Five points to consider before a SharePoint Online migration

• 
  Tayla Holman

  Site Editor
• Published: 24 Feb 2016

Microsoft continues to entice customers to use its cloud offerings by enhancing products such as SharePoint Online with features unavailable in the on-premises version. It's all part of the company's "cloud first, not cloud-only" stance. But moving to the cloud may not be right for all organizations, as there are certain caveats to a SharePoint Online migration.

This FAQ will look at the differences between on-premises SharePoint and SharePoint Online, as well as what features and functionality to keep in mind before deciding on a SharePoint Online migration.

Weighing a SharePoint Online migration

SharePoint Online can help businesses reduce costs and save time, but not all on-premises SharePoint features have cloud counterparts.

Although a recent survey shows more customers are deploying on-premises SharePoint than SharePoint Online, features such as real-time co-authoring and unlimited file versioning may be the catalysts that drive users to the cloud.

Should your enterprise migrate to SharePoint Online?

SharePoint Online can help businesses reduce costs and save time, but not all on-premises SharePoint features have cloud counterparts. Before deciding on a SharePoint Online migration, consider which features are essential for your organization.

File type differences in SharePoint Online

Administrators have more control over file types in on-premises SharePoint than a SharePoint Online deployment, but blocking certain file types may be the key to a more secure environment.

SharePoint Online limitations across Office 365 plans

Businesses migrating from a local SharePoint deployment to SharePoint Online in Office 365 should be aware that different plans have different limitations. Avoid issues with storage or file size limits by checking your SharePoint Online deployment needs against a potential plan.

Which SharePoint templates are unavailable in SharePoint Online?

Certain templates available in the on-premises SharePoint offering are unavailable in SharePoint Online, so organizations should decide which assets are essential before migrating to the cloud.