Migrating from SharePoint On-Premises to SharePoint Online
All UNBC SharePoint On-Premises sites (our.unbc.ca / intranet.unbc.ca) will be shut down and the content will be migrated to SharePoint Online by UNBC ITS.
Note: This does not affect the following services
Why do we need to take this action?
SharePoint On-Premises will no longer receive maintenance and security updates from Microsoft as of April 2023, which means that continued use will become highly risky. Consequently, we will discontinue this service by March 28th, 2023.
Timeline
- Late January 2023: SharePoint On-Premises site owners will be contacted with further details and instructions.
- February 2023: SharePoint On-Premises will be set as read-only, and site migrations will begin.
- Late March 2023: SharePoint On-Premises will be permanently shut down.
Expectations
- All active sites and subsites will be migrated to SharePoint Online.
- Site content (files, list items, and workflows) will be migrated.
- Site permissions (people, groups) will be migrated.
- Alerts and checked out files will NOT be migrated. ITS will contact the affected people directly.
- Content saved on your SharePoint On-Premises profile page (my.unbc.ca) will NOT be migrated. ITS will contact significantly affected people directly.
- Any web pages, bookmarks, or documentation you have that includes links to SharePoint On-Premises sites will need to be updated to continue to work after the migration.
How do I know if a file is checked out in SharePoint?
If your file has a green arrow in the icon, that means your file is checked out. If your file does not show the green arrow on the document icon, it is checked in.
Important Note: If your file is checked out when the migration has started, we will only be able to migrate the 'last checked in' version.
How Do I Know If a Site Has Been Set As Read-Only?
There will be a pink banner at the top of the site, similar to the one below.
In addition, some site buttons will be removed (eg. “Delete” on Files), grayed out (“OK” on Settings pages), or take you to a “You Don’t Have Access” message.
What is SharePoint Online?
SharePoint Online is a Microsoft Office 365 cloud-based service that helps users share and manage content, knowledge and applications, encourage teamwork and facilitate seamless collaboration across the organization. It provides a secure location to store, exchange and access data from virtually any device and all major online browsers.
What are the benefits of SharePoint Online?
- The ability to integrate with Microsoft 365 applications (including Microsoft Teams).
- Compatibility with mobile and off-campus devices, allowing access to information while travelling or working from off-campus.
- Real-time collaboration and streamlined sharing within the UNBC Community & outside the university.
- High level security features – additionally secured with Multi-Factor Authentication to enhance the security of your documents.
- Large storage capacity for each site collection, making it ideal for large files (e.g., video and high-resolution images).
How to access SharePoint Online?
- Go to https://gounbc.sharepoint.com/
- Login with your UNBC credentials (username@unbc.ca).
Who do I contact if I have questions or concerns?
Please send questions and concerns to SharePointMigration@unbc.ca and a member of the project team will get back to you.
For additional information on how information on how your data is stored in Sharepoint Online, please see the following KB article: https://unbc.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/87/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=4248