Still relying on legacy systems? An aged line of business application, file share, or document management system? If so, this blog is for you. We’ll look at why these faithful old servants are no longer serving you well, and how you can move to digital workplace built on SharePoint Online, without disruption.
Old systems often seem familiar and reliable. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, right? But, in reality they’re a blocker to modern working and either do, or will, cause problems.
The downside of sticking with legacy systems
Older platforms are riskier. They lack current security features like real-time threat detection, conditional access, and automated compliance. They present a greater risk of data breaches and unauthorised data access, and this increases when they’re no longer patched regularly. They’re also harder to keep compliant.
They also may be contributing to data fragmentation and data silos. Which means that employees waste time searching for information, or they unwittingly duplicate content. It probably also means that version control and metadata management is poor.
Older systems tend to provide a poorer employee experience. Outdated interfaces, limited mobile support, and poor integration with key tools like Teams, Viva and Copilot, all negatively affect adoption and productivity.
This can also cause employees to avoid using the platform, perhaps using their own system instead. Adding to data silos and depriving the business access to this knowledge.
Older systems are also a silent drain on IT resources. It’s not just the ongoing patching, backups, and upgrades, but the hidden costs of storage, energy, and security. As well as the risk of failure and downtime that comes with aging hardware and less well supported software.
In comparison, Microsoft 365 with SharePoint Online as the foundation provides a secure, compliant, scalable, integrated, and employee-centric digital workplace, that supports modern work and future growth.
The Hybrid Trap: One Foot in the Past, One in the Cloud
Retaining legacy systems alongside modern cloud platforms can seem prudent or flexible, but it often introduces significant challenges and risks.
When there is more than one location for content, versioning issues, duplication and uncertainty soon follow. Employees become unsure which system to use for what, slowing productivity, increasing errors, and eroding trust.
Inconsistent interfaces and different capabilities across systems create a fragmented employee experience. For some this will be a cause of frustration. While others will carry on as before and resist change, undermining your digital transformation: adding to the silo problem and making it harder to automate workflows, and deliver insights.
Worse still, dual systems will cause IT pain. The identity and access controls you need, like Microsoft Entra ID, conditional access, and authentication, are hard to apply to legacy systems. This increases the risk of unsecured content, data leakage, or access violations, especially if the old platform isn’t properly monitored. While running both environments means an avoidable duplication of operational and support costs.
But it needn’t by like this.
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How IT Can Start the Transition
A successful transformation provides a single digital workplace, capable of scraping data while reliance on aged platforms is progressively diminished. Here’s a high-level guide to the steps you might take.
1. Establish a clear vision and objectives
If this isn’t one of your strengths, a good partner will be a huge help. They’ll help you define what a successful digital workplace looks like and show you how integrating complementary technologies, like Viva, can also help. They can also help you to ensure that your vision is aligned with broader business goals such as improving collaboration or enhancing data security, and design a realistic, actionable roadmap to work towards your goals.
2. Current situation assessment
Audit what’s still hosted on legacy platforms. You’ll want to identify what’s still in use (or outdated), what’s sensitive or business-critical data, and any custom workflows or integrations. As part of this, prioritise content based on value, usage, and risk – it will help with your migration.
3. Clean up and rationalise content
Eliminate redundant, outdated, and trivial (ROT) content. Apply governance rules so you know what to archive, migrate, or discard, and tag important content to improve future findability.
4. Plan the migration
Avoid a ‘lift and shift’ approach and focus on a people-first design that capitalises on SharePoint Online features, such as Teams and Viva integration, metadata, and hubs. Work with key stakeholders as well as internal comms and/or HR to support change. Use a phased approach, by department, region, or content type, and start with a pilot group to test and refine the process.
5. Implement governance and security
You can benefit a lot by using Microsoft’s inbuilt governance and security functionality. So, define roles, permissions, and site lifecycle policies before you migrate. Microsoft Purview and Entra ID will help you to achieve consistent data protection, compliance, and identity management. While sensitivity labels and Data Loss Prevention functionality will help protect sensitive content.
6. Engage and train employees
It’s important to promote the benefits of new technology to employees, focusing on how it will help them. Offer training on the new tools, new policies and content structures and encourage champions to help drive adoption. Internal comms and HR teams can be invaluable allies here.
Modernisation Isn’t Optional: It’s a Strategic Weapon
Modernisation can improve the way your organisation works. SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365 can form the foundation of your digital workplace, replacing some legacy systems and sidelining others. Making content easy to find, improving workflows, and unlocking the value of your organisation’s knowledge.
To transition successfully, IT must do more than simply move content. But, with the right approach and a strong focus on employee experience, IT can improve how employees work.
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Additional FAQs
How do I migrate from a legacy platform to SharePoint Online without disrupting my business?
Successful migrations start with understanding what you have. Audit your legacy platforms—what’s still useful, what’s redundant, and how people actually use them. Then build a phased migration plan focused on business-critical areas first.
Clear communication is essential: keep teams informed of changes and timelines, and provide early access where possible. Coordination with your internal comms team is key here.
In our experience at Silicon Reef, the most successful migrations are employee-led, not just IT-driven. We help clients take an iterative approach, migrating in manageable stages while minimising downtime. This ensures continuity while gradually introducing users to the new platform, giving them time to adjust and adopt. Migrations don’t need to be disruptive—they need to be thoughtful, well-paced, and centred around real business needs.
What legacy systems can SharePoint Online replace—and what are its limitations?
SharePoint Online can replace many legacy tools, including file shares, on-prem SharePoint, ageing intranets, and some bespoke document management systems. It’s excellent for collaboration, document control, workflows, and internal communication. But it’s not a direct replacement for every system—particularly complex or highly customised business apps. These often require rebuilding using tools like Power Apps, or integrating with existing solutions. But, you can achieve a lot with M365 when you think outside the box.
At Silicon Reef, we help clients map their legacy environment to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, identifying where SharePoint fits, where enhancements are needed, and where integration makes more sense. We always advise against like-for-like replication. Instead, use this opportunity to simplify, modernise, and reimagine how work gets done using cloud-native tools.
How do I get employees to actually use SharePoint instead of old systems?
Adoption is often the hardest part of modernisation. People are naturally resistant to change, especially when legacy tools are familiar. To encourage adoption, start with small, impactful wins—such as improving how people find and share documents. Create clean, intuitive SharePoint sites that reflect how teams already work, using familiar language and clear navigation. Support this with training, bite-sized guidance, and peer champions who lead by example.
At Silicon Reef, we see best results when organisations invest in change management, not just technology. SharePoint becomes successful when employees see clear benefits: less time searching for files, easier collaboration, and better communication. Adoption isn’t about forcing change—it’s about making the new way of working easier than the old one.
Is SharePoint Online secure enough to replace our legacy document management system?
Yes—SharePoint Online is highly secure, offering enterprise-grade protection built into Microsoft 365. It includes encryption at rest and in transit, version control, permissions management, audit logging, and advanced compliance tools like retention labels and DLP (Data Loss Prevention). For many clients, it’s more secure than older on-prem systems. That said, the platform is only as secure as its configuration.
At Silicon Reef, we work with organisations to define governance structures that balance security with usability. We often find that over-restrictive setups lead to workarounds, while well-managed permissions and user education deliver better outcomes. With the right approach, SharePoint not only meets security requirements but also improves control and visibility over business-critical information.
What’s the real business value in modernising legacy platforms with SharePoint Online?
Modernising isn’t just about replacing old systems—it’s about enabling a more connected, productive workplace. SharePoint Online streamlines collaboration, improves access to information, and supports hybrid working with anytime-anywhere access. You can automate manual processes, improve version control, and centralise communications. Many of our clients at Silicon Reef report reduced IT overheads, faster onboarding, and fewer information silos. But the real value comes from aligning SharePoint with wider business goals—whether that’s improving employee experience, increasing agility, or supporting digital transformation. When implemented well, it becomes more than a content hub; it becomes the backbone of a modern workplace, designed around how people really work, not just how systems are structured.
