Moving a company's files is rarely difficult technically. What goes wrong is usually the order of things: people working in the old system after the copy was taken, shared links breaking without warning, or nobody knowing which folder is the real one. This checklist is built to avoid exactly that.
1. Take stock of what you have
- List every place files live today: shared drives, personal cloud accounts, email attachments, laptops.
- Note roughly how much data each holds and who depends on it.
- Identify the folders that are shared outside the company, since those links will need replacing.
2. Decide what not to move
A migration is the best chance you will get to clear out. Archive or delete obsolete folders before the move rather than carrying them into the new system.
3. Design the new structure first
- Agree on top-level team folders and who owns each one.
- Decide permissions per folder, not per file.
- Keep it simple: a structure people can guess is a structure people will use.
4. Move in stages, not all at once
Start with one team that is comfortable trying something new. Their experience will surface problems while they are still small, and give you a working example for everyone else.
5. Plan the switch-over day
- Set a clear cut-off: after this time, work happens in the new system only.
- Run a final copy to catch anything changed since the first transfer.
- Make the old location read-only rather than deleting it straight away.
6. Replace external links
Clients and partners with links to your old shared folders will need new ones. Send them proactively rather than waiting for someone to report a broken link.
7. Help people settle in
- Install the desktop and phone apps for each person.
- Show the team how to share a file and how to restore an earlier version, since those two questions come up first.
- Keep the old system read-only for a few weeks, then retire it.
Where CogWiz helps
When you move to CogWiz file storage, we plan this with you and handle the transfer itself, so your team keeps working throughout. Tell us what you use today and we will map out the steps.