There is no shortage of attention being given to Office 365 this month — but understanding which features can help your business is only the first step to actually procuring a solution. The next step? Finding an Office 365 migration tool that is not only fast, but supports a migration path that accommodates your organization’s unique requirements.

To help, we’ve added a number of new features to DocAve High Speed Migration in our upcoming release on October 4 that enhances performance, cuts additional migration costs, and expands to support even more sources and paths to Office 365. Preview what we’ve added in more detail below:

1. Online migration support from SharePoint 2007, 2010, and 2013
2. Multithread uploading for faster migration into Azure
3. Support for Microsoft’s free Office 365 migration Azure container

1.    Migrate Online From SharePoint 2007, 2010, and 2013

Though we have always supported migration to Office 365 from SharePoint 2007, 2010, and 2013 via drive shipping, in this release we’ve provided an alternative migration path from these sources. Not quite sure how this helps you? Let’s do a quick review of the Migration API:

Drive Shipping vs. Online Migration

Like other third party tools, our Office 365 migration tool leverages Microsoft’s SharePoint Online Migration API. Natively, the API allows organizations to migrate terabytes of content to Office 365 at speed and scale by exporting content from either SharePoint or file shares into packages that are then sent to Azure in one of two ways:

• Drive shipping: This involves exporting packages onto hard drives, and then physically shipping them to a Microsoft Data Center. From there, a CSOM call is made to begin ingestion into Azure. Though Microsoft has no specified service level agreement (SLA), our experience with current customers using this method has included anywhere between a 12- to 72-hour wait before upload to Azure begins.
• Online Migration: This involves using an Office 365 migration tool like DocAve to send the migration package to a specified Azure Storage Location through a network upload. With DocAve, this provides a more seamless user experience, as the job of selecting the source, content, destination, and Azure storage location can be made in one simple plan.

Should You Use Online Migration?

Online migrations cut the additional expense of shipping drives to Microsoft Data Centers
and eliminates the risk of physical damage or
theft. However, it’s important to note no one method is generally better than the other. It all depends on the type of data you’re moving, the speed of your internet connectivity, and your timetables. (You can learn more about the differences between these two methods in our free Office 365 migration white paper.)

2.    Migrate Content Even Faster with Multithread Uploading

The biggest benefit gained from Microsoft’s API is its speed enhancements, which are achieved by limiting the entry point calls needed to move content from Azure to Office 365. The October 4^th release of DocAve High Speed Migration compounds the speed of traditional methods by adding multithread technology to all online migrations.

Multithread uploads involve breaking down migration packages into smaller packages that are simultaneously uploaded to Azure. To illustrate: imagine you were tasked with pouring a jar of marbles into a box, and the only way to do so is through a funnel. Instead of the entire jar through one funnel (native methods), there are multiple funnels through which marbles can flow into the box (DocAve).

Thread Settings for High Speed Migration Jobs

3.    Take Advantage of Microsoft’s Free Azure Container

In an effort to alleviate the additional costs associated with Azure data consumption in a high speed migration, we now support the ability for users to utilize a free, preconfigured Azure Storage Container provided by Microsoft for the duration of their DocAve High Speed Migration project. Set up through DocAve is as easy as choosing “Default” when creating your migration plan. Once your migration is finished, DocAve automatically disposes of the Azure Storage container–all at no additional cost to you.

Microsoft’s temporarily provided Azure Storage Container set as Default

Get a Personalized Demo at Ignite

Going to Ignite? Register for a free, 30-minute consultation to see DocAve High Speed Migration’s new features in action! This consultation will also help examine your current environment and strategize to meet your business and operational objectives while overcoming any challenges in the way.