What Migration Tools Are
Written by MSP Outpost.
In Short
Migration tools move a client's data from one platform to another: mailboxes, files, SharePoint, Teams and whole tenants between Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and others, plus PSA or help desk data when you change ticketing systems. They save the manual copying and give you a record of what moved, but they do not plan the project for you.
What It Does
- Mailbox migration. Mail, calendars and contacts copied between platforms, with a final sync at cutover.
- File migration. OneDrive, SharePoint, shared drives and file servers moved with folder structure and, where possible, permissions.
- Teams and tenants. Teams, channels and whole tenant-to-tenant moves, which vary a lot in what carries across.
- Coexistence. Keeps calendars and free and busy visible between old and new during a staged move.
- PSA and help desk data. Tickets, contacts, companies and attachments moved from one system to another.
- Reporting. Logs of what moved, what failed and what was skipped, for the client and for you.
When You Need One
Most moves are small. A per mailbox or per user tool with simple batches is enough, and the main skill is a clear cutover plan and a rehearsal on a test account.
Migrations become a regular revenue line. Look for batch scheduling, delegated access that does not need client passwords, and clear error reports, so one person can run several moves.
Tenant mergers, large file shares and Teams moves appear, and an unexpected gap is costly. Test what a tool really carries across before you quote, and consider a specialist tool for the awkward parts.
How It Is Priced
Pricing is usually per user, per mailbox or per gigabyte moved, and often a one-off charge for each project, though some offer a subscription for ongoing use. Watch for separate prices for mail, files and Teams, minimums per project, limits on the size of data, and charges for extra sync passes.
Switching
A migration tool is used for a project, not kept for years, so switching tools is rarely the issue. The cost is moving the wrong way: before you start, confirm the old platform stays available for rollback, keep the source data until the client has signed off, and check how long the tool's logs stay accessible afterwards.
Questions to Ask a Vendor
- How is it priced, and is that per user, per gigabyte or per project?
- What does it not carry across, for example permissions, version history or Teams chats?
- Can it run a delta sync so cutover is short?
- How are credentials handled, and can I use admin consent instead of user passwords?
- What happens when an item fails, and can I retry only the failures?
- Can it move my PSA or help desk data, and does it keep attachments and history?