SharePoint 2019 to Online: Planning Your iManage Sync Migration

SharePoint 2019 to SharePoint Online: What It Means for Your iManage Sync Strategy

As Microsoft pushes firms toward SharePoint Online and away from on-premises SharePoint 2019, firms that sync iManage content to SharePoint need to think through what that migration means for their existing sync setup and not just their SharePoint environment.

Quick answer

Migrating from SharePoint 2019 to SharePoint Online while syncing iManage content requires deliberately re-pointing sync jobs to the new environment, re-validating metadata mappings, sequencing the migration to avoid a sync gap, and re-testing Ethical Wall enforcement because the sync relationship does not carry over automatically.

The Challenge

Firms running SharePoint 2019 on-premises eventually face a migration to SharePoint Online, whether driven by Microsoft's support lifecycle or by a broader cloud strategy. If iManage content is already synced to that on-premises SharePoint environment, the migration isn't just a SharePoint project but it's a sync re-architecture, and treating it as purely a SharePoint concern risks, leaving the iManage sync relationship broken or, worse, silently misconfigured after the move.

What to Plan For

Re-point sync targets deliberately
Sync jobs configured against SharePoint 2019 need to be reconfigured to target the new SharePoint Online sites and libraries, not assumed to carry over automatically.
Validate metadata mapping again
Confirm that field mappings between iManage and the new SharePoint Online structure still produce the expected result, since site and library structures often change during a migration.
Sequence the migration to avoid a sync gap
Plan the order of SharePoint migration and sync reconfiguration so there isn't a window where content isn't syncing at all.
Re-test Ethical Wall enforcement
Confirm SPM-aware permission handling still functions correctly against the new SharePoint Online environment before fully cutting over.
Use the migration as an opportunity
A SharePoint migration is a natural point to also review and clean up sync job configuration that may have accumulated cruft over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will our existing iManage sync jobs automatically follow our SharePoint migration?

Not automatically. Sync jobs need to be deliberately reconfigured to target the new SharePoint Online environment.

Should we migrate SharePoint and reconfigure sync at the same time?

The sequencing should be planned carefully to avoid a window where content isn't syncing at all.

Do metadata mappings carry over automatically?

They should be validated again after migration, since site and library structures in SharePoint Online may differ from the on-premises setup.

Is this a good time to clean up our sync configuration?

Yes, a SharePoint migration is a natural opportunity to review and simplify sync job configuration.

Plan your SharePoint 2019 to Online migration without breaking iManage sync.

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Key Takeaways

  • Existing iManage sync jobs do not automatically follow a SharePoint 2019 to Online migration.
  • Metadata mappings should be re-validated against the new SharePoint Online structure.
  • Migration sequencing should avoid leaving a window with no active sync.
  • Ethical Wall enforcement should be re-tested before fully cutting over.