How to Migrate Files from Box to Onedrive On A Large Scale

Dealing with data storage and transfer can be quite a daunting task on myriad levels, with file migration between two cloud storage providers being one of the major challenges. With large volumes of data typically being involved in this process, multiple factors like data sensitivity, security, and formatting come into the equation.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the reasons this might be necessary for your organization. As your business slowly grows and branches out into other verticals, the sheer volume of data you have to handle increases. Naturally, this eventually leads to a scenario where your office servers just aren’t sufficient, and you move your data to the cloud, making it hassle-free and sophisticated.

However, as your business keeps evolving, you have to pick the best cloud data storage provider to closely align with your business needs. These could depend on various factors, such as:

• Cost-Efficiency– Is the service provider falling within your organization’s budget, and is the service itself justified by a positive ROI?

• Data Security and Handling– Is the provider you choose capable of handling sensitive data with caution, and ensuring the large swatches of data you operate with are housed safely and securely?

• Customer Service– Is the provider readily available to address your concerns and handle additional requests on demand?

Migrate Files From Box to Onedrive

Before delving into how to go about the migration process, let’s reflect on what makes OneDrive a great choice for most organizations looking for cloud storage solutions. Whilst other providers like Box have their unique strengths and offerings, OneDrive offers great value for money, as well as extensive synchronization with the Office suite at an organizational level, making it a great choice on many levels.

So, how do you efficiently move files from Box to Onedrive? We’ve broken it down into bite-sized steps you can follow to streamline the entire process.

Planning and Analysis

Before you begin the actual migration, take a step back and outline the various facets involved, the number of resources you’d ideally need, and the numerous file categories you’re going to be migrating.

This will help you identify and sort out the steps involved in the migration according to their varying degrees of priority. This step is also essential in order to identify potential risks, allocate necessary personnel, and have contingency plans in case any special data handling needs arise.

Here’s where you also plan the budget you’re ready to allocate, the time duration you envisage the whole process taking, and setting some milestones that can help you measure whether the process is running smoothly.

Strategy and Tools

Perhaps the most important aspect of migrating files from Box to Onedrive, this step involves a lot of think-tank, brainstorming, and analysis to carefully pick out the best tools from a wide range of options available.

Remember that manual methods might be time-consuming and error-strewn, and the right tool can exponentially increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire process. It is imperative that you dedicate a lot of time to mulling over each tool’s pros and cons, and figuring out if you need to talk to an expert or aggregator who can point you in the right direction.

Migration Prep and Execution

Migration preparation should be relatively straightforward if the first two steps are carried out smoothly. The first step here is communicating the plan with all the major stakeholders, and ensuring everyone is on the same page in terms of budget, resources, and strategy outlined.

Internally, a certain amount of time has to be dedicated to cleaning up and curating the existing data in Box. This can help you eradicate redundancies, sort data sets according to priority, and ensure a smooth transition when the migration process begins.

Next, once you’ve authenticated the tool you’re going to be using for the migration, it’s time to set up the actual process. Every tool typically has a dashboard where you can

• Manage the data sets and data folders that are going to be migrated
• Set up all the necessary permissions for the migration
• Connect your Box and Onedrive accounts in order to ensure a smooth sync

It’s also imperative that you move your files from Box to Onedrive under minute supervision, with the entire process being monitored closely by a team of experts. This will help you ensure proper protocol is followed, and the integrity of the data sets are not harmed.

Things to Look for After Migrating Files from Box to Onedrive

The job isn’t over with just the migration. Next up is drawing up a checklist of the things you need to measure and validate post-migration. Here’s where an extensive check of all data files and folders can help you assess the success of the migration, and whether the milestones drawn up in the planning stages were met successfully.

It’s also important to collaborate with teammates and stakeholders, in order to ensure everyone knows where to find important files, manage access permissions etc. Training might also be required in some cases.

With a structured approach, organizations can manage data migration successfully, and use it as a springboard to boost productivity at an organizational level.

Have any queries or thoughts on how to migrate files from Box to Onedrive? Leave a comment below or reach out to us directly.