FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The Army is migrating its organizational file shares from on-premises (on-site) storage to SharePoint Online (A365). In support of this effort, the U.S. Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM) File Share Migration Support Team is setting up workshops to assist with Microsoft FastTrack migrations. While it is each data owner’s responsibility to move their data, NETCOM is here to help by providing best practices, guidance, and support throughout the migration process.
Organizational file shares contain collaborative items (e.g., Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or Word docs) and are network-connected/network-accessed file storage, which is made available to multiple personnel. Notably, organizational files are portable and are not considered "connected" data sources for server applications. For example, Microsoft Word and Excel documents count as "portable" to define organizational file shares. Active, server-based application databases (e.g., SQL) are not considered organizational files and are not covered by the current requirement to migrate to A365. However, application owners will need to work with administrator teams to ensure service-level agreements are in place to support these systems, and that file share closures will not impact these services.
Users will need to determine their migration path. Option 1: Self-service. Each command may determine its methodology for establishing the destination environment and migrating files in a manner that works best for their organization. Option 2: Metalogix Essentials. Option 3: NETCOM Assisted - Microsoft FastTrack.
The NETCOM File Share Migration Support Team will be hosting Microsoft FastTrack Workshop discussions to assist users with SharePoint Online migration questions. The first series of workshops took place on Oct. 30 for file share administrators and was recorded. Information and recordings of past workshops can be found here (https://armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/NETCOM-ECED/SitePages/File-Share-Migration-FastTrack.aspx). The NETCOM team will also provide additional support for those using Microsoft FastTrack for their organizational file share migration and has published a FastTrack Migration Schedule of sites broken down by base/camp/post/station.
NETCOM developed the Microsoft Fastrack schedule focusing on every data center that could have file shares. Each tenant customer is responsible for conducting their data migration within their designated window. Geographic diversity was a key planning factor when developing the Fastrack schedule which helped to distribute migrations by physical location rather than by organizational structure because of the limited time ground team POCs could support after-hours. NETCOM also considered Command Cyber Readiness Inspection (CCRI) dates when selecting Windows for file migrations. The NETCOM team understands the restrictions imposed by CCRIs and does not want to impede on those formal inspections. Lastly, if customers would like to move up their migration date, please contact the NETCOM team at usarmy.huachuca.netcom.mbx.file-migrations@army.mil. The authoritative source of file share migration schedules will be hosted on the FastTrack page (https://armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/NETCOM-ECED/SitePages/File-Share-Migration-FastTrack.aspx).
Data Owners and File Share Administrators can register to receive additional guidance and support on the File Share Migration Tracker SharePoint page by navigating to the File Migration Tool, selecting their respective roles, and filling out the form. After registering, users will receive an email with the next steps, future guidance, and additional resources. The email will also contain a Responsible Accountable Consulted Informed (RACI) matrix which will provide a step-by-step overview of the full migration process from start to finish, broken down by phases and roles.
Lastly, Data Owners will need to report to their file share owners when their migrations are complete, and File Share Owners will need to notify NETCOM when their organizational file servers have been decommissioned. This can be done using the registration portal on the File Share Migration Tracker site. Reporting will help streamline this effort and ensure all commands and sites are accounted for.
For help, data owners and administrators can access the Support Queue on the NETCOM Enterprise Computing Environment SharePoint site: https://armyeitaas.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/NETCOM-ECED/SitePages/Support.aspx?csf=1&web=1&e=dGGYDK.
(Courtesy article provided by the NETCOM Enterprise Computing Environment Directorate SharePoint Migration Support Team)
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