How To Identify the Limitations of Data Migration Tools

All companies must check for the limitations when exploring data migration tools that they plan to use for their upcoming data migration project. However, not all companies and their IT teams have clarity on what types of limitations to check.

By identifying the data migration tool limitations, businesses of all sizes can make an informed decision in choosing the right migration vendor. And it is only by selecting the right migration vendor that the overall data migration project becomes a complete success. 

Here are some of the action items to help companies and their IT teams of all sizes to identify data migration tools’ limitations:

1. Check if the Tool Has a Managed or a Self-service Model

The usage model of any data migration tool helps businesses determine whether the tools they have shortlisted are a good fit. For most companies, a data migration tool like CloudFuze that has a managed/guided usage model is crucial. The dedicated managed migration team helps businesses navigate through the complexities and add structure to the overall migration project.

Free migration tools, such as Microsoft’s SharePoint Migration Tool, that have a self-service model do not work for businesses with complex migration needs. One of the core reasons for this is that several mission-critical tasks, such as retaining user hierarchy, is not possible with a manual approach.

2. Check if the Data Migration Tool Can Transfer Features

Business data migrations are not a simple data dump project as IT teams need to ensure that all the features linked to the user data are transferred to the destination. Transferring the core features is integral to retaining the way end-users collaborate. 

For example, businesses planning to migrate Google Drive to OneDrive must transfer all the sharing permissions, file versions, embedded links, timestamps, shared links, and external shares. Transferring these features helps the IT teams replicate the work/collaboration of Google Drive in OneDrive. 

3. Check if the Migration Tool Can Transfer Source Storage-specific Features

Apart from transferring all the core features linked to the user data, companies need to ensure that the migration tool can also transfer features specific to the source storage. For example, IT teams must transfer Box Notes when planning to migrate from Box to OneDrive. 

The tool must have the functionality to convert the Box Notes files into formats such as .DOCX that OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online support.

4. Check if Customizations Are Available for the Cloud Data Migration Tool

One of the crucial limitations that businesses and their IT teams often oversee is customizations. Data migration tools that cannot be customized are not the right fit for companies with complex migration needs. 

On the other hand, bespoke tool options, such as CloudFuze, help businesses meet all their migration needs by offering unparalleled customizability. Customization options also help MSPs/resellers use the 3rd party migration tool as their own to cater to various customer migration needs.  

5. Check if the Tool Is Scalable for Large Enterprise Migration Projects

Enterprises and MSPs that need to migrate petabytes and hundreds of thousands of users need to ensure that the migration tool does not have data size and user count limitations. Also, the IT team of every company must equally prioritize the capability of migrating petabytes of data with consistent throughput.

Migration service providers that can address the challenges of API throttling during high-volume data migration are the best options for businesses that want to migrate large data sizes extensively.