SharePoint Online Tenant to Tenant Migration: A Complete Guide

SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration is the procedure of migrating data, users, permissions, and so on to another SharePoint environment. This course of action is essential for organizations encountering mergers, restructuring, or acquisitions.

The process of migrating SharePoint data from one tenant to another is a complex endeavor. It is because of several reasons. Which includes complex data structures of lists, libraries, and permissions. Furthermore, during migration, the point of focus is not files but also on the document structure, version history, and user data as well. Due to these SharePoint migration complexities not only the new SharePoint users but also the experts get puzzled.

In this step-by-step guide, we will cover every minute detail for a successful SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration. By following the best practices and steps, your organization can ensure an error-free and efficient migration process. Because there are multiple reasons to make the decision to migrate SharePoint Online to another tenant.

So, let’s dive into the reasons first, before moving into the process.

Reasons for Cross-Tenant SharePoint Online Migration Process

Below are some key situations where organizations need to migrate their SharePoint data to another tenant:

1. It is not possible in this technological era for organizations to stick with an old or inefficient version of software. So, to keep themselves up-to-date, they need to upgrade their systems but before that, they migrate their data as a backup solution.
2. Sometimes organizations manage multiple tenants. So, to reduce the IT overhead and cut out the extra expenses, they migrate SharePoint data from one tenant to another.
3. Because of any reason when organizations are going to merge then their SharePoint data also needs to move to the destination tenant and which is possible with the SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration process.
4. During businesses beyond expectations, performance stimulates organizations to reduce their storage costs and back to another plan which also requires data migration.

Step By Step Procedure to Perform SharePoint Online Tenant to Tenant Migration

SharePoint cross-tenant migration process requires several steps. It involves the preparation of data, cleaning of data, execution, and data validation after migration steps. All of the steps of the SharePoint Online migration should be executed sequentially to get the expected results. So, let’s start with the steps one by one.

Step 1. Preparation of Data at Source SharePoint Environment

This initial step is to collect the SharePoint data that you need to migrate to the destination SharePoint account. As SharePoint is used to create sites and subsites, it is obvious that your source SharePoint environment has a huge number of libraries and lists. SharePoint support a variety of sites so it becomes difficult to select them while performing migration.

So, before directly jumping to migrate SharePoint Online to another tenant, make an inventory of the data to get a clear picture of the data migration. After the preparation of data at the source SharePoint tenant, you can also analyze the estimated time for the complete migration. You can permanently delete SharePoint site if they are no longer required.

Step 2. Data Cleaning in Source SharePoint

After finalizing the data at your source SharePoint account, the next step is to clean it. Managing the SharePoint huge data also results in creating several inactive or obsolete files. 

Version history also plays a crucial role in the data cleaning. SharePoint can store multiple versions of the documents. So, delete the unwanted versions of the SharePoint files to optimize the time of migration. You should also find duplicate files in SharePoint Online and remove them.

Do not forget to perform a quick check to identify the broken links and also remove empty folders in SharePoint Online along with all the unnecessary files. You can also archive the data that is not relevant to you now.

Step 3. Inform Users & System Check

Now, notify all of the SharePoint Online users about the migration. You can use any of the approaches according to your organization. For instance, you can send emails to all of the users or use SharePoint site pages to display an alert about the migration. Also, inform them about the expected downtime so that they can manage their tasks accordingly. 

System checks are also mandatory to ensure the smooth functioning of the machine during the migration process. You can check the configuration of the system and compare it with the tool’s requirements.

You can also stop the background running of heavy applications. Run an antivirus software to ensure the machine is virus-free. Also, check the bandwidth of the Internet to ensure an error-free migration process.

Step 4. Select the Expert’s Suggested Migration Tool

Now, it is time to choose the SysTools SharePoint Migration Software to perform SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration. This is the most in-demand software, already performed a lot of SharePoint migrations. It is known for its seamless migration process between two SharePoint tenants. In addition, experts suggest this tool for its impeccable features such as:-

• Batch migration to migrate the huge SharePoint data within the batches for a flawless migration process.
• Provides a smart date range filter for selecting the necessary data only to avoid migrating unnecessary data.
• An interactive user interface is also incorporated into the tool to make nontechnical users familiar with the tool.
• This tool is designed in such a way that even a new SharePoint user without knowing any step of the process can perform migration.
• Offers option to copy document library to another SharePoint Site without any data loss.
• Maintains your files and folder structure at the destination SharePoint tenant.
• The Delta migration feature of the tool keeps the destination environment consistent by only migrating the newly arrived items.
• Prepare reports of the complete migration process that can be downloaded: Summary and Detailed reports.

Step 5. Migrate SharePoint Data from One Tenant to Another

Now, it’s time to execute the expert’s suggested migration tool. Follow the below steps sequentially to perform SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration.

1. Download and Activate the tool on your machine.

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2. Now, select the platform as Office 365 whether it is Source or Destination.

3. From the workload section, click on the option of Sites. You can also use the Date filter for the selective SharePoint site migration.

4. Provide the details of the Source environment and also validate them before going to Next.

5. Enter Destination platform credentials, and cross-check to ensure whether these are right.

6. Load the Users into the tool and also validate them.

7. Add Sites into the tool by choosing the Fetch, Import, or Download template options.

8. Finally, after finalizing all of the steps, click on the Start Migration button to perform SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration.

Step 6. Post Considerations After SharePoint Cross-Tenant Migration

After the successful SharePoint cross-tenant migration process, perform a quick check on your destination SharePoint environment.

• Initially, verify the data integrity, and make sure the complete data is migrated to the destination SharePoint account.
• Check the metadata of the lists and libraries properly. You can also go through the tool’s generated report after the end of the migration process.
• Validate SharePoint permissions are still applied to the users. Ensure all the restricted user’s permissions are not affected to maintain the data integrity.
• Assign some users to test the functionality of the sites, and subsites to make sure the SharePoint functionality is working after the migration.

Best Practices for Migrating SharePoint Data to Another Tenant

1. Migrate in Batches

Migrate your SharePoint data into small chunks or batches to minimize the disruption. You can initiate with the top priority accounts and document first.

2. Communicate with Stakeholders

Do not forget to inform the affected users before initiating the SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration. It will help to overcome unexpected data consistency issues.

3. Perform Data Integrity and Permissions Checks

Throughout the migration process, validate the data completeness and ensure permissions are configured properly. Ensure the data is maintained while you migrate SharePoint list to another site.

4. Address Potential Challenges Proactively

Run a pilot migration with the dummy set of data and find out the upcoming issues. Through this, you can eliminate the upcoming issues and have an error-free migration process.

5. Keep an Eye on Migration Process

Monitor the complete migration process through the dashboard to resolve the run-time issues.

6. Documentation

Prepare the complete documentation of end to end migration process for future reference.

Conclusion

In this comprehensive write-up, we have discussed the step-by-step process for performing SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration. You can follow this guide to ensure a seamless and error-free migration. Also, do not forget, to consider the best practices to perform migration flawlessly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration?
A – SharePoint Online tenant-to-tenant migration is a process in which user needs to move their data, permissions, and configurations to another SharePoint tenant.

Q2. Why is SharePoint tenant migration essential?
A – It is required when organizations undergo structural changes, such as mergers and acquisitions.

Q3. Is there any best way to migrate SharePoint Online data to another SharePoint tenant?
A – The best way to perform SharePoint Online tenant to tenant migration is by following the best practices and using the expert’s suggested migration tool which is discussed above.

Q4. Can SharePoint permissions be transferred during migration?
A – Yes, permissions can be transferred too with the SharePoint data.

Q5. What are the steps to SharePoint tenant-to-tenant migration?

A – You need to execute the below steps to perform the migration process seamlessly.

1. Preparation of data
2. Data Cleaning 
3. Notifying Users
4. Pick a Tool
5. Start Migration
6. Verify Destination SharePoint Tenant