This is not a sponsored article, just a feedback about this tool I’ve been using for several migration as an IT Consultant

Overview (when I start using it)

ShareGate provides a windows application to migrate SharePoint content easily. It also provides a set of tool for the administrator / power users to manage the SharePoint farm (review permissions, identify customization, identify threshold close to reach etc…) .

Understand that it is not taking care of migrating customization (such as .net webparts, jobtimer, JavaScript, apps, central administration infopath etc) developped on top of sharepoint, it does migrate workflow, nintex workflows and infopath files from libraries.

It has now been revamped graphically and features have been added but I didn’t get the chance to try.
In the next chapter, I will present real cases scenario so that you understand how Sharegate could help, then I will give the PRO / CONS I find about this solution.

Example with real scenarios

Project 1 : Migration of 1TB of data directly from MOSS 2007 to SharePoint 2013.

Considering the volume of data and a lot of developments done on the platform, the overall data migration process took about 3-4 months.

Note that the performance speed was about 6GB/Hours so the fastest we could achieve the migration would have been to let the tool run 7 days. Which was not an acceptable downtime timeframe for the business.

Instead, we have split the migration per department and rollout SharePoint sites for each division to SharePoint 2013 progressively. This allowed repeating the migration process more than 25 times, improving the success of the migration, identifying risks and patch issues faster.

From 15 database, to 40 database (we created the database ourselves) because we needed to remap content to different database for performance and structural organization purpose (a 100gb database is recommended per sharepoint on Premise database).

Sharegate helped to save a lot of time because we could skip SharePoint 2010 database migration, which is mandatory if you perform the Microsoft method.

Project 2 : Migrating a simple site from MOSS 2007 to 2010

This migration was an easy one because the volume was only 100 GB and our customer only used Out of the box sharepoint features. The site was locked during the migration and 1 day after the new platform was ready.

Project 3 : Migrating from SharePoint 2013 to Office 365

Migrating a sharepoint 2013 on premise to the cloud is a different method than on premise method using the Microsoft way. You have to use powershell to migrate it to azure as a blob file and migrate it as a site collection in office 365. You shall script every site collections. Tedious.

Sharegate makes this task easier with its unique UI. We migrated one site collection containing workflows to the cloud.

Notes that I created the site as classic UI and it was not possible to switch it to modern UI. Maybe they have a workaround for that.

PROS

• Skip multiple environment migration, directy from 2007 to office 365
• Unique interface
• Pre migration check, announcing future issues
• Inventory of customization installed on your farm

CONS

• Automating multiple sites collection migration must be done by powershell.
• Customization are not handled, but there are tools to list down every customizations.
• Migration speed, using database attach it could perform faster. This is a general limitation of web services…

To wrap it up

ShareGate is a great tool that I would recommend except if you need to migrate a lot of content over a weekend, known as big bang migration 🙂

I can’t compare to other vendors such as Avepoint or metalogix as I have not tried it. I think avepoint has more advanced features and comes with a lot more other tools.

One big advantage of sharegate is the price, from 1000 USD (now 3995 usd as they seem to have merged product edition) to 5995 usd (inclusive of nintex workflow / forms migration).

Feel free to share your experience with me or ask question in the comments section below, if I made mistake about what the tool is, feedback too 🙂

Et voila !

Jeff ANGAMA

Start small, think big, fail fast, adopt then adapt,