SharePoint Migration
10/03/2026
Staff Update March 2026
Dear colleagues,
As part of our ongoing work to modernise how we store, manage, and collaborate on documents, we will soon begin migrating from SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online within Microsoft 365.
This change is an important step in improving resilience, security, and accessibility across the Council.
Why are we moving to SharePoint Online?
- Improved reliability – Cloud services such as SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive remain accessible even when our VPN or on-premise systems experience issues.
- Better collaboration – Documents can be accessed by all staff who need access, and they can be edited securely from anywhere, including Council provided mobile devices.
- Compliance with records management requirements – Good record keeping means keeping the right information, in the right place, accessible to the right people and stored for the right amount of time. Good record keeping keeps us legislatively compliant, including with Data Protection Legislation and the Council’s Records Management Plan.
- Reduction of legacy systems – We will gradually phase out shared drives and legacy systems in favour of modern M365 tools.
What’s happening and when?
Our migration will follow a phased approach:
1. Pilot Migration (in progress)
We are currently working with our supplier, Phoenix, on a pilot migration to confirm the approach and test connectivity and performance.
This includes:
- Migrating content types and information architecture to our new SharePoint Online environment.
- Assessing how our VPN and network behave during migration.
- Completing early testing with selected sites.
2. Full Migration
Following a successful pilot, we will move into full migration for Services.
High level planning and timelines have been drafted; final timelines will be shared once testing is completed.
3. Removal of Shared Drives
As part of this programme:
- Shared drives and personal network drives will be swiftly phased out,
- With guidance provided on what content should move to Teams, OneDrive, or SharePoint Online.
What support will be provided?
To help everyone adapt smoothly, we will provide:
✔ Guidance on where to store what
Clear explanations of:
- When to use SharePoint Online,
- When Teams is more appropriate,
- When OneDrive should be used for personal working files.
✔ Training & awareness sessions
We will run Council wide sessions focussing on:
- Working with documents in Microsoft 365,
- Understanding retention and records responsibilities,
- Avoiding common pitfalls.
✔ Communication updates
We will keep you informed before, during, and after your area is migrated.
What do Services need to do now?
Services will be asked to:
- Review existing data in shared drives and remove anything no longer needed.
- Identify documents that should be treated as records so they can be migrated correctly.
- Nominate contacts to support service readiness.
Further instructions will follow as we prepare for each phase.
❓ Questions or concerns?
We will continue to share updates as timelines are confirmed.
If you have queries about the SharePoint migration, please contact Graeme Shanks or Nigel Jones in the ICT Digital Services team.