Migrating between storage platforms

Because of the different requirements and restrictions of platforms, migrating between them can be challenging, and many migration tools focus on one destination or a small handful of specific migrations as a result.

What to look for when migrating

There are many differences between the ways that storage platforms handle data that can make them incompatible with simply migrating the files as-is. More refined migration tools will handle many of these issues as part of the migration, but if you wish to do the migration on your own or simply want to be aware of common issues, they generally fall into a few main categories.

Proprietary Doctypes

These doctypes are unique to the platform and can't be opened by other applications as-is. They will need to be converted to a more compatible format first, which isn't always possible while keeping the formatting.

Sharing and Permissions

Content ownership and sharing differs between storage platforms, so a direct migration isn't always possible. While you can migrate these permissions, often the better option is to recreate them in the destination afterwards to make sure there are no issues.

File size and storage limits

Some platforms have stricter limits on storage like a smaller maximum size for a single file. In some cases, the provider may be able to increase these limits, but when this is not possible, the files may have to be migrated elsewhere or adjusted to fit the requirements if possible.

Characters and Naming

Characters and names allowed in files and directories are generally similar, but not exactly the same. Some platforms also allow for duplicate names, while others don't. These file names will need to be altered either before or as part of the migration.

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Choosing a data migration tool

To migrate between any cloud storage platform, try Movebot, the platform-agnostic data migration tool with the most supported storage platforms, including cloud storage, on-prem file storage, and mailboxes, brought to you by the team behind The Cloud Storage Guide.

Brought to you by movebot.io