Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Why Migrate?
• Objectives of a Successful Migration
• Key Elements for Migration Teams to Address
• User Experience: Transitioning from eDOCS to SharePoint
• Conclusion
• Migration Team Qualifications
• How We Can Help

The acquisition of OpenText eDOCS by NetDocuments signals a significant transition in the lifecycle of eDOCS as a legacy document management system. NetDocuments appears positioned to migrate eDOCS customers to its comprehensive online platform.

Organizations currently utilizing eDOCS should assess whether NetDocuments aligns with their strategic objectives. As with any technology decision, this evaluation should be grounded in the organization’s current requirements and future outlook.

For law firms or organizations where eDOCS serves primarily legal or HR departments, leveraging client/matter metadata and legal-centric capabilities, NetDocuments presents a suitable option. In numerous instances, eDOCS DM evolved into a multi-department or enterprise-wide content management solution. For organizations in this position, migration to SharePoint Online and the broader M365 ecosystem warrants consideration. As most enterprises already invest in M365 licensing, transitioning to SharePoint Online can deliver strong ROI.

The transition from eDOCS to SharePoint represents a significant undertaking for organizations seeking to modernize their document management infrastructure. As the digital landscape evolves, IT managers and migration teams are tasked with navigating a complex array of strategic decisions, technical hurdles, and user adoption challenges.

This article examines the drivers for migrating from eDOCS to SharePoint, outlines the objectives of a successful migration, details the key technical challenges, addresses user experience considerations, and highlights the qualifications required for migration teams. The aim is to guide IT managers and migration teams through the complexities of this transition, ensuring business continuity and maximizing the value of their information assets.

Migrating to SharePoint positions organizations to leverage AI, advanced search, and compliance features.

eDOCS has remained an on-premises legacy system for many years, while advancements in technology have shifted the industry landscape. The recent acquisition of eDOCS by NetDocuments marks a pivotal transition for its role as a content management solution. Key drivers for migration include:

• End of Innovation: eDOCS, while stable, is no longer at the forefront of modern collaboration and integration capabilities. Organizations find it challenging to keep pace with new requirements for remote work, cloud integration, and advanced security.
• Cost and Maintenance: Maintaining on-premises legacy systems like eDOCS can be expensive, both in terms of licensing and IT resources. SharePoint Online, as part of Microsoft 365, offers a cloud-native, scalable, and cost-effective alternative.
• Collaboration and Integration: SharePoint provides seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and the broader M365 suite, enabling real-time collaboration, workflow automation, and enhanced productivity.
• Future-Proofing: Migrating to SharePoint positions organizations to leverage AI, advanced search, and compliance features, ensuring their information architecture is ready for future needs.

These factors make migration not just a technical necessity, but a business imperative for organizations aiming to stay competitive and agile.

A well-planned migration is more than a technical exercise—it’s a strategic initiative. The primary objectives should include:

• Business Continuity: Ensuring uninterrupted access to critical documents and minimizing downtime during the transition.
• Data Integrity and Security: Preserving document versions, metadata, and permissions to maintain compliance and trust.
• User Adoption: Facilitating a smooth transition for end-users, with training and support to maximize the benefits of the new platform.
• Process Improvement: Using migration as an opportunity to clean up redundant, outdated, or trivial (ROT) data, streamline workflows, and improve information governance.

Migrating from eDOCS to SharePoint is complex due to differences in architecture and features. Migration teams should address the following critical elements:

1. Folders Metadata Mapping
   • eDOCS folders serve as virtual containers rather than representing an actual folder hierarchy and are typically avoided in favor of searching and navigating via metadata. In contrast, SharePoint accommodates both hierarchical folder structures and flat, metadata-driven organization.
   • Careful mapping is required to ensure that document attributes (such as title, author, document type, and custom fields) are preserved and usable in SharePoint.
   • Create a detailed migration plan that aligns eDOCS files and metadata with the corresponding SharePoint document libraries, folders, and metadata structures.
2. Permissions and Security
   • Permissions in eDOCS are granular (applied at the file level) and do not directly translate to SharePoint which utilizes site, library, and folder-level access controls.
   • It is essential for migration teams to thoroughly examine existing permission models and redesign them appropriately for SharePoint, in collaboration with business stakeholders and content owners, to ensure that content access aligns with organizational policies.
3. Version History
   • Depending on regulatory requirements and organizational objectives, it may be necessary to migrate version history.
   • eDOCS supports the use of various file types for different versions of a document (e.g., DOCX and PDF), whereas SharePoint requires all versions to maintain a consistent file type.
   • Decide whether to retain all versions and convert file types or only migrate the latest version as appropriate.
4. Folder Structure and Path Lengths
   • When migrating eDOCS virtual folders or leveraging metadata to construct a folder structure within SharePoint, it is important to note that folder and file paths may exceed SharePoint’s maximum path length of 400 characters.
   • Flatten folder hierarchies where possible and leverage metadata for organization and searchability.
5. Workflows and Integrations
   • Legacy workflows in eDOCS may not be compatible with SharePoint. Identify critical workflows and plan to rebuild them using Power Automate or other Microsoft tools.
   • Review integrations with other systems and plan for equivalent or improved solutions in the Microsoft ecosystem.
6. Data Quality and ROT Analysis
   • Migration presents a unique opportunity to assess and clean up data. Teams should analyze content for redundant, outdated, or trivial (ROT) documents and remove them prior to migration for a more efficient and compliant SharePoint environment.
7. Testing and Validation
   • Conduct pilot migrations and user acceptance testing (UAT) to validate data integrity, permissions, and user experience before full-scale rollout.
8. Fit for Purpose Tools
   • Investing in appropriate migration and file analysis tools is essential for successful project outcomes. The selection of inadequate tools can lead to delays and increased costs. For instance, not all migration solutions are capable of mapping and transferring custom metadata or version history. Furthermore, if extensive source file analysis and remediation are required, the use of a robust ROT cleanup tool may be necessary.

Proactive user engagement and support are key to maximizing the benefits of migration.

The user experience is a critical determinant of migration success. Users without prior SharePoint experience will face a learning curve when moving from eDOCS to SharePoint’s.

• Training: Comprehensive training programs should be provided to familiarize users with SharePoint’s navigation, document management features, and collaboration tools.
• Collaboration Enhancements: SharePoint offers real-time co-authoring, integration with Teams, and mobile access—features that can significantly improve productivity and engagement compared to eDOCS’ more static environment.
• Change Management: Effective communication, phased rollouts, and ongoing support are essential to ensure users embrace the new platform and adapt their workflows.
• Feedback and Iteration: Gathering user feedback during pilot phases and after go-live allows teams to address pain points and refine the SharePoint environment for optimal usability.

Proactive user engagement and support are key to maximizing the benefits of migration.

Migrating from eDOCS to SharePoint is a strategic move that can unlock significant value for organizations—modernizing collaboration, reducing costs, and future-proofing information management. Success depends on careful planning, attention to technical and organizational details, and a strong focus on user experience. By addressing metadata mapping, permissions, version history, workflows, and change management, organizations can ensure a smooth and beneficial transition to SharePoint.

A successful migration requires a team with specialized skills and experience, including:

• Platform Expertise: Deep knowledge of both eDOCS and SharePoint architectures, data models, security frameworks, and workflow engines.
• Migration Experience: Proven track record in planning and executing content management migrations, with familiarity in best practices and common pitfalls.
• Metadata and Permissions Management: Ability to accurately map and migrate metadata and permissions, ensuring security and compliance throughout the transition.
• Technical Proficiency: Skills in configuring, administering, and troubleshooting both environments, including integration with business systems and cloud services.
• Compliance and Security Awareness: Understanding of relevant regulatory standards, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality during and after migration.
• Change Management and Training: Experience in supporting user adoption through training, communication, and phased rollouts, as well as collecting and acting on user feedback.
• Project Management: Strong organizational and leadership abilities to coordinate migration activities, manage timelines, and oversee the project from initiation to completion.

Selecting a qualified migration team is essential to minimize risk and maximize the benefits of the transition.

Partnering with a specialized SharePoint migration team, that leverages proven methodologies and robust tools, enables organizations to achieve a seamless migration and realize the full potential of SharePoint as a modern information management platform.

General Networks’ Intelligent Information Management (IIM) Division brings decades of hands-on experience working with both eDOCS and SharePoint. We have consistently demonstrated our proficiency through numerous successful migration projects involving these platforms, whether transitioning from one to the other or working within each environment. We can manage the complexities of content cleanup, migration mapping, permissions transfer, workflow redesign, and user training, ensuring business continuity and compliance.