SharePoint 2016/2019 End-of-Support Migration Planning
SharePoint Server migrations become expensive when teams wait until the environment is already under deadline pressure. The right first step is not selecting a migration tool. The right first step is understanding the source environment, the target architecture, and the business processes that depend on SharePoint.
A SharePoint migration should leave the organization with a cleaner Microsoft 365 collaboration model, not a cloud copy of old site sprawl.
What to inventory first
Inventory should cover the farm and the business context around it:
- Farms, servers, patch levels, web applications, content databases, and site collections
- Site owners, storage volume, list and library complexity, custom templates, and abandoned areas
- InfoPath forms, Nintex workflows, SharePoint Designer workflows, custom scripts, timer jobs, and integrations
- Permissions, broken inheritance, external sharing, service accounts, and sensitive content
- Records, retention, legal hold, audit requirements, and business-critical processes
- Usage signals, last modified dates, active users, and owner readiness
What to decide before migration waves
Migration waves should be built from explicit decisions:
- Which sites move to SharePoint Online, Teams-connected sites, archive, or retirement
- Which forms and workflows must be rebuilt before cutover
- Which permissions should be redesigned instead of copied
- Which departments need high-touch change management
- Who validates each migration wave and what “done” means
- How rollback, re-run, or exception handling will work
Common blockers
SharePoint migrations often slow down when these items are discovered late:
- Missing business owners
- Custom master pages, web parts, scripts, or integrations
- Large lists or libraries with unsupported design patterns
- Deep folder structures and long paths
- Highly broken permission inheritance
- InfoPath, Nintex, or SharePoint Designer dependencies
- External sharing and guest access ambiguity
The better migration goal
A successful SharePoint migration is not a perfect copy of the old environment. It is a cleaner Microsoft 365 collaboration model with clearer ownership, safer permissions, stronger governance, and fewer hidden dependencies.
The migration should create a target state that business users can understand and IT can support.
Call to action
If your SharePoint farm contains legacy forms or workflows, start with a migration assessment that includes InfoPath, Nintex, SharePoint Designer, permissions, and site owner discovery. Horton Scientific can help you build the plan and use product accelerators like Form Migrator and Flow Migrator where they fit.