SharePoint Migration:A Phased, Iterative, and Error-Prone Process

Christian Buckley

Axcelercbuck@axceler.com @buckleyplanet

Christian Buckley, Director of Product Evangelism at Axceler

• Most recently at Microsoft

• Microsoft Managed Services (now BPOS-Dedicated)

• Advertising Operations, ad platform API program

• Prior to Microsoft, was a senior consultant, working in the software, supply chain, and grid technology spaces focusing on collaboration

• Co-founded and sold a collaboration software company to Rational Software. Also co-authored 3 books on software configuration management and defect tracking for Rational and IBM

• At another startup (E2open), helped design, build, and deploy a SharePoint-like collaboration platform (Collaboration Manager), managing deployment teams to onboard numerous high-tech manufacturing companies, including Hitachi, Matsushita, Seagate, Nortel, Sony, and Cisco

My background

• Improving Collaboration for 16+ Years● Mission: To enable enterprises to simplify, optimize, and

secure their collaborative platforms● Delivered award-winning administration and migration

software since 1994● Over 2,000 global customers

• Dramatically improve the management of SharePoint

● Innovative products that improve security, scalability, reliability, “deployability”

● Making IT more effective and efficient and lower the total cost of ownership

• Focus on solving specific SharePoint problems (Administration & Migration)

● Coach enterprises on SharePoint best practices● Give administrators the most innovative tools available● Anticipate customers’ needs● Deliver best of breed offerings● Stay in lock step with SharePoint development

and market trends

Axceler overview

This is your technical migration, i.e. the physical move of content and “bits”

5/6/2011 5

This is the bulk of your migration – the planning,

reorganization, and transformation of your

legacy SharePoint environment

Email Cell Twitter Blogcbuck@echotechnology.com 425.246.2823 @buckleyplanet http://buckleyplanet.net

What is migration?

• Intranet• Extranet• Mobile• Cloud• New hardware

• More social media tools

• Dashboards• Search

Expanding your SharePoint

footprint

Moving to the

latest, greatest platform

Transforming what you

did with 2003/2007 to

meet your

organizational vision

Why migrations are difficult:

Migrations are phased

• Should not be determined by the technology you use

• Match the needs and timing of your content owners and teams

• Be flexible, moving sites and content based on end user needs, not the limitations of the technology

Migrationsare iterative

• Planning should not be limited by the number of migration attempts you make, or by the volume of content being moved

• Recognize the need to test the waters, to move sites, content and customizations in waves

• Allow users to test and provide feedback

Migrations are error prone

• There is no “easy” button for migration

• You can run a dozen pre-migration checks and still run into problems

• Admins and end users do things that are not “by the book”

• Watch for customizations, 3rd party tools, and line of business apps that run under the radar

Migrations are not the end goal

• Proper planning and change management policies will help you to be successful with your current and future migrations

• Your goals should be a stable environment, relevant metadata, discoverable content, and happy end users

Email Cell Twitter Blogcbuck@echotechnology.com 425.246.2823 @buckleyplanet http://buckleyplanet.net

The Planning Layer

The Business Layer

The Discovery Layer

The Physical Layer

The Information Layer

The Transformation Layer

The Governance Layer

The Productivity Layer

The Presentation Layer

The Training Layer

1. The Planning Layer

• Use your established project methodology• Establish a change management structure• Develop a communication plan

● Involve end users early● Let them know what’s happening with their data● Let them see test migrations● Let them know when their data has been migrated

• Understand your audience and topology● Intranet● Extranet● Internet

2. The Business Layer

Email Cell Twitter Blogcbuck@echotechnology.com 425.246.2823 @buckleyplanet http://buckleyplanet.net

• Understand the business scope and audience• Identify stakeholders• Get sign-off• Develop use cases• Estimate future growth

3. The Discovery Layer

• Understand what is out there, what to do with it● File shares● Older SharePoint versions● Other ECM platforms● Business processes and new tools that will drive

new content into SharePoint

• Conduct an overall health check● Usage / Activity● Permissions● Storage● Audit● Performance

4. The Physical Layer

• Map out existing hardware, other systems• Upgrade hardware

● Latest service packs● PreUpgradeCheck● Exceed the recommended hardware minimums

• Develop plans for● Backup● Disaster recovery● Business continuity● Anti-virus and maintenance plans

• Prepare system for migration

5. The Information Layer

Organize the information architecture• Clean up content types• Understand navigation• Organize metadata• Prepare for Managed Metadata• Optimize for search

Tier 1 site collections based on business units or product areas

Top level portal

Tier 2 sites that follow specific structure

Email Cell Twitter Blogcbuck@echotechnology.com 425.246.2823 @buckleyplanet http://buckleyplanet.net

6. The Transformation Layer

• Clean up, prep for upgrade/migration• Move file shares• Move from other ECM platforms• Convert files• Adapt or change business processes• Upgrade 3rd party tools• Move, update, rebuild or remove customizations

7. The Governance Layer

• Clarify or establish policies• Identify ownership, at each level• Clearly define roles and responsibilities• Outline ongoing processes• Build in checks and balances

8. The Productivity Layer

It’s about ongoing refinement of the platform• Business productivity solutions to extend

the capability of SharePoint● Workflows● Templates● InfoPath forms● Record management plans

• 3rd party tools

9. The Presentation Layer

• Functionality first, then• Refine the look and feel

10. The Training Layer

• Understand end user needs● New to SharePoint● New business productivity solutions● Self-serve materials

• Provide regular updates / refresher courses

Applied

Example of an iterative migration● Stand up 2010 platform● Review activity logs for target site collection● Establish plan on what is to be moved based on requirements● Review existing taxonomy, map to new taxonomy● Communicate with existing administrators, incorporate feedback● Provision the sites● Import the content● Apply site settings, themes, navigation● Apply groups / roles, permissions● Apply workflows and any customizations● Notify administrators and user of new sites● Take in feedback, review, iterate

Contact me

• Christian Buckleycbuck@axceler.com

+1 425-246-2823

@buckleyPLANET

buckleyPLANET.com

• Additional Resources available● 11 Strategic Considerations for SharePoint Migrations http://bit.ly/j4Vuln

● The Insider’s Guide to Upgrading to SharePoint 2010 http://bit.ly/mIpOBZ

● What to Look for in a SharePoint Management Tool http://bit.ly/l26ida

● The Five Secrets to Controlling Your SharePoint Environment http://bit.ly/kzdTjZ

● ReadyPoint (free) http://bit.ly/gGXIPO

● Davinci Migrator http://bit.ly/ieZ5L8

● echo for SharePoint 2007 http://bit.ly/iwfl3f