
- Do the users know where the documents will be placed?
- How do they share contact after the migration?
- What files will cause issues, Macros, file links, OneNote files
- Which options the have least risks
IS the definition of s simple migration just getting the users to move it themselves??
Often the migration strategy starts with ‘Who is going to migrate the content’
Once it was agreed that the podcast is about their experience then users cannot lead on M365 but should provide some great user stories.
The Project Team define the Migration strategy
Every organisation will require different aspects of the migration strategy
Start thinking about Migration strategy at the same time as you plan how your tenant will be structure
Do users follow or stay with the content, even if you roll out SPO and MS teams will users start using them if the content is not migrated.
Marijn and Steve work differently around migration and adoption and they work out how many ways are there of making tenants work across the enterprise.
Migration is about archive because the average document is only receiving focus for 3 months and we need a migration strategy that can deliver now.
Steve disagrees with Marijn’s approach to migration which makes for interesting conversations for 2 guys standing at a bar talking crap!!
Before drinking a wonderful Japanese 12-year-old whisky the boys quote Charig Patel whose statement suggested that you Know-Your-Data (content) is very profound to know what content will add value after the migration.
Finally, after trying to close the conversation with a quick comment from Nikki Chapple who identified the need to de-duplicate the content before migration. Steve Points out that defining the conditions against which you judge duplicate data is difficult
Creators and Guests
Host
Marijn Somers
Microsoft MVP. Freelance Microsoft 365 expert focusing on user adoption and governance. Trainer. Licensed watchmaker.
Host
Steve Dalby
Podcaster "Office365Distilled" Driving Collaboration Business Goals, Speaking about Governance, Whiskey taster and imbiber all round father and good guy.
