Dropbox to G Suite Migration Guide for IT Admins – CloudFuze

You have decided to migrate Dropbox to G Suite. Now is the time to get started and take the necessary procedures to migrate content from Dropbox to G Suite effectively. What should you do first? What is the best way to copy Dropbox to G Suite to avoid pitfalls and ensure that everything goes smoothly?  

This article stops all your searches and guides you on the right path to migrate Dropbox to G Suite. 

1. Introduction

A lot goes into making any Dropbox to G Suite migration successful. Having the right mix of a well-informed plan, a clear roadmap and timeline, and the right migration tool guarantees complete success.

Use this guide to learn the approaches and steps your team can take to migrate your company’s Dropbox users, files, and folders to G Suite (now Google Workspace).

To get started, you can also watch our migration video below for a brief walkthrough of all the steps of our migration tool:

2. Why Do Businesses Migrate from Dropbox to G Suite?

Businesses move data from Dropbox to G Suite for various reasons. Some of the common reasons include:

• Cloud consolidation
• Cost savings
• Cloud governance
• Security reinforcements
• Mergers and acquisitions

Based on the use case, it is important to align the migration plan to achieve all the end goals.

3. Benefits of Moving from Dropbox to G Suite

Businesses can benefit by switching from Dropbox to G Suite in several ways. In most cases, the benefits are related to the migration’s use case. Here are some of the primary and common benefits:

• Improved cost savings
• Simplified fee structure
• Consolidated cloud platform
• Improved cloud governance

4. Dropbox to G Suite Migration Trend & Use Cases

G Suite (Google Workspace) has seen a surge in adoption as businesses, small and large, have been consolidating into the cloud suite to:

• Simplify licensing structure
• Streamline user collaboration
• Improve user productivity
• Maximize cost savings
• Improve security and data governance

5. Potential Challenges and Solutions

Below are the challenges that most businesses can face when planning to transfer Dropbox to G Suite:

• Can’t migrate the 21st nested folder as Google Drive supports only up to 20 levels of nested folders
• Migrating permissions, versions, comments, timestamps, and passwords of all files
• Migrating terabytes of data with zero downtime and zero data loss

Tackling these challenges can be complex for businesses and their IT teams that have no prior experience in planning and performing cloud migrations. Oversight on any critical area can raise the risk of migration downtime and security vulnerabilities.

6. Planning Dropbox Migration to G Suite

Proper planning lays the foundation for a complete migration success. Make sure to dedicate ample time and resources for planning out the entire migration strategy and the overall roadmap and timeline.

1) Pre-Migration Analysis

The first step of planning the migration is to perform a deep pre-migration analysis of the source cloud (Dropbox). Analyse key aspects, such as the data sharing between individual users and their teams, storage usage, third-party app integrations, and more. These insights will help your team prepare a proper scope of migration.

2) Preparing the Scope of Work

The next preparation stage is to prepare the scope of work. It includes everything that needs to be migrated from Dropbox to G Suite, including user accounts, files, folders, and more. Add these action items to the migration scope:

• The total number of users to be migrated
• The total size of files and folders to be transferred
• The types of features to preserve during the migration

3) Creating a Communication Plan

Create a proper communication plan to ensure that you are in constant contact with the migration vendor. Schedule meetings and choose communication approaches, such as online video conferences, in-person meetings, etc., as part of planning the communication strategy.

Also, communicate about the Dropbox to G Suite migration to the end-users and highlight the use case and benefits of making the switch. Keep stakeholders informed and include them in migration reports sharing to keep them updated about the ongoing project.

7. Preparing for the Migration

Proper preparation helps your team ensure complete success regardless of the scale of the migration. Here are some of the essential preparation steps to take:

1) Choose a Dropbox to G Suite Migration Tool

It can either be next to impossible or can cost a lot of time and money for organizations to move all files from Dropbox to G Suite with a manual approach. Transferring millions of files/folders and re-adding their properties, such as permissions, becomes a highly time-consuming process with high-security risks.

So, to migrate all Dropbox files of different formats, such as Word, Google Docs, Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Dropbox Paper, along with permissions, versions, comments, timestamps, passwords, shared links, and embedded links, it is critical to use a reliable and high-performance third-party migration tool like CloudFuze X-Change.

At CloudFuze, we have designed our tool to migrate all Dropbox files to G Suite without missing a single permission, version, timestamp, and password (used to protect files) with zero downtime and no data loss, regardless of the data size. Besides, it also migrates nested folders beyond the 20th level through a link named Long File Name in the 20th folder.

Our migration team can help your IT team copy files from Dropbox to G Suite while overcoming all the challenges, regardless of the size and intricacy of the planned Dropbox to G Suite migration project. With years of experience in performing migrations from one cloud storage to another for thousands of organizations ranging from small to large scale, we at CloudFuze can help you move terabytes of data without a hitch from a Dropbox account to G Suite.

We are a partner of both Dropbox and Google and have an extensive understanding of both cloud storage platforms. We can solve any complexities quickly for you to migrate Dropbox files to G Suite.

Contact us today for more details on how to move files from Dropbox to G Suite. Our experts are just a step away from assisting you with your plan to move files from Dropbox to G Suite.

2) Map the User Accounts

Map the user accounts from Dropbox to G Suite properly. We recommend using the CSV mapping method to create proper mapping paths that ensure 100% accuracy of migration. Our tool also offers the auto-mapping option that automatically maps user accounts based on their email aliases.

8. How does CloudFuze Solve Dropbox to G Suite Migration Challenges?

At CloudFuze, we have designed our tool to migrate all Dropbox files to G Suite without missing a single permission, version,  timestamp, and password (used to protect files) with zero downtime and no data loss, regardless of the data size. Besides, it also migrates nested folders beyond the 20th level through a link named Long File Name in the 20th folder.

9. CloudFuze’s Dropbox to G Suite Migration Tool

It can either be next to impossible or can cost a lot of time and money for organizations to move all files from Dropbox to G Suite with a manual approach. Transferring millions of files/folders, and re-adding their properties, such as permissions, becomes a highly time-taking process with high security risks.

Figure 1: Dropbox Storage vs. Google Drive Storage

So, to migrate all Dropbox files of different formats, such as Word, Google Docs, Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Dropbox Paper, along with permissions, versions, comments, timestamps, passwords, shared links, and embedded links, it is critical to use a reliable and high-performance third-party migration tool like CloudFuze X-Change.

Figure 2: Dropbox files permissions, comments, and timestamps

10. Dropbox to G Suite Migration Case Studies

As a Google Cloud partner, we have helped a lot of companies migrate from Dropbox to G Suite successfully. We implement the latest API updates and security patches from Google to deliver world-class migrations. Here’s one case study example:

Case Study Highlight: Opendoor, a leading real estate company, needed to migrate TBs of data and a high volume of users from Dropbox to G Suite. Challenges, such as replicating intricate sharing structures, Dropbox Paper conversions, and a tight deadline, created complexities. However, our migration team helped overcome every challenge and streamlined the entire journey. Learn more about the Opendoor case study.

Explore more migration case studies.

11. CloudFuze vs Competitor Migration Tools

You should first check whether the migration tool you have chosen supports all the migration features before you can effectively select a suitable service. This is the quickest way to choose the right migration service based on your prerequisites.

Below are the features you should look at while choosing Dropbox for business to G Suite migration service provider.

Our data migration experts create custom migration solutions to fit your business-specific needs. Contact us and schedule a demo today!

12. How to Migrate from Dropbox to G suite

To give you an idea, below are the 16 simple steps to transfer files from Dropbox to G Suite.

1. Log into CloudFuze

The first step to test copy Dropbox files to G Suite is to create a CloudFuze webapp account. Visit CloudFuze webapp and create an account for free. CloudFuze provides a free trial account for users who wish to test the platform.

CloudFuze also provides a product tour or customized enterprise trial for IT admins with large data migration needs.

Please contact our migration team today for a demo or quote.

2. Add Dropbox for Business Account

Locate the Dropbox logo seen in the business clouds list. Since it is a business migration, avoid adding Dropbox to the list of personal clouds.
Clouds in the personal section don’t support multi-user data migration.

3. Authorize the Dropbox Account

Enter your company’s Dropbox admin login credentials and click on the Sign-in button. This will complete the Dropbox cloud-adding process.

4. Add G Suite

Find the G Suite logo in the list of business clouds. Click on it and enter the G Suite admin login credentials.

5. Add CloudFuze from G Suite Marketplace

CloudFuze requires you to add its app in the G Suite marketplace to facilitate migration. Click on the Proceed button.

6. Enter G Suite Login Details

Now enter your company’s G Suite admin login details and click on the Next button.

7. Provide Access

Click on the Allow button to complete the G Suite cloud addition process.

8. Check Whether Clouds Added Successfully

Go to the Clouds section in the webapp and click on the Manage Clouds tab. You should be able to see both Dropbox and G Suite added there. If you find one of the two clouds missing, repeat the cloud addition procedure with the steps given above.

It is critical to get the clouds addition process right to successfully transfer files from Dropbox to G Suite.

9. Team Migration to Proceed to Dropbox to G Suite Migration

Click on the Team Migration icon. This will not start the actual process of copying Dropbox files to G Suite. You need to configure a few more options to start the migration.

10. Select Source and Destination Cloud Accounts

Choose Dropbox for Business as the source and G Suite as the destination cloud to transfer files from Dropbox to G Suite and not the opposite way.

11. Map Users for Migration

CloudFuze has an Auto-map feature that maps all the users in source and destination based on the email aliases.

You can delete the users from the Auto-map list by clicking on the small delete icon.

12. CSV Mapping Method

Apart from auto-mapping, CloudFuze also supports manual mapping via a CSV file. Upload a CSV file with the list of users to the CloudFuze webapp. The app then fetches the user mapping information to copy files from Dropbox to G Suite.

13. Select Dropbox to G Suite Migration Options

You can select a few options on this page, such as naming the migration, providing additional emails for notifications, etc. Most of these settings can be left to default when performing a basic test to transfer files from Dropbox to G Suite.

14. Preview and Initiate the Migration

Preview your migration job once and click on the “Start Migration” button. This will migrate data from Dropbox to G Suite.

15. Migration Is in Progress

During transferring files from Dropbox business to G Suite, CloudFuze displays the status as In-Progress.

16. Dropbox to G Suite Migration Has Been Completed

If you would like to migrate content from Dropbox to G Suite in a high volume for your organization, please contact our business migration team for a quote or a demo.

If you would like to migrate content from Dropbox to G Suite, please contact our business migration team for a quote or demo.

13. Perform Dropbox file migration to G Suite

Follow these steps to move data to G Suite from Dropbox with optimal security and performance:

Post-Migration Tasks

After the one-time migration gets completed for all the user batches, make sure to perform a couple of mission-critical post-migration tasks.

1) Delta Migration

Incremental changes accumulate in Dropbox when users continue working on their files and folders during the one-time migration. Transfer these incremental changes by performing one or more delta migrations.

2) Migration Validation

Validate the one-time and delta migrations by checking the migration reports. Our tool generates detailed migration reports that help you check all the key parameters, such as data size, user accounts, start and end date and time for the migration, and more.

3) User Onboarding and Go Live

Provide the users with proper training to use G Suite. Once they are ready, start the onboarding process. And after configuring all the administrative parameters, deploy the cloud suite across the company and make it live.

Conclusion

With the right strategy, you can ensure a complete Dropbox to G Suite migration success for your company. Schedule a free and no-obligation demo of our tool to understand its capabilities. Contact us today!

14. Dropbox to G Suite Migration FAQs

1. How does CloudFuze handle nested folder migration in Google Drive?

A folder in Google Drive can support up to 20 levels of nested folders. However, based on our customers’ request to migrate beyond the 20th level, we have built a “Long File Name” feature. CloudFuze tool migrates Dropbox files to G Suite from the 21st nested folder by creating a link in the 20th folder, which redirects to the 21st folder.

2. Are the apps integrated into Dropbox migrated to G Suite?

No tool supports app integration migration from one cloud to another because the apps downloaded in a cloud will be specific and can’t be migrated to any other cloud account. Similarly, any app downloaded from the Dropbox app center can’t be migrated to G Suite.

3. In which format are the files migrated to G Suite?

CloudFuze migrates all the files such as Word, Google Docs, Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Dropbox Paper, along with permissions, versions, comments, timestamps, and passwords in a simple and secure way. Dropbox files can be accessed in the following format when you migrate data from Dropbox to G Suite.

4. Is there any data migration limit?

There is no data size limit from CloudFuze’s end. CloudFuze can migrate terabytes of data on its servers without slowing down the migration process. But G Suite allows uploading only 750 GB of data each day for each user. When the migration data reaches the limit set by G Suite, it continues the next day, and the process goes on until the entire data is migrated.

5. Is it mandatory to provision your user’s Google accounts?

Yes, G Suite’s rule is that all the users should log in at least once to their Google Accounts to activate it. And it’s only when the Google accounts are active that it becomes possible to copy Dropbox to G Suite.

Before you move files from Dropbox to G Suite, CloudFuze checks in the database whether all the company users to be migrated are provisioned or not.