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Migration to SharePoint Online brings in the benefits of better reach, scalability, cost saving and takes advantage of modern application functionalities. Microsoft has vastly improved SharePoint Online features with a modern user interface, better design of business applications, easy integration capabilities and workflows.
Sophisticated migration tools can help in-house IT teams to successfully do SharePoint lift-and-shift. However, modernizing the existing applications and restructuring the information architecture requires diligent planning and execution. Engaging an external team also frees up the internal IT staff to focus on everyday business operations.
Reasons to Hire an External Team
1. Deeper Domain Knowledge
A well-designed information architecture helps employees quickly find what they need. McKinsey report states that the average knowledge worker spends 20% of their time looking for information they need to do their work.
An external team with diverse project experience can bring a fresh perspective on both solution and information architecture that adds value to the migration process. They can help streamline multiple aspects, such as how content can be organized, tagged with metadata, and structured for enhanced navigability, making it easier for employees to find information. They can also design and implement workflows to replace manual steps in business processes.
Here’s how we helped a clinical trial management company migrate data, content and applications running on Office 365 SharePoint and Azure from one tenant to another after a merger. The clinical trials were initially organized into separate projects, each with various stakeholders and the senior management wanted a unified view of the progress across all projects.
2. Cost and Time Efficiency
Working with an external team translates to faster completion time at lower costs. With established best practices, migration tools, and a flexible resource pool, an external team can speed up the migration with minimal disruption to your daily operations. Your in-house IT team can focus on everyday tasks, ensuring business continuity.
3. Workflow Automation and Customization
SharePoint migration isn’t just about moving data; it’s an opportunity to reimagine how employees work and help them reduce repeated manual processes.
An external team can analyze current processes and find redundant tasks best suited for automation. For example, automating workflows could assist HR (Human Resources) teams from oft repeated tasks like onboarding and yet deliver good employee experience. A shift toward business process automation will streamline operations and empower employees to effectively use their time and explore more impactful areas in the business.
4. Security and Compliance
SharePoint Online offers significant benefits in terms of security and compliance. During the migration process, ensuring data protection remains a crucial consideration.
Setting up defined access controls mechanisms prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive information. An external team, one with in-depth knowledge of best practices, can set permissions and access controls aligned to an organization’s unique business processes.
5. User Engagement
Transitioning to SharePoint Online presents an opportunity to enhance user experience and engagement, leveraging the diverse array of applications within the Microsoft 365 Suite. An external team with expertise can architect solutions tailored to the organization’s needs while considering seamless integration across M365 applications. For instance, they can deploy intelligent search functionalities using M365 Copilot and enable adaptive card approvals sent as notifications through Teams.
Finding the Right Fit
- Evaluate experience and expertise: Look for a team with proven SharePoint migration experience and a strong understanding of your industry.
- Communication and collaboration style: Seek a team that aligns with your communication preferences and takes a collaborative approach.
- Cost and value proposition: Compare services and pricing with a clear understanding of the value they bring.
- Support: Choose an external team committed to ongoing support.
Why Choose Eleviant CTG for SharePoint Online Migration Exercise
Here’s how our team can help you migrate to SharePoint Online, ensuring a seamless and user-centric experience. Here is a blueprint of our action plan:
- Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with stakeholders from different departments to collect requirements and comprehend their needs. At a broad level, the goal is to grasp pain points, define project outcomes, and set up goals and expectations for the project.
- Project Planning: Craft a comprehensive project plan encompassing timeline, resource allocation, budgeting, and a well-defined roadmap. Assist in setting up governance protocols for application, content, and document management.
- Architecture and Design: Design the application architecture, covering aspects such as site structure, navigation, document management, and user interface design. Guarantee that the solution is responsive and adaptable across various devices, user-friendly, and as per branding and accessibility guidelines.
- Permissions and Security: Incorporate security best practices in the proposed solution; guarantee the application can be effectively managed and supported while safeguarding sensitive data.
- Features and Customization: Leverage SharePoint’s native capabilities and customize or develop specific functionalities as needed. This involves implementing features such as document management systems, employee directories, custom web components, bespoke workflows, and more.
- Content Strategy and Development: Establish a clear content strategy. Determine the content types to be hosted, set up processes and assign responsibilities for content creation and maintenance.
- Document Management and Retention: Devise a strategy for document management within SharePoint Online, aiming at a smooth user experience where documents are easily discoverable, and users can access the right information.
- Testing and Quality Assurance: Conduct thorough testing to confirm functionality, performance, usability and security, addressing any issues uncovered during the testing phase.
- Training and Documentation: Offer training sessions for staff members and develop documentation, guides and support materials to facilitate the adoption of the new intranet.
Conclusion
Moving SharePoint to the cloud can feel like renovating your home – exciting, yet time-consuming and demanding specialized focus. Just as you may outsource a home renovation, consider partnering with us for your interesting journey towards SharePoint Online. Talk to our experts to see how we can optimize your SharePoint migration and give valuable time back to your team.
