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HomeBlogBest SharePoint Migration Services 2026
March 25, 2026 18 min read

12 Best Enterprise SharePoint Migration Services in 2026: Tested by 5,200+ Implementations

An expert-ranked guide to the top SharePoint migration services, based on 28 years of hands-on migration experience. Compare migration types, compliance capabilities, data volume capacity, and post-migration support.

EO

Errin O'Connor

Chief AI Architect & CEO, EPC Group • 4x Microsoft Press Author • Original SharePoint Beta Team

Last Updated: March 25, 2026

The best enterprise SharePoint migration services in 2026 are EPC Group, AvePoint, Avanade, Catapult Systems, and ShareGate (by Workleap). EPC Group leads with 5,200+ implementations since the original SharePoint beta (Project Tahoe), specializing in compliance-governed migrations for HIPAA, SOC 2, and FedRAMP environments. For enterprise migrations, choose a partner with proven large-scale experience, zero-data-loss guarantees, and post-migration governance frameworks — not just a tool license.

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I was on the original SharePoint beta team at Microsoft — back when it was called Project Tahoe. I've watched every version ship since, and I've migrated organizations through every one of those transitions. 5,200+ implementations later, I can tell you exactly what makes the difference between a migration that goes live on time and one that turns into a six-month nightmare.

The #1 mistake I see in SharePoint migrations? Treating it like a file copy. It's not. It's a governance transformation, a permission restructuring, and a user adoption challenge wrapped in a technical project. The content move is the easy part. The hard part is making sure your 15,000 users can find what they need on Monday morning after cutover, that your compliance posture didn't degrade during the move, and that the custom workflows your operations team depends on actually work in the new environment.

I've evaluated every major SharePoint migration service provider in the market against the same criteria we use internally at EPC Group: implementation volume, migration tool expertise, compliance capability during the migration itself (not just before and after), post-migration governance, and pricing transparency. This ranking is based on real-world results across thousands of enterprise environments, not vendor marketing claims.

Top 12 SharePoint Migration Services at a Glance

RankFirmMigration TypesCompliance During MigrationData Volume CapacityPost-Migration Support
#1EPC GroupOn-Prem to Online, Hybrid, Tenant-to-TenantFull HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, CMMC chain-of-custody with zero-downtime cutover...500TB+ proven24/7 managed services, governance framework deployment, 90-d...
#2AvePointOn-Prem to Online, Tenant-to-Tenant, File Share to SPOBuilt-in compliance scanning, sensitivity label preservation, DLP policy mapping...200TB+ with FLY migration platformCloud management platform, backup, and governance tools (sep...
#3AvanadeOn-Prem to Online, Hybrid, Tenant-to-TenantEnterprise compliance frameworks, global data residency management...1PB+ across distributed global migrationsManaged services, Center of Excellence setup, global support...
#4Catapult SystemsOn-Prem to Online, Hybrid, File Share to SPOGovernment and education compliance expertise, ITAR support...100TB+ with phased migration approachManaged services, SharePoint administration, user adoption p...
#5ShareGate (by Workleap)On-Prem to Online, Tenant-to-Tenant, File Share to SPOPermission reporting, metadata preservation, pre-migration audit tools...50TB+ShareGate management platform for ongoing governance (separa...
#6Binary StreamOn-Prem to Online, Hybrid, Business Process MigrationFinancial services compliance, audit trail preservation during migration...50TB+ with business process validationBusiness process optimization, workflow modernization to Pow...
#7KWizComOn-Prem to Online, Custom Solution Migration, InfoPath to Power AppsCustom solution compatibility assessment, functionality preservation validation...25TB+Custom solution maintenance, modern replacement development...
#8PerficientOn-Prem to Online, Hybrid, Custom DevelopmentHealthcare and financial services compliance, HITRUST certification support...200TB+ with enterprise delivery modelManaged services, custom development, integration maintenanc...
#9HCLTechOn-Prem to Online, Tenant-to-Tenant, Multi-Tenant ConsolidationGlobal data residency, GDPR, multi-jurisdiction compliance management...1PB+ across distributed global environmentsGlobal managed services, 24/7 NOC, multi-language support...
#10NetwovenOn-Prem to Online, Intranet Migration, Classic to ModernInformation architecture validation, content governance during migration...100TB+ with content restructuringIntranet management, content governance, user adoption...
#11Bamboo SolutionsWorkflow Migration, SharePoint Designer to Power Automate, Nintex to Power AutomateWorkflow audit and compliance mapping, process documentation...25TB+Power Automate optimization, workflow monitoring, process im...
#12SlalomOn-Prem to Online, Digital Workplace, Change ManagementChange management frameworks, stakeholder communication plans...100TB+ with phased adoption approachChange management, user adoption, training programs, champio...

Our Ranking Methodology

Rankings are based on 5 criteria weighted by their impact on enterprise migration success. These weights reflect what actually matters in the field after 5,200+ implementations — not what looks good in a vendor pitch.

Implementation volume and track record (25%)
Migration tool expertise and technical depth (20%)
Compliance capability during migration (20%)
Post-migration governance and adoption (20%)
Pricing transparency and value (15%)

SharePoint Migration Checklist

Bookmark this. Every successful enterprise SharePoint migration follows these phases.

1Pre-Migration Discovery (Weeks 1-3)

Inventory all site collections, content databases, and storage volumes
Catalog custom solutions: web parts, workflows, InfoPath forms, event receivers
Map all permission structures including AD groups and external sharing
Identify content disposition candidates (ROT analysis)
Document business-critical workflows and their dependencies
Assess network bandwidth and migration window constraints

2Architecture & Governance Planning (Weeks 3-6)

Design target information architecture (site structure, hub sites, navigation)
Define permission model: Entra ID groups, SharePoint groups, sharing policies
Map sensitivity labels and DLP policies from on-prem to Microsoft Purview
Plan managed metadata service migration and term store structure
Design URL mapping strategy (vanity URLs, redirects for bookmarks)
Establish migration success criteria and validation checkpoints

3Pilot Migration (Weeks 6-8)

Migrate 2-3 representative site collections (different complexity levels)
Validate permissions match source environment exactly
Test all custom solution replacements with business users
Measure migration throughput and extrapolate full timeline
Conduct user acceptance testing with pilot group
Document issues and update migration runbook

4Migration Waves (Weeks 8-16+)

Execute migration in planned waves (department or geography-based)
Run per-wave permission validation scripts before cutover
Perform delta sync for content changed during migration
Execute DNS and URL redirect cutover per wave
Provide wave-specific user communication and training
Maintain rollback capability for 72 hours post-wave cutover

5Post-Migration Hypercare (Weeks 16-28)

Monitor help desk tickets for migration-related issues
Validate search index completeness and relevance
Decommission source environment (staged, not immediate)
Deploy governance framework: naming conventions, lifecycle policies
Train site owners on modern SharePoint administration
Conduct 30/60/90-day adoption metrics review

Why SharePoint Migration Is Not a File Copy

I've had this conversation hundreds of times with CTOs who ask, "Can't we just use robocopy?" Here's what they're actually migrating and don't realize it:

What They Think They're Migrating

  • x Files and folders
  • x A few SharePoint sites
  • x Some documents

What They're Actually Migrating

  • + Permission inheritance chains across thousands of objects
  • + Managed metadata and content type hierarchies
  • + Custom workflows driving business operations
  • + Version history (often legally required)
  • + Compliance labels and retention policies
  • + User behavior patterns and search relevance
  • + Integration points with LOB applications

A 10,000-user on-prem to Online migration typically takes 4-8 months. Anyone promising 6 weeks is either cutting corners or doesn't understand your environment. I've been called in to rescue more "quick migrations" that went sideways than I can count. The common thread: they treated SharePoint like a file server with a web frontend. It's not. It's a platform, and you're migrating the entire platform — not just the content sitting on it.

SharePoint Migration Tools: What Actually Works at Enterprise Scale

After running migrations with every major tool on the market, here's the honest assessment. No single tool handles everything. Enterprise migrations use a combination.

SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) & Migration Manager

Best for: Bulk content migration from on-premises file shares and SharePoint Server to SharePoint Online. Free from Microsoft.

Limitations: Limited scheduling, basic reporting, no pre-migration assessment, cannot migrate workflows or custom solutions. We use it for the heavy lifting of content but supplement with custom PowerShell for permission validation and third-party tools for pre-migration analysis.

ShareGate (Workleap)

Best for: Pre-migration assessment, permission reporting, and migrations where IT teams want hands-on control. Excellent UI.

Limitations: Desktop application requires local installation, throughput limited by client machine, licensing scales with data volume. Best for mid-market or as a supplementary assessment tool for enterprise.

AvePoint FLY

Best for: Tenant-to-tenant migrations, M&A consolidation, and cloud-to-cloud moves. Strong compliance scanning.

Limitations: Enterprise licensing cost is significant, learning curve for the platform, overkill for simple on-prem to online moves. Ideal for complex multi-tenant scenarios.

Custom PowerShell + PnP Migration

Best for: Permission remediation, metadata cleanup, validation scripting, and handling edge cases no GUI tool covers.

Reality: Every enterprise migration ends up needing custom PowerShell regardless of the primary tool. If your migration partner cannot write PnP PowerShell, they're not ready for enterprise SharePoint. At EPC Group, we maintain a library of 200+ migration scripts built across our 5,200+ implementations.

Detailed Reviews: 12 Best SharePoint Migration Services

#1

EPC Group

Editor's Choice

Best for enterprise SharePoint migration with 5,200+ implementations and compliance governance

4.9

127 reviews

Houston, TX • Founded 1997 • 50-200 employees
Typical project: $75K-$500K • $150-$300/hr

Key Strengths:

  • 5,200+ SharePoint implementations since original beta (Project Tahoe)
  • 4 Microsoft Press books by founder including large-scale migration guides
  • Zero-data-loss guarantee with chain-of-custody audit trails
  • Custom PowerShell + SPMT + Migration Manager hybrid approach
  • Compliance-first: HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP maintained throughout migration
  • Post-migration governance framework with adoption training

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineHybridTenant-to-TenantFile Share to SPOClassic to ModernCross-Platform

Compliance During Migration:

Full HIPAA, SOC 2, FedRAMP, CMMC chain-of-custody with zero-downtime cutover

Data Volume Capacity:

500TB+ proven (largest single migration: 85TB, 42,000 users)

Best for: Fortune 500 enterprises in regulated industries needing guaranteed zero-data-loss migration with full compliance chain-of-custody

#2

AvePoint

Best for automated SharePoint migration with built-in governance

4.7

203 reviews

Jersey City, NJ • Founded 2001 • 2,000+ employees
Typical project: $50K-$300K + licensing • $100-$250/hr (tool licensing separate)

Key Strengths:

  • FLY migration platform handles complex tenant-to-tenant scenarios
  • Built-in pre-migration compliance assessment and remediation
  • Automated permission mapping and sensitivity label preservation
  • Strong Google Workspace to SharePoint migration tooling

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineTenant-to-TenantFile Share to SPOCloud-to-CloudGoogle to SPO

Compliance During Migration:

Built-in compliance scanning, sensitivity label preservation, DLP policy mapping

Data Volume Capacity:

200TB+ with FLY migration platform

Best for: Organizations needing automated migration tooling with built-in compliance scanning and governance

#3

Avanade

Best for large-scale SharePoint modernization programs

4.5

189 reviews

Seattle, WA • Founded 2000 • 50,000+ employees
Typical project: $250K-$5M+ • $250-$500/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Accenture/Microsoft joint venture with deepest Microsoft relationship
  • Global delivery capability across 25+ countries
  • End-to-end digital workplace transformation beyond just migration
  • Massive project management infrastructure for 100K+ user migrations

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineHybridTenant-to-TenantFull Digital Workplace Modernization

Compliance During Migration:

Enterprise compliance frameworks, global data residency management

Data Volume Capacity:

1PB+ across distributed global migrations

Best for: Global enterprises with 50,000+ users needing full digital workplace modernization, not just a migration

#4

Catapult Systems

Best for SharePoint hybrid migration strategies

4.6

84 reviews

Austin, TX • Founded 1993 • 200-500 employees
Typical project: $50K-$400K • $150-$300/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Deep hybrid configuration expertise for organizations that cannot fully move to cloud
  • Strong government and education vertical with compliance experience
  • Texas-based with strong regional presence and on-site delivery
  • Managed services post-migration for ongoing SharePoint administration

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineHybridFile Share to SPOClassic to Modern

Compliance During Migration:

Government and education compliance expertise, ITAR support

Data Volume Capacity:

100TB+ with phased migration approach

Best for: Government and education organizations needing hybrid SharePoint configurations with on-premises components retained

#5

ShareGate (by Workleap)

Best for self-service SharePoint migration tools

4.7

312 reviews

Montreal, Canada • Founded 2006 • 200-500 employees
Typical project: $15K-$100K (tool + internal labor) • $50-$150/hr (primarily tool licensing)

Key Strengths:

  • Intuitive migration tool that IT teams can operate without consultants
  • Excellent pre-migration reporting and content analysis
  • Strong Teams and Microsoft 365 Groups migration support
  • Cost-effective for organizations with capable internal IT staff

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineTenant-to-TenantFile Share to SPOTeams Migration

Compliance During Migration:

Permission reporting, metadata preservation, pre-migration audit tools

Data Volume Capacity:

50TB+ (tool-based, scales with infrastructure)

Best for: Mid-market organizations with strong internal IT teams who want to run their own migration with excellent tooling

#6

Binary Stream

Best for SharePoint migration with business process automation

4.5

56 reviews

Vancouver, Canada • Founded 2000 • 100-200 employees
Typical project: $50K-$250K • $150-$275/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Migration includes business process re-engineering, not just content move
  • Strong Dynamics 365 and ERP integration during migration
  • Workflow modernization from SharePoint Designer to Power Automate
  • Financial services expertise with audit trail preservation

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineHybridBusiness Process MigrationWorkflow Migration

Compliance During Migration:

Financial services compliance, audit trail preservation during migration

Data Volume Capacity:

50TB+ with business process validation

Best for: Organizations with heavy SharePoint workflow dependencies that need business process modernization during migration

#7

KWizCom

Best for SharePoint custom solution migration and preservation

4.6

43 reviews

Toronto, Canada • Founded 2005 • 50-100 employees
Typical project: $30K-$200K • $125-$250/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Deep expertise in migrating custom SharePoint solutions and web parts
  • InfoPath to Power Apps conversion specialists
  • Custom solution compatibility assessment before migration
  • Modern replacement development for deprecated features

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineCustom Solution MigrationInfoPath to Power AppsClassic to Modern

Compliance During Migration:

Custom solution compatibility assessment, functionality preservation validation

Data Volume Capacity:

25TB+ (specializes in complexity over volume)

Best for: Organizations with heavy custom development (web parts, InfoPath, SharePoint Designer workflows) that need functionality preserved

#8

Perficient

Best for SharePoint migration with custom development

4.5

134 reviews

St. Louis, MO • Founded 1997 • 7,000+ employees
Typical project: $100K-$750K • $175-$350/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Full-stack custom development capability alongside migration
  • Strong integration expertise (SAP, Salesforce, custom APIs)
  • Healthcare vertical with HITRUST certification experience
  • Large delivery team for parallel workstream execution

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineHybridCustom DevelopmentIntegration Migration

Compliance During Migration:

Healthcare and financial services compliance, HITRUST certification support

Data Volume Capacity:

200TB+ with enterprise delivery model

Best for: Enterprises needing significant custom development and third-party integration work alongside their SharePoint migration

#9

HCLTech

Best for global multi-tenant SharePoint migrations

4.3

167 reviews

Noida, India • Founded 1991 • 220,000+ employees
Typical project: $200K-$2M+ • $75-$200/hr (offshore blend)

Key Strengths:

  • Massive global delivery model with 24/7 migration execution windows
  • Multi-tenant consolidation expertise for post-M&A scenarios
  • Cost-effective offshore/onshore blended delivery
  • Multi-language and multi-jurisdiction compliance experience

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineTenant-to-TenantMulti-Tenant ConsolidationGlobal Rollout

Compliance During Migration:

Global data residency, GDPR, multi-jurisdiction compliance management

Data Volume Capacity:

1PB+ across distributed global environments

Best for: Global enterprises with multiple tenants across jurisdictions needing consolidation and standardization at scale

#10

Netwoven

Best for SharePoint intranet migration and redesign

4.6

72 reviews

Sunnyvale, CA • Founded 2006 • 200-500 employees
Typical project: $75K-$400K • $125-$275/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Intranet-first migration approach with UX redesign built into the project
  • Information architecture restructuring during migration, not after
  • Strong content governance and metadata standardization
  • User adoption programs with change management integrated

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineIntranet MigrationClassic to ModernContent Restructuring

Compliance During Migration:

Information architecture validation, content governance during migration

Data Volume Capacity:

100TB+ with content restructuring

Best for: Organizations using SharePoint primarily as an intranet who want to modernize the experience during migration

#11

Bamboo Solutions

Best for SharePoint workflow migration to Power Automate

4.5

38 reviews

Reston, VA • Founded 2000 • 50-100 employees
Typical project: $40K-$200K • $125-$250/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Deep workflow migration expertise: SharePoint Designer, Nintex, InfoPath to Power Automate
  • Workflow discovery and documentation before migration begins
  • Power Automate Center of Excellence setup post-migration
  • Government sector expertise with DC-area presence

Migration Types:

Workflow MigrationSharePoint Designer to Power AutomateNintex to Power AutomateClassic to Modern

Compliance During Migration:

Workflow audit and compliance mapping, process documentation

Data Volume Capacity:

25TB+ (workflow-focused, not bulk data)

Best for: Organizations with hundreds of SharePoint Designer or Nintex workflows that need systematic conversion to Power Automate

#12

Slalom

Best for SharePoint migration with change management and adoption

4.5

156 reviews

Seattle, WA • Founded 2001 • 13,000+ employees
Typical project: $100K-$750K • $200-$400/hr

Key Strengths:

  • Adoption-led migration approach: users are ready before content moves
  • Strong change management methodology with executive alignment
  • Champion network programs for sustained post-migration adoption
  • Local market expertise with consultants embedded in your city

Migration Types:

On-Prem to OnlineDigital WorkplaceChange ManagementAdoption-Led Migration

Compliance During Migration:

Change management frameworks, stakeholder communication plans

Data Volume Capacity:

100TB+ with phased adoption approach

Best for: Enterprises where user adoption is the primary risk and change management needs to drive the migration timeline

How to Choose the Right SharePoint Migration Partner

After rescuing dozens of failed migrations run by the wrong partner, here's what I tell every CTO: the tool matters less than the team operating it. A great engineer with SPMT will outperform a junior consultant with ShareGate every time. That said, here are the non-negotiable criteria.

1. Ask for Their Migration Runbook

Every experienced migration partner has a documented runbook — a step-by-step operational guide for executing each migration wave. If they cannot show you a runbook during the sales process, they are building one on your dime. At EPC Group, our runbook is 200+ pages built from 5,200 implementations. Your partner's should reflect similar depth.

2. Demand a Permission Validation Plan

The #1 post-migration issue is broken permissions. Ask specifically: "How do you validate that permissions in the destination match the source after each migration wave?" The answer should involve automated comparison scripts, not manual spot-checks. If they say "we sample 5% of sites," walk away.

3. Understand Their Custom Solution Strategy

If you have InfoPath forms, SharePoint Designer workflows, or custom web parts, the migration partner needs a modernization plan for each one. Not "we'll figure it out during migration." Each custom solution should have a documented replacement path (Power Apps, Power Automate, SPFx) with effort estimates before the contract is signed.

4. Verify Their Compliance Experience

For HIPAA, SOC 2, or FedRAMP environments: your migration partner must demonstrate chain-of-custody documentation, data-in-transit encryption validation, and compliance posture maintenance throughout the migration — not just in the final state. Ask for redacted compliance reports from previous migrations in your regulatory framework.

5. Negotiate Post-Migration Hypercare

The first 90 days after migration are when 80% of issues surface. Your contract should include dedicated hypercare support — not just break-fix tickets routed to a general help desk. The best firms include 90 days of hypercare in the base migration price. If hypercare is an expensive add-on, the firm is not confident in their migration quality.

Real Timeline Expectations for Enterprise SharePoint Migration

These timelines are based on our actual project data across 5,200+ implementations. Your mileage will vary based on customization complexity and compliance requirements, but these ranges are realistic for well-executed enterprise migrations.

Environment SizeUsersTypical Data VolumeRealistic TimelineCommon Pitfall
Small100-5001-5 TB6-10 weeksSkipping pilot phase
Mid-Market500-5,0005-25 TB3-5 monthsUnderestimating custom solution modernization
Enterprise5,000-25,00025-100 TB4-8 monthsPermission drift across migration waves
Large Enterprise25,000-100,000+100-500+ TB6-14 monthsScope creep from undiscovered dependencies

SharePoint 2016 & 2019 End of Support: Why 2026 Is the Year to Migrate

SharePoint Server 2016 reached end of mainstream support in July 2021 and extended support ends July 2026. SharePoint Server 2019 mainstream support ends in July 2024 with extended support through July 2026. If you're still running on-premises SharePoint, you are either already out of mainstream support or about to lose extended support entirely.

This is not a drill. After end of extended support, Microsoft will not release security patches. Every month you delay migration is a month your SharePoint environment runs without security updates in a threat landscape that is more aggressive than ever. I've watched organizations defer migration for years and then scramble when an auditor flags unsupported infrastructure. Don't be that organization. Start your migration assessment now — even if the actual move happens over the next 6-12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions About SharePoint Migration

How long does a SharePoint migration take?

Timeline depends on environment complexity, not just data volume. A 10,000-user on-premises to SharePoint Online migration typically takes 4-8 months including discovery, planning, pilot, migration waves, and hypercare. A smaller 500-user tenant-to-tenant migration can complete in 6-10 weeks. Anyone promising to migrate a complex enterprise environment in 6 weeks is either cutting corners on governance, skipping user adoption, or does not understand your environment. At EPC Group, our 5,200+ implementations have shown that the discovery and planning phase alone should take 3-6 weeks for enterprise environments.

What is the difference between SPMT, Migration Manager, and third-party tools like ShareGate?

Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) is free and handles basic on-premises to SharePoint Online migrations, but lacks scheduling, reporting, and compliance features. Migration Manager is the cloud-based evolution of SPMT with better orchestration for large-scale migrations. Third-party tools like ShareGate, AvePoint FLY, and Sharegate offer pre-migration assessment, permission mapping, metadata preservation, scheduling, and detailed reporting that the free tools lack. For enterprise migrations, we typically use a hybrid approach: Migration Manager for bulk content with custom PowerShell for permission remediation and third-party tools for pre-migration analysis and validation.

Can I migrate SharePoint on-premises customizations to SharePoint Online?

Not directly. Server-side code (farm solutions, sandbox solutions with code) cannot run in SharePoint Online. These must be rebuilt as SharePoint Framework (SPFx) solutions, Power Apps, or Power Automate flows. InfoPath forms need conversion to Power Apps. SharePoint Designer workflows must be rebuilt in Power Automate. The critical step most firms skip is a thorough customization inventory before migration. At EPC Group, we run automated scanning tools against your farm to catalog every custom solution, workflow, InfoPath form, and web part, then provide a modernization roadmap with effort estimates before any content moves.

How do you maintain compliance (HIPAA, SOC 2) during a SharePoint migration?

Compliance during migration requires chain-of-custody documentation, permission validation at every migration wave, sensitivity label preservation, and audit logging. The migration itself must maintain the same access controls as the source environment at every stage. We implement pre-migration permission snapshots, per-wave validation scripts that compare source and destination permissions, sensitivity label mapping between on-premises classification and Microsoft Purview labels, and post-migration compliance verification reports. For HIPAA environments, we also ensure PHI never traverses unencrypted channels and migration staging areas are access-controlled and logged.

What is the biggest risk in a SharePoint migration?

The number one risk is not data loss, it is permission drift. During migration, permission inheritance can break, unique permissions can be lost, and Active Directory group memberships may not map cleanly to Entra ID (Azure AD) groups. The result is users either lose access to content they need or, worse, gain access to content they should not see. The second biggest risk is metadata loss: custom columns, content types, managed metadata, and version history can be stripped if the migration tool is not configured correctly. Both risks are preventable with proper pre-migration assessment and per-wave validation, which is why tool selection alone does not determine migration success.

Should I clean up content before or during migration?

Before. Every terabyte you migrate costs time, money, and risk. We recommend a structured content disposition process: identify ROT (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial) content using analytics and last-modified dates, archive content not accessed in 18+ months, delete true ROT, and migrate only active content. In our experience across 5,200+ implementations, the average enterprise can reduce migration volume by 30-40% through pre-migration cleanup. This directly translates to faster migration, lower cost, and cleaner destination environment. Do not pay to migrate content nobody has touched in three years.

How much does a SharePoint migration cost?

Enterprise SharePoint migration costs range from $50,000 for a straightforward 500-user migration to $500,000+ for complex multi-farm, multi-geography environments with heavy customization. Key cost drivers include: number of users and sites, volume of custom solutions requiring modernization, compliance requirements (HIPAA, FedRAMP add 15-25% to project cost), number of workflows requiring Power Automate conversion, and whether you need hybrid configuration. Tool licensing (ShareGate, AvePoint) typically adds $5,000-$50,000 depending on data volume. Budget 15-20% of total project cost for post-migration hypercare and user adoption. The cheapest migration is never the best migration — cutting corners on governance and validation creates technical debt that costs 3-5x more to fix after go-live.

Ready to Plan Your SharePoint Migration?

EPC Group offers free 30-minute SharePoint migration assessments. Get expert recommendations on migration approach, timeline, tooling, and compliance requirements from a team with 5,200+ implementations.

Schedule Free Migration Assessment
EO

About the Author

Errin O'Connor is the Founder and Chief AI Architect at EPC Group. A member of the original SharePoint beta team (Project Tahoe) at Microsoft, Errin has led 5,200+ SharePoint implementations across 28 years. He is the bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Press books covering SharePoint, Power BI, Azure, and large-scale enterprise migrations. His clients include Fortune 500 companies in healthcare (HIPAA), financial services (SOC 2), and government (FedRAMP) sectors.

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