Content consolidation into Microsoft 365

We regularly work with organisations that need to migrate multiple content repositories into a single Microsoft 365 solution to reduce complexity for their business users and simplify maintenance and compliance. Each repository typically has unique meta-data, security & records management rules and millions of documents, many of which contain sensitive information.

Solution Approach
Our Xillio migration software provides connectors to each repoository in the migration project which we use to iteratively refine the migration approach as we work with the users to understand how the meta-data and security rules need to be translated into their new unified repository.

Extract
Content from each of the repositories is extracted directly from the source repositories and stored in our unified content model where we can review the data from each system and generate insights to help plan the migration work.

This initial extracting includes all meta-data, security rules, file locations and, in some cases, details of the individual binary files.

Transform
During Transform, we look at the rules required to map the existing meta-data into a single unified data model in the new Microsoft 365 platform. Working with business users and analysts to create a series of transformations that map all of the required meta-data to the new platform.

At this point we can also identify duplicate files, update lookup and reference data, spot files that should have been deleted and make decisions on when and how we should migrate specific files.

Load
During the Load process, we migrate the transformed content & meta-data into the new system. As this typically involves millions of documents this takes time to complete. Usually, we run the Loads overnight and through weekends to make sure we don't overload the legacy solutions and impact the business users.

Value for the customer:

• Cost savings, the client is able to phase out several expensive and maintenance intensive systems
• Controlled migration with many checks and audits
• Simplification for compliance - a single Microsoft 365 solution allows compliance to focus on a single set of rules
• Controlled migration with many checks and audits