01The client
Ferexcel / Ferramentas.pt decided to modernise its working environment and bring its teams' email, files and collaboration together on a single platform, with around 70 mailboxes in use every day.
02The starting point
Information lived in several places, each with its own rules and its own access:
- Email and many files were in Google Workspace and Google Drive.
- Internal documentation was on a file server at the company.
- Teams was already in use, but with personal accounts, without the file sharing, teams and channels that business Teams offers.
And there was one condition: operations could not stop. Email and documents had to remain available throughout the move.
03The solution
We migrated everything to Office 365, with a single account per person, and organised the information so that it is easy to find and to share.
Around 70 mailboxes migrated from Google Workspace to Office 365, with existing information preserved and email working at all times.
Files
Files from Google Drive and documentation from the internal server moved to SharePoint and OneDrive, with the folders mapped in Windows: the way of working changed for the better, without losing familiarity.
Collaboration
Right from the start, Teams teams and working methods with Microsoft Lists and Planner were set up, bringing immediate efficiency gains to internal processes and procedures.
From Teams with personal accounts, the company moved to its own business Teams, with teams, channels and shared files in the same place where conversations happen.
04The project, week by week
Four weeks, with no downtime, with Google Workspace running until the very last moment and users supported at every step.
- Migration organised around the email accounts, the files and each person's needs.
- Scheduled training in Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, Microsoft Lists and Planner, so that everyone arrived on day one knowing what to do.
- Ongoing support during the transition: questions, access to email and documents, and the small difficulties of anyone changing tools.
- Management procedures defined for the future: named accounts, operations logged in tickets, licensing control and management responsibilities.
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1
Week 1
Preparation
Survey of accounts and data, preparation of Office 365, accounts and licences, and a communication plan for the teams.
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2
Week 2
Email
Migration of the mailboxes, with Google Workspace still in service, and the start of training in Outlook and Teams.
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3
Week 3
Files
Google Drive and the file server to SharePoint and OneDrive, with the folders mapped in Windows, and the email switchover without interruption.
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4
Week 4
Go-live
Teams teams, Microsoft Lists and Planner up and running, scheduled training, management procedures and close follow-up.
05The results
- Around 70 mailboxes migrated to Office 365.
- More than 1.5 TB migrated from Google Workspace, across email and Google Drive files.
- Migration completed with no downtime, in four weeks.
- Documentation from the internal file server transferred to SharePoint, with the folders mapped in Windows.
- Business Teams with teams and channels, Microsoft Lists and Planner improving internal processes from day one.
- Procedures defined for managing Office 365, with ongoing user support.
Where the information lives
Ferexcel / Ferramentas.pt now has a centralised working environment that makes it easier to access information and for people to collaborate.
No downtime: work carried on while the change was happening.
SharePoint folders mapped in Windows: everything new, nothing unfamiliar.
From Teams with personal accounts to the company's own Teams.