How CloudFuze Helped Harvard Business Publishing Migrate 1,000+ Users to Microsoft 365
Harvard Business Publishing, a non-for-profit leadership development institution, based in Brighton, Massachusetts, migrated 1,000+ users and 70 terabytes of data from Box to Microsoft 365 with CloudFuze as its migration partner.
Personal user content moved to OneDrive. Shared client content moved to SharePoint Online, and permissions, file versions, shared links, and file paths carried over intact.
This customer success story covers why the company made the move, the challenges its IT team had to plan for, and how CloudFuze delivered the migration while teams kept working.
Key takeaways:
About Harvard Business Publishing
Harvard Business Publishing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University. It helps organizations around the world build stronger leaders through leadership programs, digital learning experiences, and coaching.
What was Harvard Business Publishing’ Migration to Microsoft 365?
At its core, this was an enterprise content migration from Box into OneDrive and SharePoint Online. The scope covered several priorities, such as:
- Migrating 70 terabytes of files and folders with their structure and file paths intact.
- Mapping 1,000+ Box users to their Microsoft 365 accounts.
- Routing personal content to OneDrive and shared client content to SharePoint Online.
- Preserving file versions, permissions, and the public links clients relied on.
Why Did Harvard Business Publishing Move from Box to Microsoft 365?
The corporate learning group wanted its content to live in the same place as the email, meeting, and collaboration tools its teams used every day. So, the main goals were:
- Consolidation: Bringing storage and collaboration under one Microsoft 365 environment that IT could manage and secure from a single place.
- Collaboration continuity: Keeping years of client collaborations working exactly as before, including permissions and shared links.
- Scale: Moving 70 TBs of data without slowing down the teams delivering client programs.
- A firm go live target: Running the migration on a predictable schedule.
Migration Challenges Harvard Business Publishing Faced
The bigger the migration, the more the small details matter, and Harvard Business Publishing had several to plan for:
1. Unique Permissions Across Client Folders
The client folder structure carried many unique permissions at the subfolder level. The IT team needed a full report of every one of them before migration, because a single mismatch could expose client files or lock people out.
2. Admin Access Blockers
Partway through, one admin account lacked the permissions required to continue. Until it was fixed, migration for those accounts couldn’t move forward.
3. Around 100,000 Shared Links to Process
Shared links are easy to overlook and painful to lose. After permissions were mostly done, roughly 100,000 links still needed processing, which took about 20 more hours of work.
4. Domain and Subdomain Validation
The OneDrive and SharePoint Online domains and subdomains had to be confirmed upfront. Small configuration gaps like these could stall a migration midway.
5. Infrastructure for 70 TB Data Size
A migration of this size needed dedicated infrastructure, plus the flexibility to extend capacity and support as the project progressed.
How did CloudFuze Handle Harvard Business Publishing’s Migration?
CloudFuze ran the project as a fully managed migration, and the Harvard Business Publishing’s IT team received expert support at every stage.
| CloudFuze’s Approach | What it Delivered |
|---|---|
| Migration analysis and feasibility review | A detailed review of Box and Microsoft 365 environments, including domain validation, before planning began. |
| Dedicated project manager | One point of contact who handheld the project from planning through cutover. |
| Unique permissions report | Full visibility into subfolder permissions so that access could be mapped correctly. |
| Smart content routing | Personal folders mapped to OneDrive and shared client folders mapped to SharePoint Online. |
| Shared link processing | Around 100,000 links processed after permissions were in place. |
| Quick issue resolution | Co-admin permission guidance that got the stalled accounts moving again. |
| One-time and delta migration | A bulk, initial transfer followed by delta migration that captured incremental changes made during the migration. |
| Dedicated migration servers | A dedicated server instance for 6 months, with extensions as the project required. |
| Support after cutover | Data reconciliation to confirm what landed in Microsoft 365 matched Box data. |
What Were the Migration Results?
CloudFuze completed the Box to OneDrive and SharePoint Online migration within the agreed scope.
| Results | Details |
|---|---|
| 70 TB of data migrated | Box files and folders moved to Microsoft 365 with structure and file paths preserved. |
| 1,000+ users onboarded | Every user found their own files waiting in OneDrive. |
| Client content SharePoint Online | Shared client folders landed in the right SharePoint Online sites. |
| Permissions intact | Unique subfolder permissions carried over as mapped. |
| Shared links working | Clients and internal teams kept access to linked files. |
| Business continuity | Teams kept working in Box until cutover. |
Why Do U.S. Enterprises Trust CloudFuze for Microsoft 365 Migrations?
To put things into perspective, a migration like Harvard Business Publishing’s involves thousands of permissions, links, and folder paths that all have to land exactly right. And getting that right on the first attempt comes from having done it across many enterprise environments.
CloudFuze is a U.S.-based cloud migration service provider with experience across 40+ cloud platforms. Enterprises such as Estée Lauder, Warner Bros. Discovery, Boston Medical Center, and REHAU have relied on our team to move their content into Microsoft 365.
Here is what IT leaders get with CloudFuze:
- Complete data fidelity: Files, folders, permissions, versions, timestamps, embedded links, external shares, shared links, and in-line comments all carry over to OneDrive and SharePoint Online.
- Enterprise security standards: SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR compliance give organizations in education, training, and other regulated sectors the assurance they need before moving sensitive content.
- Hands-on project ownership. A dedicated project manager stays with your IT team from the first assessment until the last file is validated.
Plan Your Box to Microsoft 365 Migration Today
Is your IT team planning a move from Box to OneDrive and SharePoint Online? CloudFuze can help you scope, plan, and run the migration with a dedicated project manager from day one.
Book a free consultation and get a customized migration roadmap for your organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much data did Harvard Business Publishing migrate from Box to Microsoft 365?
Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning Group migrated 70 TB of data for more than 1,000 users from Box to OneDrive and SharePoint Online, with CloudFuze managing the project end to end.
2. How does CloudFuze handle unique folder permissions in a Box migration?
CloudFuze generates a report of every unique permission across folders and subfolders before the migration starts. Your IT team can review it, decide how access should map, and then migrate with those permissions carried over to Microsoft 365.
3. What does a fully managed Box to Microsoft 365 migration include?
A fully managed migration with CloudFuze includes a dedicated project manager, migration analysis upfront, consulting during the migration, one-time and delta migration, and support with data reconciliation after cutover.
About the Author: Pankaj Rai
