A successful transition hinges on solid technical configuration and change management.
Are you considering a tenant-to-tenant migration from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365? Then you likely already anticipate that it will be more than a simple upgrade. And rightly so. Such a project is inherently complex due to the many moving parts. It requires thorough planning, staged execution, and active change management to avoid downtime and data loss. That notwithstanding, organizations can complete it. Here’s all you need to know.
Why Organizations Make the Switch
Enterprises typically move from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 due to these strategic drivers:
Advanced Security and Compliance
Microsoft 365 offers advanced, enterprise-level security and compliance tools that aren’t available on Google Workspace. This makes it a compelling choice for organizations in heavily regulated industries like finance, healthcare, and government, or those that want more granular control over device policies, data loss prevention, auditing, and encryption capabilities.
Integration with Existing Microsoft Investments
Many organizations already run Azure AD, Windows endpoints, SQL Server, Active Directory, and other apps in Microsoft’s ecosystem. Therefore, migrating to Microsoft 365 is the logical choice to consolidate their IT, simplify licensing, governance, and support.
Whatever the reason for the tenant-to-tenant migration is, here’s what IT decision makers need to prepare for during this shift:
- Expect to re-map identity, security, compliance, and governance policies rather than simply “lifting and shifting.”
- Prepare for cultural resistance. Some users may prefer Google’s simplicity, browser-native editing, or its chat/drive model.
- Recognize that there is no perfect one-to-one feature equivalence. Trade-offs in functionality, interface, and user expectations are inevitable.
- Account for the total cost of migration, including training and support.
- If the migration is under tight deadlines, it’s crucial to start early with discovery and planning.
In the following sections, we dive deeper into how to make a seamless move from Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Adapting to Microsoft Collaboration Tools
As you do your tenant-to-tenant migration, here are Microsoft 365’s core collaboration tools to keep top of mind:
Microsoft Teams
Teams is the communication centerpiece. It offers persistent chat channels per team, threaded discussions, and integrates meetings and voice calls. You can share files directly in Teams (stored in underlying SharePoint), co-author Office docs, and launch apps (Planner, OneNote, etc.) within conversations.
SharePoint
SharePoint provides a hosted storage site for organizing projects, resources, and documents. Every Teams channel has a linked library in the background and can serve as a departmental intranet or project portal. This flexibility contrasts with Google’s model, where Shared Drives are essentially just group-shared folders. With SharePoint, you can build pages, workflows, and metadata.
Planner and To Do
These will be your team’s new task management tools. Planner is a lightweight Kanban-style task board, tied into Teams channels. It’s useful for visual project task-tracking, stand-up boards, and backlog items. To Do, on the other hand, is a personal task manager that syncs tasks from Outlook.
Preserving Productivity and Collaboration During Transition
Follow these three tips to make your tenant-to-tenant migration seamless:
1. Do Pre-migration Audit & Mapping
Begin with a thorough inventory of your Google Workspace environment, including users, mailboxes, Drive data, groups, and permissions. Assess what needs to move versus what can be archived or left behind. For example, identify shared drives and the corresponding project team, and map those to new SharePoint sites. Map email aliases, groups, and domains from Google to the Microsoft tenant.
2. Migrate in Phases
Use Microsoft’s native Migration Manager to move Drive/Shared Drive content to OneDrive/SharePoint or Exchange Online for staged mailbox moves. When configuring Exchange mailbox migration, you can migrate batches of users to Office 365, allowing the project to proceed in stages. Start with a small pilot group to validate the process, then migrate the majority in a single bulk operation, and finally run a delta pass to apply any changes since the bulk migration. This will limit “shock” to the business, while also providing checkpoints to catch issues early.
3. Communication & Change Management
What’s the best way to minimize resistance? Communication. Keep end users informed with clear timelines for each transition stage, and communicate how the transition will affect their work.
End-User Training & Resources
Getting your team quickly started with Microsoft 365 is easy thanks to Microsoft’s readily available Learning Portal and interactive training resources. Encourage users to follow guided learning paths for Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and other tools, and to test features safely in a sandbox environment to avoid risking production data.
For a more customized approach, prepare separate quick-start guides for each department, tailored to the tasks they typically perform day to day. These can include, for example, a two to five-minute video tutorial to walk users through how to send an email with an attachment in Outlook, or collaborate on Word in Teams. One-pagers that compare how something is done in Microsoft 365 versus Google Workspace can also shorten the learning curve.
Finally, empower champions in each department with deeper knowledge so they can assist peers. At the same time, be sure to collect user feedback regularly so you can adjust training and support focus accordingly. Document all common issues and known workarounds in your FAQs.
Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
1. Overlooking Permissions and File-Sharing Differences
Google Drive’s sharing model does not translate one-to-one into OneDrive/SharePoint permissions. As a result, some users may lose file access after migration unless permissions are carefully mapped. The solution is to use Identity/Group mapping. Recreate Google Drive sharing groups as Microsoft 365 groups or Azure AD groups, and map them so that after migration, each user maintains their access rights.
2. Confusion Over Teams Vs Outlook for Communication
Users may not know when to use a “Teams chat” vs email. Clarify when and for what kind of communication each tool will be used from day one, so that information doesn’t get siloed or fragmented.
3. Neglecting Mobile App Setup and Sync Tools
Failure to configure Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive on users’ mobile devices can lead to email gaps or file sync failures. So, make sure the mobile app setup is done correctly on day one.
Make a Seamless Tenant-to-Tenant Transition with NRI
Migrating your entire enterprise from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 is undoubtedly a large undertaking. However, it is manageable with a well-thought-out roadmap and phased execution. As you focus on the technical configuration of your new environment, don’t forget about the human element. Being proactive in support and communication will make managing the change magnitudes easier.
Need help maximizing the benefits of moving to the Microsoft platform? Let’s talk.
