Financial Services & Wealth ManagementAustralia & UK

12TB Legacy File Server to Modern SharePoint Online Migration

A fast-growing wealth advisory firm migrated 12TB of sensitive client financial records from aging on-premises Windows file servers into structured, modern SharePoint Online hubs with full metadata preservation.

12 TBData Migrated with 100% Integrity

0 hrsBusiness Workday Downtime

< 2 secClient Document Search Retrieval

$45k/yrOn-Premises Server & Storage Cost Savings

01. Operational Challenge

Chaotic Nested Folders, Permission Oversharing & On-Prem Hardware Risks

The firm was running end-of-life on-prem file servers with deeply nested directory paths (>260 characters), broken permission inheritance, and slow VPN access for hybrid advisors.

Legacy / Existing Environment:

Windows Server 2012 R2 file shares with legacy NTFS permissions and unindexed PDF archive directories.

Key Friction Points:

Slow document retrieval taking advisors up to 15 minutes per client meeting

Security exposure from unmanaged 'Everyone' access permissions on legacy shares

Aging hardware maintenance costs and rising ransomware risk

02. Solution Architecture

Pre-Seeded SPMT Migration with Purview DLP & Modern Intranet Architecture

Empathy Technologies designed a clean departmental information architecture, pre-seeded 12TB of files in the background, mapped NTFS permissions to Microsoft Entra ID groups, and executed a weekend delta cutover.

Microsoft Technology Stack:

SharePoint Online & Microsoft Viva ConnectionsSharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) & PowerShell AutomationMicrosoft Entra ID (Role-Based Access Control)Microsoft Purview Sensitivity Labels & DLPMicrosoft Search with Managed Metadata Taxonomies

Architecture Guardrails:

Preserved 100% of creation dates, author metadata, and version histories

ACSC Essential Eight aligned zero-trust access controls

Custom branded employee portal integrated into Microsoft Teams

03. Implementation BlueprintTimeline: 8 Weeks (Structured Staging)

Staged Milestone Execution

Phase 1: File Share Audit & Taxonomy DesignWeeks 1–2

Document inventory scan, orphan file elimination, and modern hub taxonomy design.

Phase 2: Entra ID Group Mapping & Purview SetupWeeks 3–4

Permission role mapping, sensitivity labels, and DLP policy staging.

Phase 3: Automated Data Pre-SeedingWeeks 5–6

Background bulk transfer of 12TB historical archive data via SPMT.

Phase 4: Weekend Delta Sync & CutoverWeeks 7–8

Zero-downtime delta cutover, drive redirection, and employee enablement clinic.

04. Measurable Outcomes

Long-Term Business Impact

Advisors can securely access client records on mobile devices during client meetings.

Over-permissioned folder access eliminated across all client folders.

Laid the secure groundwork for future Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout.

“The team pre-seeded 12 terabytes over weeks and switched us over on a Sunday with zero disruption to our Monday morning trading operations.”

Head of IT & InfrastructureWealth Management Firm

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