8 Tenant to Tenant Migration Checklist for IT Administrators

For IT administrators, the tenant to tenant migration project can be a high-risk task where even a small mistake can lead to data loss, security violations, or even extended downtime. A structured checklist is essential to execute Microsoft 365 tenant to tenant as well as Google Workspace to Google Workspace migration smoothly and securely.

This guide provides an enterprise-ready tenant-to-tenant migration checklist tailored for IT admins, based on ‘real-world’ Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace scenarios.

Key Takeaways

  • A structured tenant-to-tenant migration checklist ensures secure, zero-risk migrations with no downtime.
  • The checklist covers scope definition, pre-migration assessment, identity mapping, destination readiness, pilot runs, and more.
  • CloudFuze supports Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 tenant-to-tenant migrations with automated delta syncs, throttle-aware execution, and full-fidelity data transfer.
  • We follow an expert-driven checklist to ensure successful migrations every time.

Why a Checklist Is Important for Tenant-to-Tenant Migration

Importance of Tenant to Tenant Migration Checklist for IT Administrators

Tenant migrations, whether Google Workspace to Google Workspace Migration or Microsoft 365 tenant to tenant Migration, range beyond the boundaries of just data transfer processes.

They entail identity remapping, processing permissions, license verification, security controls, and data migration at an enormous scale within the boundaries of APIs and throttle rates.

A checklist-driven transfer approach helps IT teams eliminate risk and achieve predictable outcomes.

8 Tenant to Tenant Migration Checklist for IT Admins [Powered by CloudFuze]

1. Defining Scope and Objectives

Start by documenting the purpose and scope of the Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace tenant to tenant migration:

  • Why is migration happening? (M&A, consolidation, compliance, cost optimization)
  • Which workloads are in scope? (Email, calendars, Drive/OneDrive, SharePoint/Shared Drives, Teams/Chat)
  • Which users, groups, and service accounts are included, and how will identities be mapped between tenants?
  • What permissions, external shares, and collaboration data must be preserved?
  • How does success look? (little/no downtime, no data loss, smooth user experience)
  • Which domains, licenses, and hybrid dependencies need realignment in the target tenant?

Establishing clear objectives improves governance and keeps the migration aligned with the plan. This also ensures that all key stakeholders are on the same page.

2. Pre-Migration Assessment

Audit the source tenant thoroughly:

  • Users and Groups: Enumerate all accounts that are currently active, including roles and licenses.
  • Data Workloads: Point to Mailboxes, Drive/OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, Teams/Chat conversation threads, Google Chat spaces, or any collaborative tools.
  • Apps and Integrations: Document Power Platform, Google Workspace apps, connectors, and third-party integrations.
  • Compliance Policies: Check Retention, Legal Holds, DLP, and eDiscovery policies.
  • Volume of Data and Risks: Assess the volume of data, volume of messages, API throttling limits, and unsupported components.

Identify possible blockers in advance, like unsupported applications, large mailboxes, and inaccessible shared files, before the Microsoft 365 to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to Google Workspace migration.

3. Identity and Access Management

The identity mapping should be done correctly:

  • Correctly map users and groups from the source to the destination tenants.
  • Preserve roles, groups, and permissions.
  • Testing authentication processes, single sign-on features, and conditional access configurations.

Lack of proper identity management may cause disconnections or a lack of access on the part of the user.

4. Destination Tenant Readiness

Make sure the target tenant (for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace) is ready for the migration:

  • Create required licenses and roles.
  • Set up admin, service, and API accounts.
  • Ensure security policies are aligned. (MFA, DLP, sensitivity labels, and conditional
  • Validate third-party integrations and applications against tenant configurations.

Appropriate preparation mitigates post-migration problems.

5. Pilot Migration

Run a small-scale pilot with a limited number of users (10-15) and workloads:

  • Testing email, calendars, files, and collaboration tools such as Teams, Google Chat, SharePoint, and Shared Drives.
  • Assure chat history, thread continuity of channels, permissions, and metadata are preserved.
  • Gather feedback to identify potential issues and refine the full-scale migration plan.
  • Pilot migrations help mitigate risk for large-scale enterprise projects.

6. Migration Execution

Execute in phases to control risk while monitoring progress:

  • Waves Phased: Migrate by department, region, or business unit.
  • Delta Syncs: This will capture the data that is new or modified during the migration window. This is required to avoid gaps in the data.
  • Throttling Management: Monitor API limits; additionally, implement retry logic for APIs such as the Microsoft Graph API and Google Admin API for Workspace.

Phased, controlled migration means minimal disruption to users.

7. Validating Data Post-migration

Validate all after migration that will be the final sign-off:

  • Check user access, functionality of mailboxes/emails, files on Drive/OneDrive, SharePoint/Shared Drives, threads on Teams/Google Chat, and permissions.
  • Ensure that compliance and governance policies are appropriately adhered to.
  • Provide short-term support for the speedy resolution of issues created during cutover.

Post-migration checks ensure a seamless user experience and reduce IT support tickets.

8. Decommissioning and Cleanup

Once all the validation is complete:

  • Keep the source tenant around temporarily as a safety net.
  • Disable legacy accounts. Revoke permissions that are not being used.
  • Update documentation to reflect new tenant architecture.

Careful decommissioning avoids data loss accidentally and keeps compliance intact.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

IT administrators should watch out for:

  • Assuming full automation without manual checks.
  • Overlooking compliance and governance requirements.
  • Neglecting user training and communication.
  • Underestimating time required for cutover and post-migration validation.

Planning for these helps eliminate risks and helps in smooth migration.

Don’t Just Follow a Checklist, Choose the Right Migration Partner

We at CloudFuze empower the enterprise and IT admins to perform tenant-to-tenant migrations with confidence. Our platform supports large-scale Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace migration with intelligent throttling management, automated delta syncs, and item-level reporting while preserving full fidelity of data.

Our CloudFuze Migrate tool supports and preserves these features:

  • One Time & Auto Delta
  • Folder Display
  • Versions & Timestamp
  • Root & Sub Folder Permissions
  • Root & Inner File Permissions
  • External Shares
  • Shared Links

By providing assessments from pre-migration to post-migration validation, CloudFuze arms IT administrators with the tools and expertise necessary to circumvent risk, downtime, and continuity of the business.

Watch the video to see how CloudFuze supports enterprise-scale migrations.

Tenant Migrations Done Right: Checklist + Trusted Tools Are Key

Tenant to tenant migration can be a very complex task, but with correct planning, the correct checklist, and the right tool set (CloudFuze Migrate), it can certainly be accomplished.

By doing it in a planned manner, IT admins can ensure that these migrations happen in a secure, compliant, and uninterrupted manner, even in the case of larger, more regulated environments.

Contact our migration experts to help you devise a tailored migration roadmap.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What must be included in a tenant-to-tenant migration checklist?

The following should be included in a tenant to tenant migration checklist:

  • Define Scope (Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace)
  • Pre-Migration Evaluation
  • Identity Mapping
  • Readiness Of the Destination Environment
  • Staged Migrations
  • Post-Migration Validation
  • Decommission

Also, security and compliance should be integrated within each of these processes.

2. Which tools are most appropriate for tenant-to-tenant migration?

Enterprise migration tools provide greater scalability, automation capabilities, and coverage of workloads than native tools. Services such as CloudFuze offer features such as delta synchronization, throttle management, reporting capability, or Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace support.

3. What are the pre-migration steps the IT administrators should carry out before performing the migration from a

IT administrators can mitigate risks by carrying out user and workload inventorying, evaluating their compliance policies, identity mapping, destination tenant readiness, as well as pilot migration.

4. What is the best approach to ensure minimal downtime in a tenant-to-tenant move?

Downtime can be minimized using staged migrations, delta syncs, offline schedules, pilot projects, and communications with your end users. Our tool, CloudFuze Migrate, enables zero-downtime migrations from tenant to tenant.

5. How do IT administrators verify the successful completion of tenant-to-tenant migration?

Validation involves verifying user access, checking emails, verifying files, collaboration functionality, permissions, and a review of the audit trail prior to decommissioning the source tenant.

Start Migrating Today

Leverage our one-stop migration solution to securely migrate files, folders, emails, chat, hyperlinks, tenants, and more. We have 12+ years of experience in tackling migrations of all sizes and complexities!