No Direct Migration Path
- Microsoft provided no native upgrade route from SharePoint 2003 to modern versions, requiring multi-stage or custom migration strategies.
A mid-sized media and digital commerce enterprise managing partner ecosystems and customer collaboration through a highly customized, legacy SharePoint-based portal environment.
Result
75% lower migration costs
Result
25% productivity improvement
Result
6-month on-time delivery
Challenges
Heavy Legacy Customization
- Custom ASP.NET web parts
- UI-level modifications across site collections
- Business workflows tightly coupled with legacy architecture
Infrastructure Limitations
- Scalability
- Modern collaboration workloads
- Future hybrid cloud adoption
Business Continuity Risk
- Partner portals
- Departmental collaboration
- Ongoing business operations
Solutions We Provided
Comprehensive System Discovery
- Full inventory of farms, servers, and infrastructure
- Mapping of site collections, workflows, and custom components
- Identification of redundant vs. business-critical customizations
Smart Modernization Strategy
- Replaced legacy customizations with out-of-the-box SharePoint 2016 capabilities where possible
- Reduced dependency on custom code using modern frameworks like PowerApps
- Defined hybrid-ready architecture for future cloud transition
Migration Path Optimization
- Multi-stage upgrade (2003 → 2007 → 2010 → 2013 → 2016)
- Third-party migration tools (ShareGate, Metalogix, AvePoint)
- Delivered a cost-benefit analysis to select the most efficient route
Phased Migration Execution
- Pilot rollout across selected departments
- Controlled full-scale migration minimizing downtime
- Continuous validation of data, workflows, and user access
Technology Stack
Impact
75–80% lower migration costs
25–30% productivity improvement
6-month on-time delivery