Migration from Google to Microsoft 365<\/a> can be a challenge in many ways, but the migration of files doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be a soul-sucking experience thanks to the reigning champion of all things \u2013 SharePoint, Sharegate, and Microsoft\u2019s Migration Manager, formerly known as Mover. (Microsoft is in mid-transition from Mover to Migration Manager<\/a>, but we\u2019ll refer to it as Migration Manager for this blog).<\/p>\n Recently, I got the opportunity to migrate terabytes of data from Google Workspaces and Box to both SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. As always, I learned some valuable lessons that hopefully will help you align with the right migration tool to make your migration a snap.<\/p>\n Sharegate<\/a> and Migration Manager (Mover<\/a>) are both excellent applications that take a very different approach to the migration of data. If you aren\u2019t already familiar with Sharegate, it\u2019s been around since the early days of SharePoint. You can not only use it in migration scenarios, but it has a wide feature set of administration actions that can make a SharePoint administrator\u2019s life a lot simpler.<\/strong><\/p>\n From permissions management to bulk, site updates, Sharegate can simplify many of the more painful day-to-day admin tasks. Additionally, instead of a \u201cpay by the gigabyte\u201d pricing model, Sharegate simplifies licensing by offering a year-to-year license for unlimited use at a reasonable price.<\/p>\n In late 2019, Microsoft acquired Mover<\/a> as a primary migration solution to copy data into Microsoft 365 service lines<\/a>. Unlike Sharegate\u2019s client install, Mover, now Migration Manager, is a cloud-based application<\/a> requiring no installation and very little configuration to get that data moving in the right direction. The best feature by far \u2013 it\u2019s completely free to use.<\/p>\n So, how did both applications fare when migrating Google Workspaces and Box? Let\u2019s compare:<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to speed, Migration Manager destroys Sharegate, which is in part due to its threading capabilities and simplicity. The Sharegate migration speed via desktop can be throttled up and down to run as fast as the infrastructure it\u2019s installed on, but being a client-side application, this commonly stays around 1 to 2GB an hour, in my experience.<\/strong> When you consider that Migration Manager can run migrations in parallel, you see it drastically improves move time to completion in comparison to Sharegate.<\/p>\n That said, the same simplicity that creates this afterburner speed limits Migration Manager by leaving out the granular capabilities Sharegate offers \u2013 most noticeably, metadata transforms and versioning.<\/p>\n Of course, the bullets above do not list every pro and con of each application, but as you can see, both migration applications are very powerful in their own realm.<\/strong> In my opinion, a migration from Google to Microsoft should include the use of both applications as they coexist and complement each other very well.<\/p>\n Based on my early experience with the application, Migration Manager definitely made a name for itself and will remain in my file migration toolbox. I look forward to seeing how Microsoft adapts and updates its toolset in the future.<\/p>\n \n Sharegate Vs. Migration Manager<\/h2>\n
Sharegate: The OG<\/h2>\n
Pros:<\/h3>\n
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Cons:<\/h3>\n
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Migration Manager: The New Kid<\/h2>\n
Pros:<\/h3>\n
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Cons:<\/h3>\n
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Sharegate Migration Speed vs. Migration Manager Migration Speed<\/h2>\n
The Answer? Use Both Migration Tools<\/h2>\n