With Microsoft SharePoint 2019 (SP 2019) reaching the end of extended support on July 14, 2026, organizations in legal and professional services must proactively plan their migration strategies to avoid security vulnerabilities and operational disruptions.
In this blog, we will explore how to seamlessly migrate to SharePoint Online while leveraging Atlas to enhance knowledge management, document management, intranet, extranet, and AI capabilities.
SharePoint migration: key considerations for next steps
As the end of support for SharePoint 2019 approaches, IT leaders must assess their current usage and future needs. Key factors to consider include:
- Security and compliance risks associated with unsupported software
- Costs of maintaining outdated systems versus upgrading
- Enhancing user experience and collaboration with modern platforms
- Business continuity and data integrity during migration
Do I still need SharePoint?
While SharePoint has long been a cornerstone for intranet, knowledge management and collaboration, its role within organizations is evolving. Depending on your SharePoint 2019 use cases you might want to consider other SaaS based platforms for your intranet or knowledge management requirements. These platforms will require more extensive change management and training, as well as moving data from an organization’s managed environment to a third party. SharePoint Online resides within the organization's Microsoft 365 tenant, where there are more controls regarding security boundaries and compliance. Many CIOs aim to maximize value from their existing Microsoft 365 investments. Therefore, instead of moving away from SharePoint, it is recommended that organizations transition to SharePoint Online and enhance its capabilities with Atlas, which provides:
- Intelligent knowledge and document management
- Enhanced intranet and extranet functionality
- AI-powered insights and content discovery
- Seamless Microsoft 365 integration
By combining SharePoint Online with Atlas, organizations can ensure a future-proof, AI-powered digital workplace tailored to the needs of legal and professional services firms.
What data and functions do I need to keep before my SP 2019 migration?
Before your SP 2019 migration, organizations must conduct a thorough audit to determine:
- Critical business documents and collaboration spaces
- Retention policies and compliance requirements
- Redundant, outdated, or trivial (ROT) data that can be archived or removed
- Custom workflows and integrations that need to be replicated in the new environment
Practical steps for a SharePoint Online migration with Atlas
A structured SP 2019 migration approach minimizes risks and ensures a seamless transition. Atlas helps you with a smooth SharePoint migration. Here are the key steps:
- Assess your current SharePoint 2019 environment – Identify usage patterns, permissions, and custom configurations.
- Define business requirements – Determine the features and capabilities required in the new platform.
- Architect the "to-be" state – Plan the site architecture, considering taxonomy, metadata tagging, and information hierarchy to maximize AI-driven knowledge discovery and collaboration.
- Data cleanup and preparation – Remove the ROT (Redundant, Obsolete and Trivial data) to reduce the volume of data to be migrated.
- Migrate to SharePoint Online – Move data, workflows, and processes to the cloud-based SharePoint Online environment.
- Enhance with Atlas – Deploy Atlas within your SharePoint Online environment to leverage AI-powered knowledge management and improved collaboration features.
- Pilot migration – Test the migration process with a subset of data and users.
- Data enrichment – Use metadata to classify data and enable superior search and ensure compliance.
- Full-scale migration & user training – Execute the migration and ensure employees are trained on the new system.
- Post-migration optimization – Continuously monitor performance, gather feedback, and optimize for efficiency.
What if I miss the deadline for the SharePoint migration?
Delaying the SharePoint migration beyond July 14, 2026, poses several risks:
- Security vulnerabilities due to lack of updates and patches
- Compliance and regulatory risks for legal and professional service firms
- Increased IT costs for maintaining legacy infrastructure
- Disruptions in business operations due to outdated technology
Why choose Atlas for your SP 2019 migration?
Atlas by ClearPeople is designed to work within SharePoint Online, extending its capabilities to provide:
- Intelligent knowledge management – AI-driven content discovery and classification
- Enhanced collaboration both internally and externally – Improved document and knowledge management within SharePoint Online
- Extended governance – Meeting stringent industry regulations
- User-centric experience – Intuitive design tailored for professional services
- Precise AI – leveraging your SharePoint content to drive value from Gen-AI
Next steps for your SharePoint migration
Don’t wait until the last minute to start planning your SharePoint 2019 migration. Explore how moving to SharePoint Online with Atlas can streamline your transition and future-proof your digital workspace.
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