Any organization that has an intention of upgrading its IT structure needs to lean towards SharePoint Online because it is a cloud-based platform and offers more sophisticated features, which prove very helpful in increasing collaboration, productivity, and security within the organization. There are still a lot of users who remain at the SharePoint 2013 or older version and want to upgrade or migrate to SharePoint Online. This write-up shows how one can migrate SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online.

Is it really worth migrating to SharePoint Online?

Well, here are some reasons why you should migrate SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online.

• SharePoint Online has more robust security.
• Because it is a cloud service, we access our data from anywhere and on any device.
• In SharePoint Online, we never have to manage the overall infrastructure like software updates, backups, etc. It's all taken care of by Microsoft.
• It reduces the overall cost because it is also a plan-based service; we pay for only what we are using.

Procedure to Migrate SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online

First, we are using a SPMT, which stands for SharePoint migration tool. Microsoft provides SPMT, under which you can migrate your website. This is how you work with SPMT:

1. You need to install and open SPMT.
2. Then, add details of your Microsoft accounts.
3. Click on Add new migration.
4. Choose a source URL with a single user's data to migrate all the data of the selected single user, or opt for the option to add multiple user details in a CSV or JSON file.
5. Decide on the type of Migration: Site migration, document library migration, and more.
6. Then, provide the source site URL and configure the source and target with login credentials.
7. Finally, after configuring the source and the target, start migration.

Some limitations of using SPMT

Well, the method can be enhanced since it has a couple of disadvantages that can impact the migration process. A few of the disadvantages of SPMT are mentioned below:

• It can only support up to 250 GB of data; size limitation is there.
• SPMT won't work for the old version like SharePoint 2007.
• The process can take a lot of time if the amount of data is huge.
• There is no feature for filtration and personalization in SPMT.
• The process also requires good knowledge of tech.

Another Method to Migrate SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online 

It requires a third-party tool for the second method. So, for that, we have a perfect tool, referred to as the Shoviv SharePoint Migrator. This tool is the best option for migrating the SharePoint content because it has many handy features, which make it a smooth and straightforward way for migration and the user-friendly interface enables the newbie to go ahead with the migration process.

Why this Shoviv's migrator is the best choice?

• This software doesn't have any size limitation and also it can process more than one site at a time.
• Also, it has a filtering and scheduling option in it. That's an excellent feature.
• It supports all versions of SharePoint and Windows Operating System.
• This software even permits the user to track the whole procedure so that the users can ensure whether the data gets migrated or not.
• Moreover, if you want to check this software, a free version is also available.

Steps to migrate SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online in a breeze

1. Install and open the Shoviv's Migration Tool
2. Then, choose SharePoint to SharePoint Migration, and specify the source and target.
3. Then apply the feature of filter if you want to filter out some items, and modify other settings; hit next.
4. Last, use the schedule feature, if needed, and hit finish.

Conclusion

The migration of SharePoint 2013 to SharePoint Online can be a difficult process. It requires proper planning, trusted tools, and proper execution. However, for migrating small data, users can migrate to SharePoint Online using the SPMT. But, in order to make the process easier and quicker, the use of trusted tools like the Shoviv SharePoint Migrator Tool is a must because it really simplifies the whole process and provides handier features.