Legacy SharePoint Modernization: Challenges, Benefits, and Best Practices

Even a technically successful modernization can struggle if employees do not understand what is changing.

Users may be accustomed to existing navigation, document locations, approval processes, and collaboration methods.

Communication, training, documentation, and user involvement should therefore be part of the modernization plan from the beginning.

Best Practices for Legacy SharePoint Modernization

Start With an Assessment

Before changing the environment, understand what exists.

Assess sites, content, permissions, customizations, workflows, integrations, usage patterns, and dependencies.

Microsoft's modernization approach begins with assessment to identify which sites are suitable for modernization and understand the scope of the project.

This creates a fact-based starting point instead of relying on assumptions.

Clean Up Before Migration

Avoid treating migration as an opportunity to move everything.

Review obsolete sites, duplicate documents, outdated versions, inactive content, and unnecessary structures before migration.