When it comes to handling the most important data for your company, do you still rely on file servers or on-site backup services? If so, you might be missing out on the benefits of SharePoint, a cloud computing service from Microsoft. Cloud computing is a technology that allows you to access your data and applications over the internet instead of storing them on your own devices or servers. SharePoint has become one of the most popular cloud platforms for businesses.
But how do you migrate to SharePoint from your file servers or on-premises backup solutions? What are the steps involved? What are the challenges and risks? And how can you ensure a successful migration project?
In this blog post, we will answer these questions by covering the following:
- What is SharePoint, and why should you migrate to it?
- What are the cons of managing business data with file servers or on-site backup services?
- Why is SharePoint better than OneDrive for businesses?
- What are the advantages of SharePoint (cloud-based) backups?
- How Superior IT can help you with the migration process
So let's jump into it. By the end of this blog post, you will have a better understanding of what SharePoint can do for you.
What is SharePoint, and why should you migrate to it?
SharePoint is a cloud-based service that allows you to create sites, store files, collaborate with your team, manage workflows, and more. It is part of the Microsoft 365 suite, which means you can access it from any device and anywhere with an internet connection. You can also integrate it with other Microsoft 365 apps, such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
What are the cons of managing business data with file servers or on-site backup services?
If you are still using file servers or on-site backup services to store and manage your business data, you may be putting your company at risk. These methods have many disadvantages that can compromise your data's security, accessibility, and efficiency.
Some of these disadvantages are:
Why is SharePoint better than OneDrive for businesses?
Are you wondering whether to use SharePoint or OneDrive for your business's data storage and backup? Do you want to know the differences and benefits of each service? If so, you’re not alone. Many businesses struggle to choose between these two cloud-based platforms that allow them to store, share, and collaborate on files.
Here is a comparison table for easy reference:
| Benefit |
SharePoint |
OneDrive |
| Promotes employee mobility and remote access |
Allows employees to access and share files from any device and location using a web browser or mobile app |
Allows employees to access and sync personal files from any device and location using a web browser or mobile app |
| Lets employees make informed decisions |
Enables creating live, interactive portals that display business information from multiple sources using Power BI |
Does not have this feature |
| Delivers a consistent and streamlined user experience |
Integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. |
Integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. |
| Improves data management and security |
Provides advanced security settings and compliance features that keep business data safe and encrypted |
Provides basic security settings and compliance features that keep personal data safe and encrypted |
| Simplifies business functions and workflows |
Supports creating custom forms, workflows, apps, and automation using Power Apps and Power Automate |
Does not have this feature |
| Supports regulatory compliance and cyber resilience |
Offers granular control over how to store data and who has access to it with permission levels and retention policies |
Offers limited control over how to store data and who has access to it with permission levels |
| Enhances collaboration and communication among teams |
Facilitates creating team sites, intranets, extranets, wikis, blogs, forums, etc. for sharing information and feedback across the organization |
Does not have this feature |
As you can see from this table, SharePoint offers more benefits for businesses than OneDrive in terms of functionality, flexibility, productivity, and security. OneDrive is more suitable for personal use or individual backup.
What are the advantages of SharePoint (cloud-based) backups?
There are many reasons to switch from file servers or on-premises backup solutions to SharePoint.
Here are a few significant reasons to consider migrating:
- Minimize IT resource expenditure: You spend less on IT resources because you don't have to worry about maintaining servers, hardware, software updates, backups,
- Improved data security and compliance: SharePoint offers advanced security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, multi-factor authentication (MFA), data loss prevention (DLP), retention policies (RP), and eDiscovery (ED).
- Data access and control: You can also control who has access to what data and audit user activity. SharePoint also complies with various industry standards and regulations, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and ISO 27001 (Information Security Management System).
- Offer scalability and flexibility: SharePoint can handle a lot of data and users without sacrificing performance or reliability.
- Customisable templates: You can also customise your sites and apps according to your business needs using various templates, web parts (WP), and add-ins (AI).
- AI integrated apps: You can also leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to enhance your productivity and insights using features such as cognitive services (CS), graph API (GA), Power BI (PB), etc.
- Access to business data from any device and anywhere: SharePoint lets you access your files and sites from any device, like desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones, using web browsers or mobile apps. You can also work offline using the OneDrive sync client or sync libraries feature. You can also share files externally with customers or partners using guest links or the external sharing feature.
- Offer new features and updates without downtime: Microsoft is always adding new features and making improvements to SharePoint without affecting your performance or availability. You can also choose when to receive these updates using the release preferences feature.
How Superior IT can help you with the migration process
Superior IT is an experienced Microsoft Office 365 partner that has been helping businesses install, migrate, and support Office 365 since its introduction into the market. We have a team of certified experts who can help you plan, execute, and manage your migration project smoothly and efficiently.
We offer:
- Free consultation session where we assess your current environment, identify your goals and challenges and propose a suitable migration strategy and timeline.
- Comprehensive migration service where we migrate your data, settings, and permissions from your file servers or on-premises SharePoint solutions using best practices and tools.
- Post-migration support service where we provide training, guidance, and troubleshooting for your users and administrators to ensure they get the most out of SharePoint.
We also offer cloud backup services to protect your data from loss or damage, proactive and managed security services to safeguard your data from threats, training and auditing services to educate your staff on how to use SharePoint effectively and compliantly, disaster recovery services to restore your data in case of emergencies, and support and help desk services to answer your queries and resolve your issues promptly.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we have explained what SharePoint is, why you should migrate, and how Superior IT can help you with the migration process. SharePoint is a cloud-based platform that offers many benefits over traditional file servers or on-premises SharePoint solutions, such as:
- Reducing your IT resource spending
- Improving your data security and compliance
- Providing scalability and flexibility
- Enabling secure access to business data from any device and anywhere
- Offering seamless migration, integration, and many other business continuity benefits
If you are interested in migrating to SharePoint, Superior IT is here to help. We have a team of certified experts who can handle your migration project smoothly and efficiently. We also offer various services to support your SharePoint environments, such as cloud backup, security, training, audits, disaster recovery, support and help desk.
To get started with your migration project, contact us today for a free consultation session. We will assess your current environment, identify your goals and challenges, and propose a suitable migration strategy and timeline.
