SharePoint 2013 is one of the most anticipated
software upgrades of the year, and many IT professionals are looking at
implementing the solution for its enhanced features and particularly, its
ability to support mobile devices. However, a large number of organisations are
still using older versions of SharePoint, which can pose something of a
challenge. According to official upgrade documentation, there is no way to
upgrade directly from, for example, SharePoint 2007, to SharePoint 2013, short
of first upgrading to SharePoint 2010, with all of the expenses and time that
comes with this.
Moving to SharePoint 2013 offers organisations access
to many new features, and one of the biggest developments is the ability to
support mobile devices. In an increasingly mobile world, this is becoming
critical to enable knowledge sharing and collaboration across an organisation,
including to users on smartphones and tablets. In addition, SharePoint 2013
enables access to new MySites and new Community Sites, which are increasingly
important given the rate of content generation and growth. Other features
include managed navigation based on metadata, microblogging and activity feeds,
e-Discovery integration with Exchange, and SEO-friendly URLs, all of which are
highly beneficial for the modern organisation.
However, while many enterprises are highly interested
in adopting SharePoint 2013, there is concern and budget constraint around the
upgrade path as the versions cannot be ‘leapfrogged’. The upgrade is defined as
a complete point-to-point transfer of the SharePoint databases from one version
to another, and Microsoft does not support this path from older versions.
However this is not the only solution.
While upgrading may not be possible, migrating is.
Migration involves copying and moving items from a database, but not moving the
database itself. All of the data within a SharePoint database can be read and
copied, and then reproduced in a different database on a new SharePoint farm.
Using advanced SharePoint migration tools, organisations can move from
SharePoint 2007, or even earlier versions, directly to SharePoint 2013, and
take advantage of the benefits. Content, site structures and permissions that
support the content and workflows that use the content, can all be
migrated. New SharePoint templates can
also be applied to the structure as part of the migration process. The right
product will also ensure that no dependencies or limitations are created
related to the SharePoint data in either the old or new database, ensuring full
functionality.
A SharePoint migration also allows for items to be moved
in a more granular fashion. In other words, it is not necessary for items to be
moved to the exact equivalent location in the new SharePoint database and a
"Big Bang" approach is avoided. This means that a new structure can
be created to more closely match the way users utilise SharePoint and more
effectively solve business problems using the tool. It is also possible to keep
SharePoint more organised and aligned with business needs, as SharePoint
migration tools also include content organisation capabilities. This makes it
easier to split or merge sites as and when necessary, inject metadata or to
reorganise the structure of a SharePoint farm in line with changing business
requirements.
Put simply, a SharePoint migration leaves the database
in place, but allows for everything else to be copied and moved. This means
that upgrading first to SharePoint 2010 is completely unnecessary for
organisations wishing to move from 2007 to 2013. Irrespective of your current
version of SharePoint, it is now possible, using advanced SharePoint migration
tools, to move to SharePoint 2013 in a single, cost-effective step.
Editorial
contacts:
Soarsoft Africa
Chris Hathaway
Director
Tel: 011-7812323
Email: chrish@soarsoft.co.za
Evolution PR
Liesl Simpson
Tel: 011-4620628
No comments:
Post a Comment