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SharePoint 2016 has brought the security levels of SharePoint closer to SharePoint Online and has increased the connectivity. Now, it is possible to create a hybrid environment where both on-premises and online servers can work simultaneously. The new server can integrate on-premises SharePoint farm with Microsoft 365 productivity experience. Microsoft has also added a new compliance feature that includes document deletion and in-place hold policies.
Apart from knowing the essential features that SharePoint 2016 is going to bring to the organization, it is equally important to understand the flow of migration. Therefore, we will also discuss key points that users must know when initiating a SharePoint migration.
New features offered in SharePoint 2016
Microsoft releases various features with every new version of SharePoint. Some are totally new, while some may be a superior version of an existing function. Below, we are listing some significant additions to SharePoint 2016:
- The central administration is not available at each server, but only at first server in a farm. To provision the central administration on additional servers, you can go to the page on Central Administration > System Settings as well as SharePoint Products Configuration wizard.
- There are new templates to create sites faster at SQL Server. It will save multiple rounds between SharePoint and SQL Server. The SPSiteMaster cmdlet will create site and site collections faster.
- While posting images and videos in a document library, it will show a preview by hovering the mouse over it.
- Older SharePoint servers did not support uploading or downloading files of more than 2,047 MB. However, the 2016 version allows you to download or upload large files in SharePoint easily. You can fix their size in the SharePoint farm for each web application.
- The sites in SharePoint will be click enabled in mobile view. On mobile devices, the user can click on tiles and links to navigate other pages. You can also change the view from mobile view to PC view.
- The project managers can ask for more resources from resource managers. The new heat map functionality will show which resource is spending more time.
- Sharing has been improved for folders, hints, members, invitation emails, and one-click emails to accept or deny the request for access.
- SharePoint 2016 introduced the MinRole feature, which simplifies management of SharePoint farms by allowing administrators to define the role of each server in a farm.
- Improved user interface for smooth navigation and faster indexing, provides quick search results, and increases user productivity.
- SharePoint 2016 has been optimized for better performance and scalability, supporting a more parallel user login.
- SharePoint 2016 features a robust data loss prevention functionality, same as SharePoint Online.
Key points to remember before migration
To experience all these new features of SharePoint 2016, users need to upgrade to SharePoint 2016 and migrate their data. However, the user needs to be vigilant as some loopholes would result in migration failure or data casualties. Therefore, below we are listing important things before migrating to SharePoint 2016 that the user needs to keep in mind.
- Auditing the content for migration: Before proceeding to migrate your data to SharePoint 2016 or any other destination, you should know about the core content that needs to be migrated. You can follow the 80/20 rule, which says 80 percent of the users would not use more than 20 percent of the content. So, before migration, analyze the content and delete SharePoint site if it serves no purpose. Also, cleaning SharePoint data will reduce migration time & prevent transfer of unwanted data.
- Deciding on the migration strategy: Decide on your migration strategy, which can be manual, automatic, or hybrid (mix of automated and manual). The manual strategy involves copying data which is simple but becomes monotonous with a large amount of data. Migration with automated methods uses some free utilities or third-party tools. The hybrid migration strategy is when some steps include manual methods, and the rest are automatic. Having a strategy ready beforehand is a wise decision to accomplish migration in minimal time.
- Making security the top priority: Data security must be taken seriously. Data security can be compromised when you follow the manual strategies for migration. This is an important point as the migration failure may hamper the migration quality as well. But, professional solutions are found to give proper consideration to the security of data.
- SharePoint 2016 migration requirements: One needs to be aware of the installation and configuration requirements of SharePoint 2016. Also, one should have enough system resources for migration. For instance, SharePoint 2013 is recommended as a bridge for the migration from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2016 (2 step migration). If a new SharePoint farm is to be created, then complete hardware requirements should be met. Also, all the audit and legal requirements should be considered before choosing SharePoint Online over SharePoint on-premises.
- Perform post-migration tasks: It’s not just the pre-migration requirements, but the tasks after the migration are also crucial. If the tasks after the migration are not done well, there are chances of data loss and integrity compromise (especially in the case of manual migration). To ensure a complete migration, users must inspect the linkages, user rights, etc. Proper monitoring is also recommended to ensure a smooth operation post-migration
Apart from the key points mentioned above, preparing for some other possibilities can save the user from a lot of trouble. Below are some points that users typically forget to add to the SharePoint migration checklist.
- The first thing is to ensure a complete, robust backup of SharePoint sites, lists, documents, files, folders, etc. This will help in recovering data in case of any technical failure.
If you wish for partial data backup, then create a folder in SharePoint and move all the crucial data items into the new folder. Then, make a backup of only the new folder.Every major release of SharePoint introduces a certain level of alteration in user interface and placements of buttons & options. Therefore, proper tool training for employees is required to ensure a smooth workflow.
- If possible, find and take reference from a case study or review a report regarding the SharePoint 2016 migration. This will help you to perform a smooth SharePoint migration.
- Verify if your SharePoint configuration will remain intact or will be removed after upgrading to a newer version. You can get help from official SharePoint release documentation.
- The first thing is to ensure a complete, robust backup of SharePoint sites, lists, documents, files, folders, etc. This will help in recovering data in case of any technical failure.
Upgradation to SharePoint 2016 migration seems an easy task but can become a failure if the above crucial points are avoided. Users can perform painless migration to SharePoint 2016 if all the stated points are taken into consideration.
Summary
The article discusses the necessary things before migrating to SharePoint 2016 that need to be considered to ensure a clean and seamless migration. However, performing data migration is a challenging task, even for a technical person. Therefore, for easy and quick migration, we recommend an automated migration tool, Kernel Migration for SharePoint. The robust migration tool can easily transfer every component and data item from SharePoint Server. The tool ensures complete data integrity and can effortlessly migrate SharePoint permissions.
