How to Choose The Best SharePoint Migration Tool?
A SharePoint migration tool enables businesses of all sizes to move files, folders, sites, and permissions and metadata from other platforms (like Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, or an older SharePoint environment like SharePoint 2016/2019 server) into SharePoint Online.
It eliminates the need for IT teams to manually create permissions and folder structures. It is needed whenever organizations plan to consolidate storage, complete an M&A integration, or move to Microsoft 365 as part of a broader standardization and modernization plan.
It is important to consider factors such as metadata replication, overall performance, reporting, support, automatic conflict handling, and security and compliance.
Key Takeaways:
Checklist to Select a SharePoint Migration Tool
Choosing a SharePoint migration tool based on speed or price alone is a common mistake. Teams need to evaluate a handful of specific capabilities before committing to a vendor.
| What to Check | Why it Matters | Ask the Vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Permission replication | Preserves access levels so collaboration doesn’t break after migration | Do you migrate root and inner level permissions or just top-level folders? |
| Custom mapping | Lets you control exactly how source and destination users/sites line up | Can we customize mapping paths, or only use auto-map by email alias? |
| Automated restriction handling | Prevents failed transfers from SharePoint Online’s naming and character limits | How are invalid characters, long paths, and restricted file/folder names handled automatically? |
| Security and compliance | Protects credentials and data in transit during the move | What protocols do you use for authentication, and what compliance certifications do you hold? |
| Migration reporting and audit trail | Give IT a record of what moved, what failed, and why | Do we get a detailed migration report, or just a completion notice? |
| Support beyond SharePoint | Avoid needing a second tool for chat, email, or other cloud storage | Can the same platform also migrate Teams, email, or other cloud drives? |
Permissions Migration for Preserving Shared Data Integrity
When planning to migrate shared data to SharePoint Online, it is a must that the tool you plan to use supports permissions replication. With this functionality, the SharePoint migration tool can help you preserve the access levels which, in turn, helps retain the collaboration between users in SharePoint Online post-migration.
At CloudFuze, we offer industry’s most advanced SharePoint migration tool that can help your team migrate all shared data, such as files and folders, with sharing permissions intact. With our tool, your team can:
- Migrate root and inner level permissions in files and folders
- Retain external shares in files and folders
- Ensure the links do not break during the migration
- Preserve file versions and shared links
Custom Mapping Options
The next important functionality to prioritize in a SharePoint Online migration tool is custom mapping. Many tools available in the market have the auto-map mapping option that maps source and destination cloud users with their email aliases.
While this feature seems a time-saving proposition, it may not be well-suited if your team is planning to customize the mapping paths between all or specific groups of users. This is where the option of custom mapping users comes in handy.
We offer the CSV mapping option which allows for fully customizing the user mapping paths. With CSV mapping, your team can:
- Customize the mapping paths between users
- Create paths to specific SharePoint Online Sites (libraries)
Download our user mapping white paper to learn more about the CSV mapping process.
Automated Resolution for SharePoint Online Restrictions
Another box to tick in your SharePoint Online migration checklist is to ensure that the tool you plan to use can automatically resolve certain restrictions in SharePoint Online, such as restrictions for specific special characters and file/folder names.
With this automation, your team does not have to manually make changes to the files and folders being migrated to compensate for the restrictions. This approach is recommended when choosing a OneDrive migration tool as well.
Top Tier Security
Security cannot be an oversight when choosing a professional SharePoint migration tool. Your team must check and ensure that the tool adheres to industry-standard security practices as a step to safeguard your company’s internal information throughout the migration journey.
Our tool helps migrate to SharePoint Online in the most secure way possible. By using the OAuth 2 protocol, we ensure our tool does not store any cloud login information. And the entire data transfer takes place through REST APIs.
We comply with SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001 regulations to create a favourable environment for secure data transfer. Learn more about our security.
What Other SharePoint Migration Tools Look Like
Beyond CloudFuze, you’ll come across a mix of options in the market, including Microsoft’s own native migration tools, and third-party migration platforms like CloudFuze, ShareGate, and AvePoint.
Each tool varies in how deep its permission handling goes, how much mapping flexibility it offers, and whether it covers anything beyond SharePoint itself.
Rather than comparing vendors feature by feature, run every option through the checklist above. It will surface the real gaps faster than a marketing page will.
A One-Stop Solution for Migrating to SharePoint Online and Beyond
If your company’s plan to move to SharePoint Online is a part of the overall migration to Microsoft 365, you can leverage our one-stop migration solution.
Be it cloud storage drives, chat platforms, email systems, and more, we can enable your team to streamline the entire migration process and adopt Microsoft 365 in ways that drive the ROI sky high! Contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a SharePoint migration tool used for?
It is used to move files, folders, permissions, and site structures from another storage platform or an older SharePoint environment into SharePoint Online, without requiring a manual rebuild of access levels.
2. How do I migrate to SharePoint Online without losing permissions?
Choose a tool that explicitly supports root and inner-level permissions replication, not just top-level folder access, and confirm it preserves external shares and file versions during the transfer.
3. Can I migrate from OneDrive, Google Drive, or Box to SharePoint using the same tool?
Yes. Enterprise-grade migration platforms like CloudFuze Migrate support migration from multiple cloud storage into SharePoint Online and other Microsoft 365 apps through the same tool.
4. How long does a SharePoint Online migration take?
It depends on data volume, the number of users, and how much custom mapping is required. A detailed discovery call with your vendor is the fastest way to get an accurate estimate of the environment.
5. What’s the difference between manual and automated SharePoint migration?
Manual migration means your team handles permission mapping, restriction fixes, and file transfer manually. Automated migration handles permission replication, restriction resolution, and reporting through software, cutting both time and error risk significantly.
About the Author: Pankaj Rai
