How to Switch From Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 Securely?

Moving from one cloud office suite to another requires careful planning with security as the topmost priority. The plan and the overall migration roadmap must also prioritize proper user mapping, batch segregation, monitoring, and validation.

In this technical post, we’ll reveal the steps following which your organization can smoothly transfer data from Google Drive to OneDrive or Google Shared Drive to SharePoint Online, etc. Considering a well-planned approach is essential to achieve a successful migration. Here are the points you can take into account.

1. Analyze Your Organizational Needs and Plan Accordingly

Before planning a secure data transfer from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, carry out an in-depth assessment. This step is crucial to find out the objectives and requirements of your organization. Also, it will give your IT team a rough idea about what data needs to be transferred, how much time it will take to complete the migration, and most importantly, what budget they need to set for the transition.

2. Create a Detailed Migration Strategy

If you want to switch from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 with total replication, you need a robust and precise migration strategy. That involves planning the migration timeline, dividing the whole process into smaller phases, and prioritizing the data to be transferred first.

When you know there is no unwanted data or duplicate data lying on the source environment, you ensure a clutter-free migration of important files and documents to the destination.

3. Ensure Data Security and Compliance is Maintained

There are two important factors your IT team needs to consider while switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365; security and compliance. This step is essential to ensure a secure migration. Hence, choose a migration method that is compliant with standard regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 Type 2, etc.

4. Create a Backup of Sensitive Data

Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 involves transferring your organization’s sensitive information. Therefore, your IT team must prepare processes to lower the risk of data loss and other security flaws.

One of the best practices to be on the safer side is to create a backup of all sensitive emails, contacts, calendars, and other information of Google Workspace with the help of Google Takeout or third-party backup tools. This will help you recover your data in case of data loss due to any technical issue.

5. Notify the Stakeholders about the Transition

Communication is the key to achieve a successful migration. So, when you switch from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, update the same to all the stakeholders within the organization. Make them aware of the migration process, its impact on workflows, etc. At the same time, encourage the end-users to get familiar with the Microsoft 365 environment to avoid post-migration challenges.

6. Choose Secure Migration Tool for the Migration

If your organization wants to switch from G Suite to Microsoft 365 without any error or security concerns then your IT team can opt for CloudFuze X-change migration tool. Our migration solution has some of the industry leading functionalities, such as link fixing and migration encryption, that help your IT team ensure maximum security.

7. Validate the Migration

Once you switch from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365, make sure to validate the migration. Conduct a thorough testing to verify every files, documents, etc are successfully migrated to the destination. Also, you must verify the technical aspects such as email routing, calendar synchronization, etc.

8. General Post-migration Considerations

Since your organization is switching from one cloud platform to a different cloud platform, it is always better to arrange training sessions for the users. It will help them get familiar with the features and functionalities of the Microsoft 365 platform.

Apart from that, once the migration is completed, your IT team must monitor the Microsoft 365 environment on a regular basis. They should keep an eye on the performance and utilization of the Microsoft 365 application. In addition to that, gather feedback from stakeholders and users after the migration, if they are facing any challenges, make sure to address them timely.

Switch from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 Securely with CloudFuze

Transitioning from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 can be a complex process if not done correctly. But, fret not! We, at CloudFuze, take extra care when it comes to migrating sensitive data from one cloud platform to another. Your IT team can contact our experts to discuss migration requirements and plan the transition accordingly.