Msheireb Properties Saves 57% of Time Planned to Migrate to Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 and Accesses 2 TB of File Share Data through SharePoint with DocAve®
Success Highlights
Customer Location Doha, Qatar
Industry Real Estate
Platform SharePoint 2010
Critical Needs
- Swift, simplified migration to SharePoint 2010
- Granular backup of important SharePoint data
- Access to large files residing on file shares through SharePoint
The Challenge
Msheireb utilizes SharePoint as a platform to enhance collaboration among its staff, a repository to manage documents, and an integral tool to automate business processes throughout the company. Through the platform, the company’s 200 end users access all corporate policies and procedures, business processes automated by Microsoft InfoPath 2010, and custom workflows developed using Microsoft Visual Studio.
After utilizing Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 for two years, Msheireb began to make preparations to migrate its data do the latest version of the platform, SharePoint 2010. Several business requirements necessitated the use of SharePoint 2010’s features, including Microsoft Business Connectivity Services.
To simplify the migration process and retain history and settings for its important data, the company investigated third-party software solutions. In addition to its need for a migration tool, the company also investigated possibilities for granular backup and restoration of important business data as well as tools for management of large files residing on files shares through SharePoint.
Web Developer, Msheireb Properties
The AvePoint Solution
Research ultimately brought Msheireb administrators to AvePoint’s DocAve Software Platform. Offering more than 30 different products for SharePoint governance and infrastructure management, DocAve addressed the company’s multiple SharePoint needs with one fully integrated platform.
Swift and Simplified Migration to SharePoint 2010
DocAve Migrator helped Msheireb move 100 GB of content from its MOSS 2007 source instances to mapped elements in SharePoint 2010. Migration jobs were scheduled to take place automatically outside of business hours, and all folder structures, document properties and associated metadata – as well as permissions and access control – were retained with full-fidelity upon migration. The migration was scheduled to take place over the span of seven days, but only took three with DocAve. “Migrating to SharePoint 2010 was easy with DocAve,” said Hanees Thottathil, Web Developer at Msheireb. “By migrating data with full-fidelity and scheduling jobs to run outside of business hours, DocAve minimized the impact of the migration on our business.”
Enhanced Protection of Vital SharePoint Data
DocAve Backup and Restore provides enterprise-class protection for entire SharePoint environments, including all web applications, databases, front-end web elements, and content residing in Binary Large Object (BLOB) stores outside of Microsoft® SQL Server®. “DocAve enabled us to customize and automate a backup plan according to our specific needs and deliver regular, granular backups of our documents and custom lists, ensuring our most important SharePoint data receives the protection it requires,” said Thottathil.
Access to All File Share Content through SharePoint 2010
End users within certain Msheireb business units needed regular access to large files, such as videos and computer aided design (CAD) drawings, but due to Microsoft recommended SharePoint content database limits, the content was kept on file shares in order to optimize storage and SQL Server performance. DocAve Connector allowed end users to collaborate upon network file shares directly through SharePoint without migration. “With DocAve, we save valuable SQL storage space by keeping large files on file shares, while end users are still able to access their content through SharePoint and utilize its management functionality,” said Thottathil. “Ultimately, we expect to access approximately two terabytes (TB) of data stored on file shares through SharePoint while still keeping our SQL Server database under control.”
The Road Ahead
While Msheireb found great benefit in SharePoint’s abilities to store information, bolster collaboration, and automate business processes, key challenges with native functionality stood in the way of maximizing the platform’s overall value to the business. With DocAve, Msheireb was able to face those challenges and prepare the company deployment for continued growth into the future.
