What is it?
G and N Drives are legacy network drives used for departmental or group document sharing and storage. The servers hosting these shares are nearing the end of their lives and we are replacing them with SharePoint and Teams Files.
When to use?
If you have files on the G or N Drive that are still needed, they should be migrated to a SharePoint or Teams Files location.
What to do?
1. Review the G Drive files. Determine what needs to be moved, and what files do not need to be retained.
Review retention policies and which files are relevant. Keeping all files forever is not ideal, due to the cost of data storage.
2. Organize the source files as you would like them organized in the new location. If file structures require updating, now is a good time to make those updates.
3. Determine the destination for the files. The destination can be an existing Team or SharePoint site. If there is a Team or Site with the same membership as the G Drive location, that site may be a good fit. If there is not yet a Team or Sharepoint site for that group of people, then IT can assist in creating one.
4. Find a time for migration that works for you and your team. The migration can be scheduled overnight or over the weekend.
5. Inform everyone of the switch, and prepare for the new system.
6. Migrate! Submit a ticket to IT including the information gathered above: The Source file location, Destination file location, and desired time for the migration to occur. If you have questions or require additional assistance, be sure to include that information. Use the File Migration form to submit the request.
7. Notify IT of any problems with the new files within 90 days.
Gotcha's
1. File path length. If you are utilizing long folder or file names, they may need to be shortened. 256 characters is the limit for the full path of a file. If you are using file names to keep track of information, consider other methods, such as having an index file at the root folder level.
2. Access databases or other legacy file types or program files. If there are hard-coded references to file locations, or a specific requirement for a networked file share, SharePoint may not be the best solution. Reach out to IT and we can review the situation and determine the best course of action.