Data Security Considerations: Securely Migrating Critical Data to Microsoft 365

As digital environments become more and more central to business operations, the selection of software platforms is more critical than ever. But if you find yourself needing to migrate critical data to a new system, such as migrating to Microsoft 365, what are the key considerations to ensure a successful outcome?

These migrations often introduce complex data security challenges, especially when consolidating digital environments. A well-thought-out plan is necessary when faced with the requirement for data migration and a phased approach is always the best option to ensure that data is migrating effectively and securely.

Common Challenges of Data Migration

When dealing with data and processes that are central to business operations, a well-architected process is required to avoid issues and excessive downtime. Without careful planning, you may experience some of these common challenges:

Data Loss: Especially when dealing with large or complex data sets, critical information is commonly corrupted, misplaced, or unintentionally deleted during a data transfer process.

Compliance Violations: Certain types of data may be subject to various industry regulations and legal compliance. During a data migration, that sensitive data should be handled according to those requirements to avoid fines, reputational damage, or loss of certifications.

Vulnerabilities: New vulnerabilities may be introduced during a migration process, exposing data to security threats such as breaches or unauthorized access if proper protections are not in place.

Migrating Microsoft 365 Data Securely:

As a commonly used productivity platform, Microsoft 365 is used by over 2 million companies worldwide. As Tevora clients have commonly sought to securely migrate critical operations to Microsoft 365, our consultants have compiled a list of best practices to help guide the process.

Workloads: Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, PowerApps, Exchange Online, Workstations

Phase 1: Planning

1. Conduct a Pre-Migration Assessment. Identify any compliance and regulatory requirements for data handling. Carefully identify and classify the data at the Source Tenant. This introduces an opportunity for data and tenant hygiene.
2. Establish a migration execution plan with steps and proper timeline expectations for management purposes. Wherever possible, formulate the plan to ensure minimal end user disruption occurs.

Phase 2: Execution

1. Begin with a Staged Migration. Any data migration should not alter the original data but rather create a copy of the data at the destination (including metadata). This is to ensure no business disruptions occur.
   • This includes Teams Chats and Channels, OneDrive Files, SharePoint Sites, PowerApps Deployments, Mailboxes, and Calendar events and any workstations within the current tenant.
2. Conduct a Data Integrity Audit. Ensure that the data has been retained in its initial state, as well as group memberships, and access.
3. Execute the Domain Cutover (if applicable).
   • If a company will retain the domain, a domain cutover must occur updating MX Records and Mail Flow settings.

Following a phased approach like the one outlined here can help ensure a well-orchestrated migration to Microsoft 365. A similar process can and should be used when migrating between other, non-Microsoft platforms as well.

If all goes as planned, your business can safely migrate its data and return to business as usual. If you need support in the migration process, talk to Tevora’s Security Infrastructure experts!