Common Tenant-to-Tenant Migration Challenges and How to Overcome

The tenant-to-tenant migration process transfers the data of an entire Office 365 mailbox to another account. This process is crucial when restructuring the company, for mergers, or for compliance needs. But this is not an easy process to perform by any means. Many businesses struggle with tenant-to-tenant migration challenges and often lose their crucial data.

We will talk about some common tenant-to-tenant migration issues and their solutions. We will also share some precautions to keep in mind to avoid unnecessary Office 365 migration downtime. For a safer alternative, we will outline the features of a powerful tenant-to-tenant migration tool.

Common tenant-to-tenant migration challenges

Since tenant-to-tenant migration is an elaborate process, it carries the risk of data corruption and data loss. There are a variety of challenges faced by users, some of which are explained below.

1. Data loss and corruption

One of the biggest tenant-to-tenant migration challenges is the chance of data loss and corruption. During migration, the chances of losing emails, SharePoint file corruption, and improper Teams chat import increase. This happens due to poor migration planning and execution.

Solution:

Try to run a pilot migration before performing a full-fledged migration of the entire data. Another way is to turn on version history in SharePoint or OneDrive to keep track of all the changes that you make. Doing this guarantees nothing gets lost or altered during migration.

2. Disrupted folder structure

Moving data to a new environment often comes with many challenges. During Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration, the mailbox structure can get disrupted. Moreover, your calendar could malfunction, and contacts may have duplicity. Also, permissions and Teams data might not import correctly, leading to authentication issues.

Solution:

Map all site structures, permissions, and custom workflows properly before starting the migration. Also, archive old Teams data before migration to easily import it to the new Teams structure. Communicate with users about temporary workflow disruptions and provide training, if required.

3. Downtime

Poorly planned migrations often lead to unnecessary data corruption and data loss. If permissions aren’t mapped properly or the data is huge in volume, users might face downtime. It can affect productivity and make collaboration difficult between clients.

Solution:

Properly plan and map every step of the migration process. Migrate data in phases to avoid downtime, and run a pilot migration to assess all the challenges. Communicate with the team to understand what’s needed and what issues you’re facing. Notify the team in advance and test systems appropriately for a smoother migration.

4. Authentication issues

It’s common to face some authentication issues while migrating from one tenant to another. It happens because the Azure’s source and destination tenants’ details don’t match. Also, MFA settings might not import correctly, which can lead to difficulty in signing up.

Solution:

Organizations need to synchronize user accounts with the Azure AD Connect tool before migration. Verify MFA settings and check whether conditional access policies are correctly configured in the new tenant or not.

Precautions for a safe tenant-to-tenant migration

To avoid Office 365 migration downtime, certain precautions are necessary before migration. We’ve given some essential precautions that you should keep in mind:

• Proper planning: Properly plan each step of your migration process to avoid any errors and issues.
• Backup entire data: Create a copy of your entire data and store it at a safe location to avoid data loss.
• Proper training and communication: Communicate with your team to avoid any mistakes or confusion during the migration.
• Pilot migration: Run a pilot migration first to check for any challenges or issues. Start the migration in a phased approach to minimize downtime and avoid losing data.
• Post migration process: Verify that all the users and permissions are imported successfully. Check that everything is working properly and users are settling in the new environment.

Safest way to perform Office 365 tenant-to-tenant migration

The tenant-to-tenant migration challenges you might face are data corruption and improperly configured permissions. Using a professional tenant-to-tenant migration tool is the safest approach to avoid challenges. Kernel Office 365 Migration tool easily migrates entire Office 365 mailbox data in the original formatting along with the proper structure. Migrate your data to different platforms like Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, etc., using this tool.

Conclusion

Migrating between Office 365 tenants is a lengthy process, but it can be achieved with proper planning. Mainly, users struggle with data loss and improperly configured permissions. Feature-rich tenant-to-tenant migration tools like Kernel Office 365 migration can help prevent these issues. Keep the above-given precautions in mind for a successful migration.