Healthcare System Migrates 50TB to SharePoint Online

Project Overview

A major regional healthcare network with 15 hospitals and 200+ clinics needed to migrate their aging on-premise SharePoint 2013 environment to SharePoint Online while maintaining strict HIPAA compliance.

The Challenge

The healthcare network faced multiple critical challenges:

- Legacy Infrastructure: SharePoint 2013 nearing end of support with security vulnerabilities

• Massive Data Volume: 50TB of clinical documents, policies, and patient-related content
• HIPAA Compliance: Strict requirements for PHI protection during and after migration
• 24/7 Operations: Healthcare facilities operate continuously with no tolerance for downtime
• Complex Permissions: Intricate security model with role-based access to sensitive documents

  Our Solution

  SharePoint Support implemented a comprehensive migration strategy:

  Phase 1: Assessment & Planning (4 weeks)

• Complete inventory of all content, customizations, and workflows
• HIPAA compliance gap analysis and remediation plan
• Detailed migration schedule aligned with facility operations
• Risk assessment and mitigation strategies

  Phase 2: Environment Preparation (3 weeks)

• SharePoint Online tenant configuration with HIPAA controls
• Azure AD integration with existing identity systems
• Microsoft Purview sensitivity labels for PHI content
• Data Loss Prevention policies implementation

  Phase 3: Pilot Migration (2 weeks)

• Selected low-risk department migration
• User acceptance testing
• Performance validation
• Compliance audit verification

  Phase 4: Full Migration (8 weeks)

• Phased migration by facility and department
• Real-time progress monitoring
• 24/7 support during critical migrations
• Continuous compliance monitoring

  Phase 5: Post-Migration (4 weeks)

• Legacy system decommissioning
• User training and adoption support
• Performance optimization
• Final compliance certification

  Technical Implementation

  Migration Tools & Methods

• ShareGate for content migration with metadata preservation
• PowerShell automation for bulk operations
• Azure Data Box for initial data transfer
• Custom scripts for permission mapping

  Security Controls

• End-to-end encryption during transfer
• Multi-factor authentication enforcement
• Conditional access policies
• Audit logging for all PHI access

  Results Achieved

  The migration delivered exceptional outcomes:

  - 50TB migrated with complete metadata and version history preservation

• 15,000 users transitioned with minimal disruption
• Zero data loss verified through comprehensive validation
• 40% cost reduction from infrastructure consolidation
• HIPAA compliance maintained throughout with full audit trail
• 99.9% uptime during entire migration period

  Long-Term Benefits

  Post-migration, the healthcare network gained:

  - Modern collaboration tools for clinical teams

• Mobile access to documents for remote staff
• Enhanced security with Microsoft's enterprise-grade protection
• Simplified compliance with automated retention policies
• Reduced IT overhead with cloud-managed infrastructure

  Why SharePoint Support

  Our healthcare expertise made the difference:

  - Deep understanding of HIPAA requirements

• Experience with large-scale healthcare migrations
• 24/7 support aligned with healthcare operations
• Proven methodology for zero-downtime migrations