How to Migrate Data to Google Workspace

There are many reasons why an organization may want to migrate data into Google Workspace. The most obvious reason is when an organization is replacing their Microsoft 365 platform and deploying Google Workspace. Some other really great use cases for data migration are:

• Repatriating data under one platform: there are huge cost savings to be had by retiring a Box, Dropbox or other Cloud storage service in favour of consolidating to Google Drive
• Acquisition integration: an organization may acquire a company that uses Microsoft 365, or a separate domain of Google Workspace, and want to consolidate under one Workspace domain account
• Other
  • Geolocation
  • Former employee data retention
  • Centralized journaling of email or other content

Let’s examine some of the key considerations that should be top of mind when migrating data to Google Workspace.

One of the first things to consider is the data to be migrated.

• Mail
• Archives and journal
• Contacts
• Calendar
• Files
• Metadata
• Configurations and policies

With the right tools and scripts, just about any data can be migrated into Google Workspace.

The kind of data, the size, and the volume of the data are all factors that will determine how long it will take to migrate the data from one platform to another. There are some decisions that can be made that will speed up the migration process. For example, implementing a data retention policy can reduce the volume of data being migrated. A data migration effort can also be sped up by horizontally scaling the Cloud migration infrastructure. If your organization has a lot of data to migrate, consider modeling the estimated length of time it will take, and then work that back into your project schedule.

There are many options and approaches to migrating data. Each approach will have its own pros and cons, as well as impact on the cost and duration of the migration. Selecting the right tools for any given migration scenario is an important task and decision to make. There are commercially available and reliable Cloud services that can help streamline the migration process, cost, and timeline. Leverage migration experts to help guide you through tool selection and make the best choices for your unique needs and requirements.

Once the migration is complete, it is important to have a thorough method to interrogate the migrated data to ensure that:

• All of the records were migrated with integrity
• All of the permissions and visibility settings are properly configured
• Metadata has been migrated (if desired)
• Any additional settings related to the migrated data (e.g. DLP controls) are in place and working as expected

While being able to validate the data is critically important and needs to be done, it is imperative to invest in pre-migration planning to ensure that there aren’t any data integrity issues post-migration.

Whatever the reason for migrating data from one platform to another, it is important to have the right expertise to successfully move and validate the data. It is important to have a plan and do the upfront work that will make the data migration successful, and make it easier to validate the migrated data. StrataPrime has been migrating data into Google Workspace and Google Cloud Platform for the past 10 years. You can trust our expertise and results! Contact sales@strataprime.com, or complete the form below. We are pleased to answer any questions and help you along your data migration journey.