Part 4. Clean the data before you move it.

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Cloud data migration. Clean the data before you move it

Cloud migration programmes often fail for one simple reason. Organisations move their data without understanding it.

Part 4 of the infoboss Unlocked series focuses on migrating legacy file data to Microsoft 365 and other cloud repositories. Across every sector, the same pattern appears. Poor visibility of existing data leads to unnecessary cost, increased compliance risk, and disappointing outcomes post-migration.

The challenge organisations face

Years of unmanaged growth leave data scattered across file servers, legacy document management systems, email archives, OneDrives, and shared folders. Structures are inconsistent, metadata is weak, and ownership is unclear.

Industry research reflects this reality. Over 60 percent of migration projects exceed budget or schedule due to poor data assessment (Forrester), while duplication and weak structure can increase post-migration storage and licensing costs by up to 40 percent. (IDC)

At the same time, regulatory scrutiny continues to increase, particularly around unmanaged personal and sensitive data.

The business impact

Migrating without insight leads to:

  • Project costs inflated by 30 to 50 percent through unnecessary data movement.
  • Sensitive data transferred without appropriate controls.
  • Cluttered cloud environments that frustrate users and undermine adoption.

A technical migration may succeed, but the business outcome often does not.

How infoboss helps

Infoboss provides pre-migration intelligence by discovering, classifying, and profiling content across existing environments. Redundant, obsolete, and trivial data is identified and removed before migration.

Sensitive and compliance-critical data is classified to ensure correct handling and retention. Migration becomes targeted, moving only high-value, governed data into Microsoft 365 or other cloud platforms.

After migration, Infoboss continues to monitor and enforce governance, preventing the new environment from degrading over time.

Real-world results
  • An FTSE 100 organisation reduced legal risk and saved hundreds of hours by cleansing and migrating contract data from a legacy document store into SharePoint. See case study: https://infoboss.co.uk/ftse-100-company-transform-their-contract-management-with-infoboss/
  • A large retailer reduced migration volume from 8TB to 3TB, identified thousands of files containing payment card data, and strengthened PCI DSS and GDPR controls.
  • During a company merger, Infoboss identified ransomware, excessive duplication, and over-retained content before migration, reducing storage by 60 percent.
Key takeaway

Successful cloud migration starts with data intelligence, not data movement.

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