This project completed in April 2022
Simple sharing and seamless collaboration
Motivation behind the change
On-premises SharePoint 2016 is being retired and Microsoft will begin reducing support for this service. However, SharePoint is the foundation upon which many of the Microsoft 365 tools we already use reside (e.g. Teams, OneDrive).
Moving on-premises SharePoint to the M365 environment will provide users with access to the collaboration and productivity tools available with the integration features of the Microsoft suite of products, as well as new features and enhanced security.
Relationship to other Microsoft 365 projects
N/A
Audience(s) impacted
- Users of on-premises SharePoint sites under https://sharepoint.uwaterloo.ca will move to https://uofwaterloo.sharepoint.com
- Anyone requesting a new SharePoint site (beginning early 2021)
- IT and Microsoft 365 support teams/areas
Known impacts
- Stakeholders may move from SharePoint 2016 on-premises sites to SharePoint Online sites, Teams or use other productivity tools, depending on stakeholder needs
- URLs for SharePoint sites in M365 will begin with https://uofwaterloo.sharepoint.com (instead of https://sharepoint.uwaterloo.ca/, currently used for on-premises SharePoint sites)
- Those transitioning from SharePoint 2016 to SharePoint Online may need to learn how to access/manage their documents within the context of a SharePoint Online environment
- Those transitioning from SharePoint 2016 to Teams may need to learn how to access/manage their documents within the context of a Teams environment
- Learning about and integrating use of new features
Benefits of the change
- Improved authentication and information management security
- Increased capacity for data storage
- Anytime, anywhere access to files including the option to work offline and sync changes to the cloud when back online
- Enhanced functionality (e.g. search, workflow tools, development tools)
- Streamlined end-user support
- A familiar working environment
Risk of not completing the change
On-premises SharePoint 2016 is being retired and Microsoft will begin reducing support for this service as they focus on the implementation of SharePoint Online
Important date(s)
- Project completed April 2022
- May 2022: End-of-life for on-premises SharePoint (sharepoint.uwaterloo.ca)
- Maintenance and updates of on-premises SharePoint sites will continue from December 2021 to May 2022
- December 2021: On-premises SharePoint development environment no longer available
- September 2020 - November 2021: Work began in September and will complete in November 2021
- Members of the project team are working with stakeholders to coordinate and implement on-premises site migration plans and ensure the appropriate training and support resources are available
Project resources
- How to prepare your SharePoint 2016 on-premises site for migration to SharePoint Online and/or Microsoft Teams (migration checklist)
- University of Waterloo SharePoint Community (Teams)
- Move to M365 SharePoint Online Project (recorded seminar)
- Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways (online learning)
- SharePoint site migration request (Jira help portal)
- SharePoint Online site request (Jira help portal)
Project contact(s)
Questions about this project can be submitted via the IST Account Rep help form.