Room5.06Floor 5 Microsoft 365
SharePoint migration from file servers and old SharePoint
We move your shared drives, file servers and old SharePoint sites into SharePoint Online and Teams, with libraries laid out around how you work, permissions rebuilt by group, and every file counted before and after.
- Off the old file server
- Libraries laid out around your work
- Permissions by group, not by person
- Every file counted after the move
Off the file server, without losing a file or a permission
For years the shared drive worked. Everyone had an S: drive, the server sat in a closet, and files were where people expected them. Then work spread out of the office. Now staff need a VPN just to open a spreadsheet, the server is past its warranty, and one click on the wrong email attachment can encrypt every mapped drive in the building at once.
SharePoint Online, with OneDrive and Teams on top of it, replaces that model. Files open from anywhere with the same sign-in staff already use for email. Several people can edit one document at the same time. Every save keeps a version, so a bad edit or a ransomware infection can be rolled back file by file. And the hardware becomes Microsoft’s problem.
There is a catch, and it is why so many migrations disappoint. SharePoint is not a cloud copy of a file server. Lift the old folder tree across unchanged and you get the same mess, slower, with permissions nobody understands. A good migration decides where each kind of file should live first, then moves it.
Where each kind of file should live
The first half of every project is sorting your content into the right homes. This is the map we work from, adjusted to your business.
| Content | Best home | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One person’s working files and drafts | OneDrive | Private by default, synced to their laptop, shared on purpose rather than by accident |
| A department’s or team’s shared files | A SharePoint team site connected to a Teams team | Membership is managed in one place, and files open right inside the Teams channel |
| Company-wide policies, forms and templates | A SharePoint communication site | Read by everyone, edited by a few, and found through search rather than a folder hunt |
| Client or project files shared with outsiders | Their own site or channel, with guest access | Outside access stays contained and can be closed cleanly when the work ends |
| QuickBooks Desktop or Sage 50 company files, Access databases | A server, a NAS or the vendor’s own cloud | These programs write to their data files in a way sync tools corrupt. They should never run from a synced folder |
| Large CAD, video and design files that change often | Decided case by case | SharePoint stores files up to 250 GB, but syncing big files that change hourly is slow. Sometimes a NAS with cloud backup is the better tool |
| Outlook PST archives on the network | Imported into the mailbox or its online archive | Microsoft does not support PST files on network shares, and they corrupt easily there |
The limits that trip migrations up
Before anything moves, we scan every file on the source against SharePoint’s rules. Most problems are found and fixed on the old server, where they are cheap, instead of surfacing as failed copies on the weekend of the cutover.
| Limit | The detail | What we do about it |
|---|---|---|
| Path length | 400 characters for the full path, counting the site, library and every folder name | Deep folder trees and long file names are shortened before the move, with a list of every rename |
| Characters and names | The characters ” * : < > ? / \ | are not allowed, and names such as CON, PRN, .lock and _vti_ are blocked | Affected files are renamed in bulk and listed, so nobody wonders where a file went |
| Sync volume | Microsoft advises keeping the OneDrive sync app below about 300,000 files across everything one person syncs | Each person syncs only the libraries they work in daily. The rest open in the browser or in Teams |
| List view threshold | A library view shows at most 5,000 items at a time | Libraries and views are designed so no single folder or view crosses it, with indexed columns where needed |
| Unique permissions | A library allows up to 50,000 items with their own permissions, and performs far better with only a few | Permissions are set on sites and libraries, not scattered across individual folders |
| Storage | Your organization gets 1 TB plus 10 GB per licensed user, shared across all sites | We measure your data first and tell you in advance if you need extra storage |
Permissions are rebuilt, not copied
A file server that has been in use for ten years almost always has permissions nobody can explain: folders shared with individuals who left in 2019, inheritance broken three levels down, and an Everyone group that grants more than anyone intended.
Copying those permissions into SharePoint copies the problem, and makes it worse. Microsoft 365 search, and Microsoft 365 Copilot in particular, will happily surface any file a person can technically open. So we start again from a clean design.
- Each site has owners, members and visitors, managed through Microsoft 365 groups rather than one person at a time
- Departments are security groups that follow your staff list, so a new hire in Finance gets Finance access on day one
- Sensitive content such as HR, payroll and partner files gets its own site, instead of one locked folder inside a shared one
- External sharing is switched on only for the sites that need it, and sharing links default to specific people
- Site owners review who has access 30 days after go-live, while the old structure is still fresh in their minds
A layout people can find things in
A typical 40-person firm arrives with one shared drive and a dozen top-level folders, each with its own logic. It leaves with a small number of sites, each with a clear owner and purpose.
A company hub holds the things everyone reads: policies, forms, templates and news. Department sites hold the work, each linked to the Teams team where that department talks. Client and project sites sit apart so guests can be invited without seeing anything else. And every person has a OneDrive for files that are still theirs alone.
Inside each library, a little metadata does what endless subfolders used to. A Client and a Year column, for example, let people filter and sort instead of clicking through six levels of folders, and search starts finding things reliably.
Moving off SharePoint Server 2013, 2016 or 2019
If your SharePoint runs on your own server, its support has ended. SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reached the end of extended support on July 14, 2026, and Microsoft offers no paid extended security update program for either. SharePoint 2013 was already unsupported. The servers keep working, but every security flaw found from now on stays open.
Most content moves across with Microsoft’s SharePoint Migration Tool, which keeps version history, authors and dates. The parts that do not move as they are need planning first:
- Workflows. SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows have been retired in SharePoint Online and are rebuilt in Power Automate.
- InfoPath forms. They no longer open or submit in SharePoint Online and are rebuilt with Microsoft Forms, Power Apps or a SharePoint list.
- Add-ins and custom code. The SharePoint add-in model was retired in April 2026. Anything that depended on it is replaced with SharePoint Framework parts or Power Platform.
- Customized master pages and old web parts. These are replaced with modern pages, which also work properly on phones.
Organizations that must keep SharePoint on their own servers can upgrade to SharePoint Server Subscription Edition instead. We will help you weigh that honestly, but for most offices of 5 to 250 people, SharePoint Online is the cheaper and safer home.
The cutover weekend and the Monday after
Staff should leave on Friday with an S: drive and come back on Monday to the same files, in a better place, with nothing missing.
Weeks before: the bulk copy
Most of the data is copied while everyone keeps working, in the evenings and over earlier weekends. The final weekend only has to move what changed since.
Friday evening: the source goes read-only
The old shares are set to read-only, not deleted. Nothing can drift out of step during the final copy, and nothing is lost if a question comes up later.
Saturday: the last pass and the count
A final incremental copy runs, then a reconciliation report compares every folder on the source with its new home: number of files, total size, and a list of anything renamed or skipped, with the reason.
Monday morning: a person in the room
Mapped drives are replaced with OneDrive shortcuts and Teams channels on every PC, pushed centrally rather than by hand. A technician is on site or on a Teams call for the first morning, and each team gets a short session built around its own folders, not a generic demo.
Thirty to sixty days later
The old server stays read-only until you are confident nothing is missing. Then it is backed up one last time and retired, or kept for the applications that still need it.
What clients say, and what we quote
Their tailored SharePoint solutions and outstanding customer support have enabled us to streamline our operations, enhance collaboration, and ultimately drive business growth.
Every migration is a fixed-price project, scoped from a scan of your actual data rather than a guess. Licences, storage and the rest of the Microsoft 365 setup are covered on our Microsoft 365 support page, and moving individual mailboxes and OneDrives between tenants is handled by our user migration bundle.
- File server to SharePoint and Teams for a small officeFixed quote
- SharePoint Server 2013, 2016 or 2019 to SharePoint OnlineFixed quote
- Google Drive, Dropbox or Box to SharePoint and OneDriveFixed quote
- Permissions clean-up of an existing SharePoint tenantFixed quote
- Company intranet hub with news, policies and formsFixed quote
- InfoPath forms and old workflows rebuilt in Power PlatformFixed quote
Questions people ask
How long does a file server to SharePoint migration take?
It depends on how much data you have and how much clean-up it needs. The bulk copy runs in the background over evenings and weekends, so the disruptive part is a single cutover weekend. Planning the site layout and permissions takes longer than moving the files. You get a timeline with the fixed quote.
Will our folder structure stay the same?
Largely, inside each library, so people recognize their files. What changes is the top level: one shared drive becomes a few sites with clear owners. Very deep folder trees are flattened where they would break SharePoint's 400-character path limit.
Can staff still open files from File Explorer?
Yes. The OneDrive sync app shows SharePoint libraries in File Explorer, and shortcuts replace the old mapped drives. Staff can also open the same files in Teams or a browser from any device.
Do version history, dates and authors survive the move?
Created and modified dates and authors are kept when moving from a file server. From SharePoint Server, version history moves too. File servers have no version history to bring, but SharePoint starts keeping versions from the first save after the move.
Do we still need our server after moving to SharePoint?
Often not. It may still be needed for an accounting company file, an Access database or another application that cannot run from a synced folder. We identify those during planning and either keep a small server or NAS for them or move them to the vendor's cloud.
How much SharePoint storage do we get?
Microsoft gives each organization 1 TB plus 10 GB for every licensed user, shared across all sites. A 40-person office gets about 1.4 TB. We measure your data before the move and tell you if you need to add storage.
Can you migrate from Google Drive, Dropbox or Box?
Yes. Microsoft's Migration Manager moves content from Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and Egnyte into SharePoint and OneDrive, and we plan the layout and permissions the same way as for a file server.
What happens to files we share with clients?
They move to their own site or Teams channel with guest access, so clients see only their own files. Access can be removed cleanly when the work ends, and you can see who has access at any time.
Tell us what’s going on
Pick how urgent it is and leave a way to reach you. The help desk replies by phone or email. If work has stopped, call 647-812-3775 instead.
Something broken, or something to plan?
For anything urgent, call. A technician answers the emergency line 24/7. For everything else, open a ticket and tell us what is going on.