Key Takeaways
- Migration to Microsoft 365 eliminates on-premises infrastructure and security burden.
- InfoPath retirement requires strategy: most organizations migrate to Power Apps (modern, cloud-native).
- Workflows must be redesigned for cloud: Power Automate, Power Apps, or Azure Logic Apps.
- Governance and security policies must be established upfront — cloud requires different controls than on-premises.
- Phased migration (pilot → department → organization) reduces risk and builds organizational confidence.
SharePoint on-premises was built for an era when organizations wanted full control over infrastructure. In 2026, that's a liability, not an asset. Maintaining on-premises SharePoint means: managing servers, applying patches, ensuring disaster recovery, dealing with security vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-53770, and hiring specialized expertise. Microsoft 365 inverts this model. Microsoft manages infrastructure, security, patches, and scale. Your organization focuses on how to use collaboration tools, not how to keep them running. This guide covers the real work of migration: replacing InfoPath forms, modernizing workflows, establishing governance, and executing a migration that doesn't disrupt your organization.
What does SharePoint on-premises to Microsoft 365 migration entail?
Migration involves moving SharePoint data, content, and customizations from on-premises servers to Microsoft 365 (cloud). This includes content migration (sites, lists, documents), workflow redesign (on-prem workflows don't translate to cloud), InfoPath form replacement, governance policy establishment, and user training on cloud-native tools.
Why Migrate Now: Business Case for Cloud
SharePoint on-premises and cloud have diverged. Cloud has modern features, better security, and lower total cost of ownership. On-premises is increasingly a liability.
Infrastructure burden: On-premises requires servers, storage, backups, patching, capacity planning, and disaster recovery infrastructure. Microsoft 365 handles all of this — you pay a monthly fee and benefit from world-class infrastructure.
Security: Cloud instances receive automatic security patches, advanced threat protection, and compliance certifications. On-premises requires your IT team to manage security, monitor threats, and respond to vulnerabilities. Cloud is more secure for most organizations.
Feature velocity: Cloud features (copilot integration, AI-powered search, advanced collaboration) are deployed automatically. On-premises are stuck with whatever version you're running until you manually upgrade.
Cost: Total cost of ownership is typically 30-50% lower in cloud once you account for infrastructure, staff, and disaster recovery. Cloud has a predictable monthly cost.
InfoPath End-of-Life: Choosing Your Replacement
InfoPath is deprecated and will be removed from SharePoint Online. You must choose a replacement strategy before migration.
Power Apps is the recommended replacement. It's modern, cloud-native, and can replicate most InfoPath functionality. Power Apps forms integrate with Power Automate workflows, Power BI analytics, and cloud data sources. If 80%+ of your forms are simple (data capture + validation), Power Apps is the right choice.
Microsoft Forms is simpler than Power Apps and works for basic surveys and quizzes, but lacks the power for complex business processes. Use for feedback and simple data collection.
Custom solutions: If you have highly specialized forms with unique requirements, custom solutions using Power Apps or Azure-based applications may be necessary.
Assessment step: Audit all InfoPath forms and categorize: (1) Simple forms (→ Power Apps), (2) Complex forms (→ Custom Power Apps or solutions), (3) Legacy unused forms (→ retire). This determines migration effort.
Workflow Modernization: From 2010 Workflows to Power Automate
SharePoint on-premises workflows (2010/2013 workflows) don't translate to cloud. You must redesign workflows for Power Automate, Power Apps, or Azure Logic Apps.
Power Automate is the cloud-native replacement for SharePoint workflows. It's more powerful, more flexible, and integrates with the entire Microsoft ecosystem (Teams, Excel, databases, external APIs). Most SharePoint workflows can be converted to Power Automate.
Assessment: Catalog all SharePoint workflows. Categorize: (1) Simple approval workflows (→ Power Automate), (2) Complex multi-step workflows (→ Power Automate + custom), (3) Legacy unused workflows (→ retire). This determines redesign effort.
Redesign approach: Workflows should be redesigned to cloud-native patterns, not literal translations. For example, an on-premises workflow that updates a spreadsheet file should be redesigned to update an Excel Online table. This leverages cloud capabilities.
Testing: Thoroughly test redesigned workflows. Cloud-native workflows behave differently than on-premises workflows. Permissions models are different, approval processes have new patterns, and error handling is different.
Establishing Cloud Governance: Policy Before Migration
Cloud governance is different from on-premises governance. Establish policies before migration to prevent chaos post-migration.
Site provisioning: Define who can create SharePoint sites and under what conditions. Cloud makes site creation trivial (anyone can create), requiring governance to prevent sprawl. Set policies: business unit approval for new sites, naming standards, retention policies.
Data sensitivity: Classify data (public, internal, confidential, restricted) and define access controls. Cloud DLP (Data Loss Prevention) can enforce policies automatically.
Sharing policies: Define how external sharing works. Cloud enables sharing with external parties easily — sometimes too easily. Define: who can share externally, what data can be shared, expiration policies for external access.
Retention and deletion: Define how long data is retained and what happens when sites are deleted. Cloud has soft delete (sites recoverable for 93 days), but policies should define permanent deletion.
Phased Migration Roadmap: Reducing Risk
Migrate in phases: pilot → department → organization. This validates the process and builds confidence.
Phase 1 — Planning & Assessment (6-8 weeks): Inventory current environment, audit forms and workflows, identify dependencies, plan InfoPath replacements, establish governance policies. This is the critical foundation.
Phase 2 — Pilot Migration (4-6 weeks): Migrate one small site with limited users. Test content migration, validate workflows, train users, identify issues. Pilot should be low-risk but representative.
Phase 3 — Departmental Migration (4-8 weeks): Scale to one or more departments. Apply lessons from pilot, optimize processes, train larger user groups. Iterate based on feedback.
Phase 4 — Enterprise Migration (4-12 weeks): Migrate remaining content. This may be parallelized with multiple departments migrating simultaneously.
Phase 5 — Validation & Optimization (2-4 weeks): Verify all content migrated correctly, optimize cloud settings, decommission on-premises infrastructure, train support teams.
Experience Signal
We've led over 30 SharePoint migrations to Microsoft 365. Organizations that invest in planning and governance have smooth migrations. Those that rush into migration without understanding their current state struggle with data integrity and workflow redesign. The planning phase is where migration success is determined.
Frequently Asked Questions
Timeline depends on data volume, complexity, and custom solutions. A typical migration (1-50GB of data) takes 3-6 months. Large enterprises with complex workflows may take 6-12 months. Key phases: planning (6-8 weeks), discovery (4-6 weeks), migration (4-8 weeks), validation (2-4 weeks).
InfoPath is deprecated in modern SharePoint. You have options: (1) Migrate to Power Apps (recommended — modern, cloud-native), (2) Convert to Microsoft Forms (simpler forms), (3) Replace with custom solutions. Most organizations migrate 80%+ of forms to Power Apps.
No. On-premises SharePoint workflows (2010/2013 workflows) don't automatically convert. You must redesign workflows for cloud: Power Automate, Power Apps, or Azure Logic Apps. This is the most complex part of migration.
Cloud instances eliminate on-premises attack surface, include advanced threat protection, integrate with Microsoft Entra ID (better identity security), have automatic patches/updates, and provide DLP (data loss prevention). Security posture typically improves 30-50% post-migration.
Sources
Planning your SharePoint migration?
Webnixon leads SharePoint migrations to Microsoft 365, from planning and governance to InfoPath redesign and Power Automate workflow modernization. We ensure your migration is smooth, secure, and positions your organization for cloud-first collaboration.
Schedule a SharePoint migration consultationAbout the author
Bhawanjeet Kaur
Senior Microsoft Consultant
Bhawanjeet specializes in Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 implementation, helping businesses modernize operations through intelligent automation, custom business applications, and connected data infrastructure. She holds multiple Microsoft certifications and has led enterprise digital transformation projects across manufacturing, professional services, and healthcare organizations. She writes about Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and practical AI integration for businesses.
Related Articles
Web Design
SharePoint Under Attack: CVE-2025-53770 ToolShell Zero-Day and What You Need to Know
CVE-2025-53770, designated 'ToolShell,' is a critical vulnerability affecting SharePoint on-premises servers. It enables unauthenticated remote code execution and has been actively exploited in the wild. Organizations running on-prem SharePoint must patch immediately.
Web Design
Zero Trust Security: From Network Perimeter to Verify-Everything Architecture
Traditional security assumed your internal network was safe. Zero Trust assumes everything is hostile until proven otherwise. This shift from perimeter-based to verification-based security is becoming standard in 2026. Here's what it means for your organization.
Web Design
AI-Ready Infrastructure: Why Enterprise Modernization is Essential for AI Adoption
Enterprises trying to run AI on legacy infrastructure face fundamental constraints. AI workloads need GPU compute, high-bandwidth memory, fast data pipelines, and low-latency inference. Legacy infrastructure optimized for traditional applications can't provide this.