Pre-Scan Guide to Switch to Google Workspace from Dropbox

Migration from Dropbox to Google Workspace is a strategic step for businesses seeking to consolidate their cloud storage, simplify collaboration, and enhance security. But to initiate that migration, IT administrators must first execute a pre-scan assessment to prevent data loss, ensure accurate access controls, ensure compliance, and identify possible issues before the migration process.

Through actively scanning file structure, permissions, and storage capacities, IT staff can simplify the migration process and eliminate interruptions. Here, in this guide, we take you through a step-by-step pre-scan process which needs to be carried out by the IT admins before migrating from Dropbox to Google Workspace.

Why is Pre-Scan Important Prior to Migration?

A pre-scan analysis guides you:

• To identify important files and permissions.
• To plan an efficient folder structure in Google Drive.
• To ensure proper user mapping and access management.
• To avoid storage limit issues in Google Workspace.
• To meet security and retention policies.

Missing out on this process may lead to loss of files, broken links, or access issues, disrupting daily operations.

Pre-Scan Checklist for Dropbox to Google Workspace Migration

Let’s move on to the most important Dropbox to Google Workspace pre-scan steps IT administrators need to carry out prior to migrating.

Step 1: Review & Audit Dropbox Data

Monitor Your Dropbox Storage

Begin by checking your Dropbox configuration:

• Verify how much total storage space is currently being used across the organization.
• Identify inactive or duplicate files to avoid unnecessary migration.
• List folders, team folders, and external collaboration to enable the data to be used after migration.

Identify Critical Files & Permissions:

• Confirm file ownership and sharing permissions (public, internal, external).
• Identify business-critical documents that need high-security configurations.
• Schedule transfer of ownership of previous employees’ records.

Look for Third-Party Integrations

If Dropbox is being integrated with applications such as Slack, Zapier, or Microsoft Office, plan alternative integrations in Google Workspace (i.e., Google Chat, Google Drive, or Gmail).

Step 2: Prepare Google Workspace for Migration

User & Group Mapping

• Before migration, map each Dropbox user with a corresponding Google Workspace account.
• Map Dropbox Team Folders with Google Shared Drives for seamless access.
• Map Google Groups with the existing Dropbox sharing permissions.

Define Google Drive Folder Structure

Decide how files will be stored in Google Drive:

• Shared Drives: Suitable for collaboration among teams and department-wise access.
• My Drive: Ideal for personal storage and user-specific files.

Maintenance of proper folder structure prevents duplication at the time of migration.

Verify Google Workspace Storage Quotas

Dropbox generally provides a higher number of storage allowances in comparison to general Google Workspace bundles. Check your Google Workspace license if it is eligible for storage needs or upgrade your plan if needed.

Step 3: Select the Right Migration Tools & Techniques

Several approaches to migrate from Dropbox to Google Workspace are:

Google Migration Tools Built-In

Google has built-in migration capabilities in the form of Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Exchange (GWMME) and the Data Migration Service (DMS). These tools are adequate to handle small and medium data migrations but do not have the capability to meet large enterprise loads, intricate file structures, and metadata preservation.

Third-Party Migration Tools

For larger enterprises handling terabytes, if not petabytes, of information, an enterprise-grade cloud migration software such as CloudFuze is required. What we offer at CloudFuze is in-depth pre-migration analysis so that organizations have an idea of their data environment before they begin the migration.

Being a high-performance, best-in-market migration platform, our solution allows for secure and efficient cloud migrations to Google Drive and Shared Drives with file versions, metadata, access controls, and folder hierarchies maintained.

Manual Migration Considerations

Although manual migration would then appear to be a suitable solution, it is generally not an alternative for large corporations. Manually re-uploading and downloading files not only consumes a tremendous amount of effort and time but also poses a greater risk of loss of data, corruption of links, and inconsistencies in permissions.

Keep in mind that for secure, easy and scalable migrations, the assistance of cloud migration tools such as CloudFuze is the optimal choice. It provides data consistency, eliminates human errors, and speeds up the Google Workspace migration without downtime.

Step 4: Security & Compliance Review

Data Retention & Legal Hold

If your organization has data retention policies (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR), ensure:

• All necessary files are preserved in Google Vault prior to migration.
• Individual files are retained with legal holds.

Security & Access Controls

• Create Google Workspace sharing policies to match Dropbox.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) for extra security.
• Verify file permissions (view, edit, share) are accurately mapped.

Audit Dropbox API & Access Logs

• Audit Dropbox logs to check for suspicious activity.
• Remove unused third-party OAuth links to prevent security vulnerabilities.

Step 5: Pilot Test & Backup Plan

Perform Pilot Migration

Prior to conducting Dropbox migration to Google Workspace organization-wide, conduct pilot migration with a group of users to:

• Validate folder organization and file integrity on Google Drive.
• Permissions and sharing settings are transferred correctly.
• Manage potential issues ahead of deployment on a full scale.

Backup Prior to Migration

• Backup Dropbox data efficiently and securely.
• Document folder locations, permissions, and shared settings before migrating.

What’s Next

After you finish the pre-scan analysis, you can proceed to do the actual migration process with cloud migration webapp like CloudFuze. We have a scheduled migration process and offer a seamless transition to Google Workspace with security, compliance, and zero downtime.

Need assistance with execution? Reach out to our migration experts if you need a step-by-step migration guide!