Where do you store documents related to jobs? We often find folder structures on file servers containing subfolders for customers, information about jobs, correspondence related to the job, health and safety check lists, site photos etc. This has served many of us well for decades, but it has some major limitations.

Accessing file server content remotely, usually requires a VPN, a remote desktop system, or both. Working from remote locations with poor internet access only adds to the challenge. The other problem is managing the lifecycle of the content, because deep down inside we all like to keep everything, forever.

Moving this content to SharePoint Online has many benefits:

• Easier access without VPN’s
• Offline synchronization
• Co-authoring
• Versioning
• Metadata support
• Better search capabilities
• Records Management (lifecycle of the content)
• Information protection
• Integration with other systems
• Workflows (Power Automate or Logic Apps)
• No file server patching

The list goes on!

Before you start, it is a good idea to look at the existing content structure. Does it still make sense? I often see a first-level folder that is a person’s name, a year, or customer name. Now is the time to redesign the structure as part of the migration process.

There may be other things to consider, so as future integration where Job files / folders are access via another system or automated processes generate documents to store in the Job folders. Do these need a particular structure or metadata columns e.g., job number. Do you need subfolders within the parent Job folder?

The file and folder permissions on the file server can also be complex. Migration is a good time to review the current permissions and redesign if necessary. Moving to the cloud may also mean people who haven’t had access may see the content. Is there personal, commercial, or other sensitive content that may be migrated?

In SharePoint the sites default sharing policy can be configured to limit sharing to internal people only if required.

Purview Sensitivity Labels can be applied to SharePoint Content to provide additional protection. For example, prevent people sharing content outside the organisation, preventing printing or emailing. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) can also help prevent the accidental sharing of sensitive information such as credit card number and other personally identifiable content.

The SharePoint Migration Tool and Migration Manager both support file server to SharePoint Online migration. They work by mapping a folder structure on the file server and copying the structure to a SharePoint Document Library. This means subfolders are also migrated. These tools also support incremental migration which is useful for large content moves.

I usually avoid migrating existing permissions because I want to use a cleaner permission model in SharePoint, keeping in mind the existing permissions and who will have access once the migration is complete.

If you Job folders contain subfolders, then Power Automate can be used to automatically create a the subfolders. For example, each Job folder could contain subfolders for quotes, design, correspondence, health and safety, photos. Power Automate can trigger on a new item being created in the document library, check to see if it is a folder and then create the subfolders.

Once complete, remove access to the source files, train the end users and follow up to see how people are going. We often assume others will use SharePoint the way we do, but occasionally you see someone doing it a little differently or, needing some additional guidance.